What Should You Not Do During A Crisis? Critical Mistakes To Avoid In Emergencies

When a sudden crisis strikes—whether it is a violent shift in the earth beneath your feet, a blinding flash of lightning, or an intense celestial event—human instinct often prompts us to react quickly. However, split-second survival instincts are not always correct. In many high-stress scenarios, what you choose not to do is far more critical to your survival than what you actually do.

Misinformation, outdated advice, and panic-driven choices during natural disasters and environmental events often lead to preventable injuries. By understanding the science of safety and dismantling persistent myths, you can protect yourself and your family when every second counts. Below is a comprehensive guide on what you must absolutely avoid doing during earthquakes, severe thunderstorms, and solar eclipses.

What You Must Absolutely Avoid Doing During an Earthquake

The ground begins to shake, windows rattle, and adrenaline floods your system. Your immediate reaction might be to run out of the building or seek shelter in the nearest doorway. However, structural engineering and trauma data from modern earthquakes show that these instinctive actions are highly dangerous.

The Myth of the Doorway and Running Outside

For decades, older safety manuals advised people to stand in a doorway during an earthquake. This advice is entirely obsolete for modern buildings. In contemporary construction, doorways are no stronger than any other part of the structure, and they offer absolutely no protection from flying debris or falling ceiling tiles. Furthermore, trying to stand in a swinging doorway during violent shaking often results in painful impact injuries.

Running outside while the ground is shaking is equally hazardous. The exterior facade of a building, including glass windows, architectural details, and roofing tiles, is the most vulnerable to collapse. Statistically, most earthquake-related injuries occur when people try to exit buildings, putting themselves directly in the path of falling glass and falling masonry.

Never Use Elevators or Stay Near Windows

Under no circumstances should you use an elevator during or immediately after an earthquake. Seismic sensors are designed to shut down elevators, which can trap you between floors. Power outages are also highly common during seismic activity, meaning you could be stuck for hours or even days before rescue teams can reach you.

Inside your home or office, stay far away from windows, mirrors, and hanging light fixtures. Glass shards propelled by structural twisting can cause severe lacerations. Instead of running, implement the universally recommended Drop, Cover, and Hold On protocol under a heavy, load-bearing piece of furniture.

Critical Mistake Areas: What Not to Do During a Severe Thunderstorm

Thunderstorms are incredibly common, which often leads to a false sense of security. Lightning strikes, flash floods, and localized wind damage pose immediate, lethal risks if you make the wrong choices during an electrical storm.

Indoor Plumbing and Electrical Hazards

Many people believe that being inside a building makes them completely immune to lightning. While you are generally much safer indoors, your home's infrastructure can act as a highly efficient conduit for electricity.

• Do not use running water: Avoid showering, bathing, washing dishes, or washing your hands during a thunderstorm. Lightning can strike a home or nearby utility lines, traveling directly through the metal or plastic plumbing pipes and the water flowing within them.
• Do not use corded electronics: Devices plugged into wall outlets—such as desktop computers, corded landline phones, and gaming consoles—are highly vulnerable to power surges caused by lightning. Keep your devices unplugged and rely on battery-operated electronics instead.

Outdoor Mistakes: Tall Trees and Flat Ground

If you are caught outdoors during a thunderstorm, do not seek shelter under tall, isolated trees or picnic pavilions. Lightning seeks the tallest object in an area to find the path of least resistance to the ground. Standing near a tree increases your risk of side flash (where lightning jumps from the tree to you) or being struck by falling branches.

Additionally, do not lie flat on the ground if you are caught in an open field. While this reduces your height, it significantly increases your body's surface contact with the earth. If lightning strikes nearby, wet ground currents can easily travel through your body, causing cardiac arrest. Instead, adopt the "lightning crouch": ball up on the balls of your feet, tuck your head, and cover your ears.

What to Avoid Doing During a Solar Eclipse

Not all emergencies are destructive; some are observational. A solar eclipse draws millions of spectators, but viewing this spectacular celestial alignment incorrectly can lead to permanent, irreversible physical damage to your eyes.

Never Look Directly at the Sun with the Naked Eye

The most critical rule of a solar eclipse is to never look directly at the sun during its partial phases without specialized eye protection. The sun's ultraviolet and infrared radiation can focus directly onto your retina, causing a condition known as solar retinopathy. Because the retina has no pain receptors, you can burn your eyes and destroy your central vision without feeling a single sensation of pain at the moment of damage.

Do Not Rely on Ordinary Sunglasses or Camera Lenses

A very common and dangerous misconception is that polarized sunglasses, 3D glasses, or dark photographic film provide adequate protection. They do not. Ordinary sunglasses—even those with 100% UV protection or multiple stacked lenses—allow thousands of times too much harmful light to pass through.

Furthermore, do not look through a camera lens, smartphone screen, telescope, or binoculars while wearing eclipse glasses. The concentrated light passing through the optical lenses of these devices will easily melt the solar filter on your glasses and cause immediate, catastrophic eye damage. Only use optical devices equipped with professionally manufactured, front-mounted solar filters.

Comparative Breakdown: Critical Mistakes Across Different Events

Emergency Action Protocol: How to Prepare Your Household

When a crisis occurs, panic is your worst enemy. Creating a clear, structured system of preparation ensures that you do not default to hazardous behaviors when stress levels are high.

Step 1: Secure Your Living Space

Pre-disaster preparation directly minimizes the hazards you will face during an event.

• Earthquake Prep: Bolt heavy bookshelves, wardrobes, and television screens to wall studs. Use latching cabinet doors in your kitchen to prevent heavy dishes and glassware from flying out.
• Thunderstorm Prep: Trim dead or weak tree branches near your roof to prevent them from crashing through windows during high winds.

Step 2: Establish a Communication and Evacuation Plan

Identify safe meeting zones for your family both inside and outside your neighborhood. Ensure everyone knows who to contact in an emergency. Designate an out-of-state relative or friend as the primary point of contact, as local cellular towers are often overloaded during regional emergencies.

Step 3: Build an Emergency Go-Bag

Every household should have an easily accessible emergency kit containing essentials for at least 72 hours. Your kit should include:

• One gallon of water per person, per day.
• Non-perishable food and a manual can opener.
• A battery-powered or hand-crank NOAA Weather Radio.
• Flashlights, extra batteries, and a comprehensive first-aid kit.
• Copies of critical identification documents in a waterproof container.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use my mobile phone during a thunderstorm?

Yes, using a wireless mobile phone is completely safe during a thunderstorm, provided it is not plugged into a wall charger. Cell phones do not have a physical wired connection to your home’s electrical system, meaning lightning currents cannot travel through them to reach you.

Is it safe to stay inside my car during an earthquake?

If you are driving when an earthquake starts, pull over safely to an open area away from overpasses, utility poles, bridges, and trees. Stop the car, set the parking brake, and remain inside. The metal frame and suspension system of your vehicle provide excellent protection from falling debris, and the car's tires will absorb some of the seismic vibrations.

What is the "Triangle of Life" and is it safe to use?

The "Triangle of Life" is a highly controversial and largely discredited theory suggesting that people should lie down next to large objects (like sofas or desks) rather than sheltering underneath them. Major global disaster relief organizations, including the Red Cross and FEMA, strongly advise against this. Real-world structural collapses show that objects are often crushed, and people lying next to them are highly vulnerable to being struck by shifting debris. "Drop, Cover, and Hold On" remains the safest protocol.

Can I use my smartphone camera to view a solar eclipse?

No, do not point your smartphone camera directly at an eclipse unless you have placed a certified solar filter over the camera lens. The sun's rays can damage your phone's sensitive camera sensor, rendering it useless. More importantly, looking at your phone screen while aiming it at the sun increases the risk of accidentally glancing up at the sun without eye protection.

Secure Your Peace of Mind

Knowledge is your most powerful shield when disaster strikes. By unlearning dangerous safety myths and understanding precisely what actions to avoid, you can confidently navigate unexpected emergencies.

Do not wait for a crisis to test your emergency readiness. Take action today by reviewing your family evacuation plans, securing your home's heavy furniture, and stocking your emergency supplies. Professional safety starts with proactive preparation.