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It has been absolutely heartbreaking to follow the news of the devastating effects of the recent earthquake in Turkey and Syria. The number of deaths is nearing 44,000 as I write this column and will definitely be higher when it runs in the paper Wednesday.

I’m wondering what we can learn from this. Apparently there is only a short warning period, something like 20 seconds, which is shocking to me considering how advanced we have come in technology.

All you can do if you get that warning is drop, cover and hold on.

But there are many things you can do lessen the effects of an earthquake. You c...