When an earthquake rattled New York City on Friday, Mayor Eric Adams advised New Yorkers to take cover under a piece of furniture or in a doorway if there were aftershocks.
But most experts say a doorway is not the best place to go during such an event. And a city website dedicated to being prepared for an earthquake echoes that view.
“Do not get in a doorway,” the site warns, “as this does not provide protection from falling or flying objects and you likely will not be able to remain standing.”
Keith Porter, a research professor in the Department of Civil Environmental and Architectural Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder, said the best advice from experts is to drop, cover and hold on (to the table or whatever other furniture you take shelter under).
Seeking shelter in a doorway is risky in several ways, Professor Porter said. For one thing, many doorways have doors that swing, which can be dangerous in an earthquake. And simply walking to a doorway could expose a person to falling or flying objects.
“I would say that is outdated advice,” he said of the mayor’s doorway suggestion.
Zach Iscol, the city’s emergency management commissioner, said in an interview on Friday that he tried to emphasize that getting low under a heavy piece of furniture should be the first option.
“If that’s not available, you should try to get in the doorway,” he said.
Asked about concerns over the safety of doorways, especially in different types of buildings, Mr. Iscol said he would look into the issue to determine whether the advice the mayor provided verbally and in a statement on Friday should be updated.
The goal, he said, is to get away from things that could fall on you, whether you are inside or outside. He said that getting low under a heavy table or desk is ideal.
Robert-Michael de Groot, a coordinator at the federal U.S. Geological Survey who specializes in earthquake safety, said there was a time when doorways were more structurally stable and stronger than other parts of a house, but “that really isn’t the case anymore.”
“You can get injured if you’re moving while shaking is occurring,” he said. “So staying in your place, dropping, is actually the most important part. Getting low to the ground and sort of being able to stabilize yourself, but then finding something to protect yourself.”
The geological survey’s advice on how to protect yourself in an earthquake is clear: “If you are INDOORS — STAY THERE! Get under a desk or table and hang on to it or move into a hallway or against an inside wall.”
The survey’s website includes a link with advice from the Earthquake Country Alliance, a California group dedicated to improving earthquake preparedness.
“In modern homes, doorways are no stronger than any other part of the house,” the alliance says. “Doorways do not protect you from the most likely source of injury — falling or flying objects. You also may not be able to brace yourself in the door during strong shaking. You are safer under a table.”
Ed Shanahan and Camille Baker contributed reporting.
