How to Prepare Your Household for an Earthquake

An earthquake is the one major hazard that arrives with genuinely no warning. There's no multi-day forecast, no gathering clouds, no rising water — just the ground moving, sometimes for a few seconds, sometimes for much longer. Most earthquake injuries and deaths aren't caused by the shaking itself but by what the shaking does: furniture toppling, glass shattering, ceilings failing, fires starting from broken gas lines. That means the gap between a frightening few seconds and a serious injury often comes down to two things — what your home looked like before the ground moved, and what you did the moment it started.

Earthquake risk isn't limited to the places most associated with it. Coastlines and mountain ranges along the world's major fault systems face the highest and most frequent risk, but regions with no living memory of a damaging quake have still been caught out by one. Size at the source isn't the whole story either — how much shaking you actually feel depends on your distance from it, how deep it started, the ground you're standing on, and how nearby buildings were constructed. A moderate, shallow, nearby earthquake can shake a town harder than a much larger one hundreds of kilometres away.

The good news is that earthquake preparedness is well understood and doesn't take long to put in place. A household that has secured its heavy furniture, knows where its utility shut-offs are, and has practised what to do in the first few seconds of shaking comes through an earthquake in far better shape than one that hasn't. This guide walks through what to do before, during, and after an earthquake.

Understand Your Earthquake Risk

• Earthquakes strike without warning. Unlike storms or heatwaves, there's no multi-day forecast — for most people, the first sign of an earthquake is the ground moving.
• Magnitude isn't the same as what you feel. Magnitude describes the energy released at the source; the shaking you experience depends on how far away and how deep the earthquake was, the ground you're on, and how buildings nearby were built. A moderate, shallow, nearby quake can do more damage than a larger, distant one.
• Aftershocks are part of the same event, not a separate one. Smaller quakes — sometimes strong enough to cause further damage on their own — can follow the main shock for hours, days, or weeks.
• Some places have seconds of early warning. A number of countries now run earthquake early-warning systems that can give anywhere from a few seconds to about a minute of notice before shaking arrives — enough time to Drop, Cover, and Hold On if you know to act on it. Find out whether your area has one and how it alerts you.
• Know your local risk. Check your area's official earthquake hazard information, and keep ReadyEssentials notifications on — the app sends an earthquake alert with safety guidance when significant shaking is detected near your household.

Prepare Before an Earthquake

• Secure heavy furniture, appliances, and water heaters. Anchor bookcases, wardrobes, and water heaters to wall studs so they can't tip over; fit latches on cabinet doors so they don't fly open; move heavy or breakable objects onto lower shelves.
• Identify a safe spot in every room. Somewhere you can reach in seconds: under a sturdy table or desk, or against an interior wall away from windows, mirrors, tall furniture, and anything that could fall. Walk through your home and agree on these spots with everyone in the household.
• Practise Drop, Cover, and Hold On until it's automatic. Many countries hold a nationwide earthquake drill each year — joining in is an easy way to build the habit as a household, including working out how anyone using a wheelchair, walker, or cane will adapt the same three steps.
• Know your utility shut-offs. Find your gas, water, and electricity shut-off points now, confirm what tool (if any) you need to operate them, and make sure at least one adult in the household can do it confidently — this is what stops a cracked gas line from becoming a fire.
• Build a grab-and-go bag and a home kit. See What to Pack in a Go Bag: The Complete 72-Hour Evacuation Kit Checklist for what to keep ready by the door, and How to Build a Home Emergency Kit for Sheltering in Place so your household can manage for several days if you can't leave — aim for at least three days of water (roughly 2 litres per person per day) plus food that needs no cooking.
• Back up your important documents. See How to Protect Your Important Documents and Finances for an Emergency — copies of identification, insurance, and financial records stored outside the home (or in the cloud) survive even if the originals don't, and make any later insurance claim far easier.
• Make a household emergency plan. Agree on an out-of-area contact, a meeting point, and how you'll reach each other if phone networks are overloaded, and note who might need extra help (see below).
• Consider earthquake insurance. A standard home insurance policy usually does not cover earthquake damage — check separately.

During an Earthquake

• Drop, Cover, and Hold On. Drop onto your hands and knees before the shaking drops you; cover your head and neck with one arm, crawling under a sturdy table or desk if one is close, or dropping next to an interior wall if not; hold on to whatever you're sheltering under until the shaking stops, moving with it if it shifts. If you use a wheelchair or walker, lock the wheels, then cover your head and neck with your arms or an object; if you use a cane, sit down and cover your head and neck, keeping the cane within reach.
• Indoors: stay indoors. Get to your safe spot — don't run outside and don't stand in a doorway. Stay away from windows, mirrors, and anything that could fall. If you're in bed, stay there, turn face down, and cover your head and neck with a pillow. Never use a lift during or immediately after an earthquake.
• Outdoors: move to open ground. Get away from buildings, trees, streetlights, and power lines, then drop and cover until the shaking stops — falling debris near a building is one of the biggest outdoor risks.
• Driving: pull over and stop. Move away from bridges, overpasses, tunnels, and power lines if you can do so safely, set the parking brake, and stay inside the vehicle with your seatbelt on until the shaking stops.

After an Earthquake

• Expect aftershocks. Be ready to Drop, Cover, and Hold On again if you feel one.
• Check for injuries before you check your home. Treat life-threatening bleeding immediately (see the in-app first-aid card Life-Threatening Bleeding) and stabilise any suspected fractures or sprains from falls or falling debris (see Fractures & Sprains) while you wait for help if it's needed.
• Check for gas, water, and electrical damage. If you smell gas or hear a hissing sound, shut off the gas supply at the main, leave the area immediately, avoid any switch or open flame, and report it — don't turn it back on yourself. Shut off water or electricity too if you see damage to either.
• Stay out of damaged buildings. Don't re-enter your home until it's been checked — cracked walls, unstable floors, and broken glass are easy to miss in the moment. If you're already inside a damaged building, move away from it rather than back into it.
• If you're trapped, signal rather than shout. Bang on a pipe or wall, send a text, or use a whistle — shouting uses air and energy you may need.
• If you're near the coast, move to higher ground once the shaking stops, in case of a tsunami.
• Stay informed and keep phone lines free. Use a battery-powered radio or official alerts for updates, and prefer texting over calling — networks are often overloaded right after a big quake.
• Document any damage for your insurance claim before you start cleaning up — the records you backed up earlier make this far easier.
• Clean up carefully. Wear sturdy shoes and gloves, don't try to move heavy debris alone, and keep children away from cleanup work.

Supporting Vulnerable Household Members and Pets

Older adults, young children, pregnant people, and anyone with a chronic health condition or a mobility limitation may need extra planning: keep essential medication — with a spare supply and copies of prescriptions — in the go bag, agree in advance who will check on them, and know their evacuation route if stairs or lifts aren't usable. Practise Drop, Cover, and Hold On with children using calm, simple language, and expect them to be frightened by aftershocks; reassure them each time rather than dismissing it.

Pets feel earthquakes too, and aftershocks can make them bolt. Keep a carrier or lead within reach, make sure collars carry current ID (and microchips are registered), and bring pets inside or keep them leashed after the main shock so they can't run off into a hazardous area.