In the few hours since southwest China was rocked by an earthquake that has claimed dozens of lives, thousands of tips to stay safe have spread across the Internet in China. People who had experienced the an earthquake 10 times as large in the same province in 2008 delivered instructions based on lessons they had learned.

"As a witness of the Wenchuan earthquake in 2008, I suggest the people who live in higher floors, please put the fragile things on the ground. Don't' stay in your room. According to the last Wenchuan earthquake, there would be lots of after shocks," WongPok wrote on his Weibo (Chinese Twitter). More than 110,000 people resent WongPok's message.

"I need to go down stairs right now," commented Nicole, who resent WongPok's message on Weibo, the Chinese twitter. Chengpeng Li, a famous writer, also sent messages.

"I have a off-road vehicle, tents and ropes, which I used for the Wenchuan earthquake in 2008… experience from last time, avoid to drive on the way for helping, chose raincoats rather than  umbrellas since raincoats could be stretchers, prepare more flashlights". More than 27,000 people resent his message.

Xidi Lan, a doctor, also sent  a "self and mutual medical aid" on his Weibo.

On the afternoon of May 12, 2008, a 7.9-magnitude earthquake hit Sichuan Province, a mountainous region in Western China, killing about 70,000 people and leaving more than 18,000 missing. About 15 million people lived in the affected area, including almost 4 million in the city of Chengdu, according to New York Times.

In 2008, a hospital spokesman said, “The first patients who came had jumped from buildings because they were frightened,” according to the New York Times.

 

 

In a follow-up investigation, the Sichuan Earthquake Information Network on May 10, 2011 suggested eight improvements, including emergency infrastructure, a disaster reporting network and improving rescue skills.

Saturday's smaller quake has led to 72 deaths and 600 injured, according to the South China Morning Post.