I am in a four story building, is it better to stay inside during an earthquake or to get outside?
Was going to say need answer fast, but the building seems to have stopped shaking.
I just followed the guys from California.
Do you live in the New Jersey or Connecticut area?
North Carolina
We had a nice ride here on Long Island. Knew what it was immediately and got the hell out of the building.
Here in northern Baltimore, it was over by the time anyone figured out what it was.
We just felt it here in Charlotte.
Duck and cover under something sturdy, or duck and cover your head. Don’t leave until quake is over.
Leave orderly, not via elevator.
Yeah, I’m from Jersey, and I too have no clue.
Outside, stay inside? Elevator or escalator?
I stepped outside my office (in Manhattan) and proclaimed that we had an earthquake. No one believed me…until about 5 minutes later when the announcement came. Now my boss is calling me “intuitive”.
Was in a meeting (Bethesda, MD a couple miles north of DC)… we thought someone was hanging big pictures but quickly realized what it was.
Earthquakes don’t usually shake for very long - say, a minute or two. It’s not likely that you could get from the fourth floor to the outside before most of the commotion had stopped. If you tried to get out, you’d be moving around under light fixtures, windows and who knows what else. Heck, being trampled by other people might be the biggest danger. As you get outside, there’s danger of being hit by glass, brick, roof tiles, etc. falling from the building.
As Philster says, you should stay put and find something sturdy to get under. Growing up in CA, we were told to look for sturdy tables first and to stand in a door frame if you couldn’t find anything to get under. Door frames are structurally strong and less likely to have shelves or hanging things nearby. It’s a good idea to face away from any source of glass in case it shatters.
Thank you 
I was so close to the building exit that it was an option I couldn’t resist.
Closets are generally pretty sound, a small space with a doorway.
By personal experience, riding a bicycle is a good way to miss out on a quake.
Women and children first. If they make it, leave. If not, climb over their corpses.
Elevators may stop working, trapping you inside. And when an escalator goes badly wrong, it’s a big meat grinder.
I thought when an escalator went bad it became steps?
Yeah, but I can see where in a REALLY bad quake it could start coming apart and people fall into the mechanism.
That’s what happens when an escalator goes mildly wrong. or (to rephrase) goes wrong in the best way. As Mangetout says, when one goes badly wrong, it becomes a meat grinder.