Earthquake Response: Immediate, Short-Term, and Recovery

Phase 1: During the Earthquake

Drop, Cover, Hold On.

This is the correct response, validated by decades of earthquake casualty research.

Drop: Get to your hands and knees. This prevents being knocked down and protects a vital position.

Cover: Get under a sturdy desk or table if nearby. If not, cover your head and neck with your arms and hands. Move to an interior wall away from windows.

Hold On: If under a table, hold on to it and be prepared for it to move. If against a wall, hold your position until shaking stops.

Location-Specific Notes

At home: If in bed, stay there and protect your head with a pillow. Most injuries are from trying to get up and run during shaking and being knocked down by falling objects.

In a kitchen: Move away from the stove, refrigerator, and shelving. These fall or slide during shaking.

On an upper floor: Stay on that floor. Do not use stairs during shaking.

Outside: Move away from buildings, streetlights, and utility wires. Drop and stay down.

In a vehicle: Pull over away from buildings, trees, and power lines. Stay inside with seatbelt on.

Phase 2: Immediately After Shaking

Before you do anything else: smell for gas. A gas leak is the most immediate life-safety threat after a major earthquake.

Immediate post-shaking checklist:

1. Check yourself and others for injuries. Provide first aid as needed.
2. Smell for gas. If you smell gas: do not turn on any lights or switches, open windows, leave the building immediately, leave the door open, call the gas company from outside.
3. Check for fire. Small fires can often be extinguished if caught immediately. If fire has spread: evacuate.
4. Check electrical system. Sparking or buzzing from outlets or the breaker panel: shut off the main breaker.
5. Check water pipes. Wet walls or floors, water streaming: shut off the main water valve.
6. Do not use the toilet until you know the sewer lines are intact.
7. Listen to battery-powered radio for emergency instructions.

Structural Assessment Before Staying

Signs the building is unsafe:

• Cracks in foundation walls or main structural walls (not just finish plaster cracking)
• Visible racking — a room that was rectangular now has walls that lean
• The structure has settled visibly on one side
• Door frames that are no longer square

When in doubt: Err on the side of evacuating. Set up a tent or sleep in your vehicle rather than occupying a structure whose safety you cannot confirm.

Phase 3: 72-Hour to Two-Week Response

Water

Earthquake damage to municipal water systems is severe and widespread after major events. Following a large earthquake near an urban area, assume municipal water is unavailable or contaminated for a minimum of 72 hours, and possibly for weeks.

Sources:

• Stored water (see 72-hour-power-outage.mdx)
• Water heater tank: most contain 40-80 gallons of usable water — connect a hose to the drain valve at the bottom
• Swimming pools and ponds: require filtration and purification
• Hot water pipes: drain a faucet, then a lower faucet to release air — water in the system is usable

Food

If power is disrupted, follow the same food safety guidelines as any power outage. See 72-hour-power-outage.mdx.

Fires are common after major earthquakes (broken gas lines, electrical shorts). Do not use natural gas appliances until the gas system is inspected. Camp stoves and stored food are your cooking solution.

Communication

Cellular networks are overwhelmed immediately after a major earthquake. Text messages succeed when voice calls fail. Pre-arrange a text check-in protocol with your family and a designated out-of-area contact who can relay messages between family members who cannot reach each other directly.

Reunification

Establish family reunification plans before an earthquake — school pickup procedures if an earthquake occurs during school hours, a designated neighborhood meeting point, and a contact hierarchy. An out-of-area contact is valuable because they can serve as a message relay between local family members whose direct communication is impaired.

Preparedness: What to Do Before an Earthquake

Strap tall furniture: Bookshelves, water heaters, refrigerators, and file cabinets should be strapped to wall studs with L-brackets or furniture straps. These are the most common sources of earthquake injuries in homes.

Secure heavy items: Hang heavy wall art away from sleeping areas. Store heavy items on low shelves.

Know your shutoffs: Locate the main gas shutoff (usually outside by the meter), the main water shutoff (inside at the meter or outside at the street), and the main electrical breaker. Practice turning them off before you need to.

Assemble your kit: See survival-kit-contents.mdx. Earthquake-specific additions: work gloves (debris removal), N95 masks (dust), crowbar (rescue and debris clearing), whistle (trapped person signaling).

Anchor the water heater: Water heater strapping to wall studs prevents the most common post-earthquake fire source.