DOUGLAS COPP - WORSE THAN URBAN LEGEND: DANGEROUS ADVICE! AND NOW
FOR SOME GOOD ADVICE FOR EARTHQUAKE SAFETY
Marla Petal, Ph.D. is Director of Bogaziçi University, Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake
Research Institute's Disaster Preparedness Education Program. Her doctoral research is on the
causes of deaths in the 1999 Kocaeli Earthquake and implications of these findings for public
education. September, 2004
Recently many well-meaning people, wanting to be safe have unwittingly fallen victim to Douglas
Copp, and his "Earthquake Tips". If you took the time to read Copp's advice and you thought it
might have some merit, or if you passed it on to anyone else, please read this and pass this back up
or down the lines. If you haven't, and just want a few good tips for earthquake safety you can skip
all the way to #7 and #8.
To refer to these kinds of stories as urban legend is to be excessively charitable. Apparently Copp
has fooled and victimized many. Some of them were the good people at the Albuquerque Journal in
New Mexico. Some of them were search and rescue volunteers and general public in Turkey. Now
some of them are the recipients of Copp's "earthquake tips" circulated on the Internet. Beware of
Copp and his American Rescue Organization. Many of my colleagues have briefly and summarily
dismissed him. However, since this advice has been widely circulated among people wanting to
protect themselves, family, friends and neighbors, I am compelled to add a detailed response.
#1: SHOULD YOU BELIEVE ANYTHING DOUG COPP HAS TO SAY? PROBABLY NOT.
DOUGLAS COPP - WORSE THAN URBAN LEGEND