How Should I Prepare For An Earthquake?

Have you made an emergency food supply pack?

Have you made an emergency plan with your family if someone is out of state or not at home?

Have you prepared your home and designed it according to practices that are given for areas that have common earthquakes?

Have you practiced a drill with your family?

Do you have an external generator prepared with extra fuel?

Have you prepared an extra supply of drinkable water that will last you for a minimum two-weeks?

Include non-perishable foods, cleaning supplies, and water for several days, in case services are cut off in your area. If you are able to, set aside items like soap, hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol, disinfecting wipes, and general household cleaning supplies that you can use to disinfect surfaces you touch regularly. After an earthquake, you may not have access to these supplies for days or even weeks.

Create a family emergency communications plan that has an out-of-state contact. Plan where to meet if you get separated. Make a supply kit that includes enough food and water for several days, a flashlight, a fire extinguisher and a whistle.

Secure heavy items in your home like bookcases, refrigerators, televisions and objects that hang on walls. Store heavy and breakable objects on low shelves. Consider making improvements to your building to fix structural issues that could cause your building to collapse during an earthquake.

In case of an earthquake, you should have a plan that where to hide and what to do immediately. This will help in protecting everyone and reduce the chance of panicking.

If you are financially stable, it is a good thing to invest in a generator and store an adequate amount of fuel as the electricity might be cut out for multiple days after an earthquake.

Store at least one gallon per person, per day. Consider storing at least a two-week supply of water for each member of your family. If you are unable to store this quantity, store as much as you can.

Most of all, don't panic. Keep calm and follow the plan and wait it out. Keep an emergency radio as well as the normal communication services might be down.