photo by Scott Thoelke
Earthquakes happen with no warning. Your ability to survive the initial shaking and then cope in the days and weeks afterward depends on the preparation you do before the quake hits. Below are a few action steps to take right now.
Have a kit at home, at work, and in each of your cars.
Strap down water heaters and major appliances, along with TVs, tall furniture, mirrors, picture frames and anything that could fall and cause injury.
Identify safe spots in each room of your home away from windows, mirrors, hanging objects, and fireplaces. Practice “drop, cover, and hold on” which means get under a sturdy table or desk, put your arms over your head and hang on until the shaking stops.
Keep breakable items, heavy objects, and flammable or hazardous liquids such as paints, pest sprays, and cleaning products in secured cabinets or close to the ground.
One gallon per person (and pet) per day is the rule of thumb. But that is the bare minimum just for drinking. You can never have enough stored water. Consider installing a large water storage tank that can hold several hundred gallons. Municipal water supplies may be cut off for weeks.
Have a contractor check your chimneys, roof, walls and foundation to make sure everything is up to the latest codes for earthquake safety.
Imagine backpacking for a week. What would you take for food? Have that in your cabinets.
Learn how to shut off propane tanks, water mains, and electricity breakers.
The number one injury after an early morning earthquake is cut feet as people jump out of bed bare footed and step on broken glass. Put your items in a bag and tie it to the bed frame so if the bed moves, your stuff moves with you.
Conduct “drop, cover, and hold on” drills with your family at different times of the day. Run through your Family Emergency Plan so everyone knows what to do if they are in different geographic locations, and how to reach an out-of-state contact to file status reports.
For more on how you can prepare for earthquakes large and small, check out these websites:
shakeout.org
earthquakeauthority.com
earthquakecountry.org/roots
