The 1986 Apple Earthquake Survival Kit contains timeless advice

The Apple Earthquake Survival Kit from 1986 gave critical safety instructions to employees — and it could probably still be used for advice today.

Consisting of three scans converted into a PDF, Apple distributed the documentation to all employees and also assembled an Earthquake Risk Reduction Task Force "at the direction of executive staff." It also includes a brochure titled "How do you plan to survive?" with helpful safety tips.

"If you live in California, you will probably experience a major earthquake during your lifetime," the document says. "Preparing today for such a disaster could save your life, and the lives of your family and the other people around you."

The kit involves a compilation of recommendations outlining the dos and don'ts to follow during an ongoing earthquake. For example, it recommends choosing a place to take cover before an earthquake hits and making a reunification plan for family members.

Other tips include:

Provide strong support and flexible connections on all gas appliances.
Avoid placing heavy objects on top shelves and hanging objects over beds.
Remove or isolate flammable materials.
Have a battery-operated radio and a flashlight near your bed and sturdy shoes under it.
Have on hand a supply of food and water — rotate supplies as recommended in the Red Cross Earthquake book.

The useful manual contains practical instructions that remain relevant and applicable to this day. While it remains uncertain whether this is the sole survival kit produced by Apple, it's possible that the company still releases survival instructions for employees, such as the earthquake guide's advice to "Take an earthquake safety training course at the Fitness Center."

3 Comments

charles1 91 comments · 10 Years

About 1 year ago

Wow I remember going to Apple's training facility in Orange County several times circa 1985, once they gave us a tour that included their server room. They had a bunch of expensive hard drives stacked up on a high shelf, unanchored, no rack mounts or anything. I suggested that they fasten down some of that equipment or it would fall off in an earthquake. They were unreceptive to the idea.

get serious 92 comments · 11 Years

JP234 said:

I thought we were safe from earthquakes, wildfires, hurricanes and volcanoes living in the Midwest. Then I heard about the New Madrid earthquakes. A series of quakes estimated between 7.2 and 8.2, followed by an aftershock of about 7.4. Changed the course of the Mississippi River in 1811-12. The area was virtually unpopulated at the time, so there were no casualties recorded. It remains the strongest continental American quake east of the Mississippi in recorded history.

A quake that size in that area today would kill thousands, possibly tens of thousands. The 1906 San Francisco was estimated at 7.9, and 3,000 people were killed. That New Madrid Fault runs through major cities such as Memphis, Tennessee, St. Louis, Missouri, Little Rock, Arkansas and Evansville, Indiana.

And all that would be a speed bump compared to the cataclysm if the Yellowstone super volcano came back to life and erupted. Global warming would instantly become the least of our worries.

The damage would be very widespread due to the lax building requirements compared west coast earthquake standards. The differing geology of the eastern U.S. allows quake shock waves to travel further. The New Madrid quakes were felt throughout the east coast and violent enough to ring church bells in Boston 1,200 miles away.

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