Earthquake Preparedness: Before, During, and After the Shaking Stops

Earthquakes are the emergency that gives you no warning at all. No watches, no forecasts, no 48-hour lead time. The shaking starts and you have seconds — not minutes — to respond.

The good news: most of what keeps you safe during an earthquake is decided before the earthquake happens. The right furniture anchoring, the right stored supplies, the right instinct for where to go in your home. When the ground shakes, your preparation kicks in automatically.

This guide covers everything before, during, and after — so you’re not figuring it out mid-tremor.

Before the Earthquake: What to Do Now

Secure Your Home

Unsecured furniture is one of the primary causes of earthquake injuries and death inside buildings. Heavy items fall, topple, and block exits. This is fixable with a Sunday afternoon and some hardware.

High-priority items to anchor:

Bookcases and tall shelving units
Water heaters (required by code in many earthquake states — and for good reason)
Televisions and computer monitors
Filing cabinets and dressers
Kitchen cabinets (add child-proof latches to keep items from flying out)
Heavy art and mirrors above beds or seating

Earthquake straps anchor furniture to wall studs and are inexpensive. Most take 20–30 minutes to install. A pack of universal furniture straps covers most of what you need for a typical home.

→ See top-rated earthquake furniture straps and anchoring kits on Amazon

Identify safe spots in each room:

Away from windows, mirrors, and tall furniture
Under a sturdy table or desk if available
Against an interior wall

Check your structure: If you live in a home built before the 1980s (especially pre-1970s in earthquake zones), your structure may not meet modern seismic standards. Soft-story buildings (apartments with open ground floors, like garages) and unreinforced masonry are particularly vulnerable. A local structural engineer can give you an assessment, and many counties offer free or subsidized seismic retrofit programs.

Build Your 72-Hour Kit

After a major earthquake, utilities — water, gas, electricity — may be out for days. Roads may be damaged or blocked. Emergency services will be overwhelmed. FEMA recommends being self-sufficient for at least 72 hours; for large earthquakes, plan for up to a week.

Earthquake-specific additions to a standard kit:

Work gloves — you’ll likely be moving debris
Sturdy closed-toe shoes near your bed (broken glass is a post-quake hazard before you’re even out of the bedroom)
N95 masks — earthquakes generate dust, and older buildings may have asbestos or lead paint
Adjustable wrench or gas shutoff tool (see below)
Flashlights and headlamps — power will likely be out

Standard kit basics:

Water: 1 gallon per person per day, minimum 3 days
Food: Non-perishable, 3+ days
First aid kit
Medications
Documents in a waterproof bag
Phone charger and power bank

→ See comprehensive first aid kits rated for emergency preparedness

Water Storage

In a major earthquake, municipal water systems can be compromised — pipes break, contamination occurs, pressure drops. Store water now.

Minimum: 1 gallon per person per day for 3 days
Better: 1 gallon per person per day for 7+ days
Storage containers: Food-grade water barrels (30–55 gallon) stored in a cool, dark location; commercially bottled water; or water-specific stackable jugs

→ See food-grade water barrels and storage containers for emergency preparedness

Rotate stored water every 6–12 months. If you have a water heater, it contains 30–50 gallons that’s drinkable in an emergency — know how to access it.

Know How to Shut Off Your Gas

A broken gas line after an earthquake can cause fires and explosions — and it’s a significant earthquake risk in older homes.

Locate your gas shutoff valve (it’s typically at your gas meter)
Keep an adjustable wrench nearby — the valve requires one to operate
Learn the procedure now: turn the valve 90 degrees (perpendicular to the pipe = off)
Important: Only shut off the gas if you smell gas, see a damaged line, hear hissing, or if directed to by emergency officials. Once you shut it off, the gas company must turn it back on — it can take days.

Consider attaching the wrench directly to the gas meter with a wire or bracket. It won’t be there when you need it if it’s in a kitchen drawer.

During the Earthquake: Drop, Cover, Hold On

When shaking starts:

Drop to your hands and knees
Cover — get under a sturdy table or desk; if none available, cover your head and neck with your arms
Hold on — if under furniture, hold on to it; if not, hold your protected position until shaking stops

What NOT to do:

Don’t run outside. Most injuries happen when people try to move — they’re struck by falling objects, or fall themselves. Stay where you are until shaking stops.
Don’t stand in a doorway. This is a persistent myth. A doorway is not safer than other parts of a modern building — the walls and ceiling around you are just as strong.
Don’t use elevators after the shaking stops.
If you’re in bed: Stay there, roll face-down, and protect your head with a pillow.
If you’re outdoors: Move to open space, away from buildings, streetlights, and power lines.
If you’re driving: Pull over away from buildings, overpasses, and power lines; stay in the car.

After the Shaking Stops

The immediate period after an earthquake is when many secondary injuries occur — fires, gas leaks, aftershocks, and structural instability.

First 30 Minutes

Check yourself and others for injuries before moving
Expect aftershocks — some can be nearly as large as the initial quake; take cover when they hit
Check for gas leaks — smell for gas; if present, open windows, leave the building, don’t use switches or open flames, call the gas company from outside
Check for fires and extinguish small ones if it’s safe to do so
Don’t use elevators
Listen to your emergency radio for official instructions

→ See emergency radios with hand-crank and battery backup for power outages

Structural Inspection

Before moving freely through your home:

Look for obvious structural damage: cracked or buckled walls, shifted foundation, sagging floors
If you see cracks in load-bearing walls or major visible structural damage, leave the building and don’t re-enter until a professional inspects it
Check chimneys carefully — damaged chimneys can collapse, especially if you use the fireplace afterward
Open cabinets carefully — items will have shifted and can fall out

Don’t enter your home if:

You see major structural cracks
The foundation appears shifted
The roof has collapsed in any area
Officials have posted it as unsafe (a red or yellow placard on your door)

Water Safety

Assume your tap water may be contaminated after a major earthquake until authorities confirm otherwise. Use stored water, and if you need to use tap water, boil it or run it through a quality filter.

A Note on Aftershocks

After a major earthquake, expect aftershocks — sometimes for days or weeks afterward. They can damage structures already weakened by the main quake. Take cover during aftershocks exactly as you did during the original quake.

Don’t assume a building is safe just because it survived the initial shaking. Post-quake structural assessment matters, especially before spending nights inside.

The Bottom Line

Earthquake preparedness is mostly about the work you do before the shaking starts: anchoring furniture, storing water and supplies, knowing where to go in each room, and understanding your home’s structural vulnerabilities. The shaking itself lasts seconds. What happens before and after it determines whether you come through safely.

Drop, cover, hold on. Have water for a week. Know how to shut off your gas. Check your home before assuming it’s safe to occupy. These four things cover the most important ground.

For official earthquake preparedness guidance, visit FEMA’s earthquake page at Ready.gov.