After my blog post yesterday, a couple of diligent readers contacted me either personally or through my Facebook page. This is the comment from Laura Mack and her research which was most interesting. I couldn´t not post this in view of the seriousness of the subject.

Sorry for putting SO much into the comment section, but I personally am quite alarmed at how quickly this misinformation is whipping through the net. Please pass along the rest of this info to balance out your endorsement of Copp’s ‘theory’. I thought it sounded pretty convincing myself, and even forwarded it to Maxx (my son) when I began doing a bit more digging to get more info…and this is what I found….

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/triangle.asp

http://www.earthquakecountry.info/dropcoverholdon/ They say….The so-called “triangle of life” and some of the other actions recommended in the email are potentially life threatening, and the credibility of the source of these recommendations has been questioned.

The U.S. Department of Justice launched a fraud investigation because Copp received $649,000 from the 9/11 victims fund yet apparently did little or no rescue work and did not suffer the serious injuries he claimed. In addition, the chief of special operations for the New York Fire Department called Copp “a bald-faced liar” [source: Linthicum]. Besides these issues, an in-depth investigation by an Albuquerque newspaper (where Copp used to live) uncovered several other incidents in which Copp had lied about or fabricated his credentials, including his supposed “body detector” machine, which was, in fact, a readily available, commercially purchased gas detector [source: Linthicum].

Netlore Archive: Doug Copp’s emailed advice on earthquake survival tactics entitled ‘Triangle of Life’ is disputed by search-and-rescue experts from the American Red Cross and elsewhere. The American Red Cross took the unusual step of contacting me directly to refute the above text, which a representative of the group politely characterized as “incorrect.” According to Red Cross community disaster education manager Rocky Lopes, author Doug Copp’s earthquake survival suggestions don’t apply in the United States because they’re based on observations made in Turkey, where engineering and construction standards are different. “Much research in the United States has confirmed that ‘Drop, Cover, and Hold On!’ has saved lives in the United States,” writes Lopes. “Engineering researchers have demonstrated that very few buildings collapse or ‘pancake’ in the U.S. as they might do in other countries.”

Other experts concur, even to the point of suggesting that some of Copp’s advice could endanger people’s lives rather than save them. “Some of the things he recommends are absolutely dangerous, like getting out of your car and lying down next to the car,” UCLA public health expert Kimberley Shoaf told Knight Ridder Newspapers in November 2004. A former deputy director of the California Office of Emergency Services, Mark Ghilarducci, agreed that “duck, cover and hold on” remains the best overall strategy for survival during an earthquake. I should also point out that although Mr. Copp has proclaimed himself a disaster expert, his credentials are in question.”

So there you have it! I just hope and pray that none of us ever have to face the decision to run, to duck for cover, to hold on or anything else when it comes to an earthquake.

I have a wonderful story for you that I will be sharing with you tomorrow. This one has me giggling with delight.

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