- To begin preparing you should have a 72 hour kit or provisions to last for a few days if needed. (some things that would be handy to have in your 72 hour kit would be: Food, toothbrushes/paste, games, extra clothes, and LOTS of water!!)
- Fasten shelves securely to walls.
- Place large or heavy objects on lower shelves.
- Store breakable items such as bottled foods, glass, and china in low, closed cabinets with latches.
- Fasten heavy items such as pictures and mirrors securely to walls and away from beds, couches and anywhere people sit.
- Brace overhead light fixtures and top heavy objects.
- Repair defective electrical wiring and leaky gas connections. These are potential fire risks. Get appropriate professional help. Do not work with gas or electrical lines yourself.
- Install flexible pipe fittings to avoid gas or water leaks. Flexible fittings are more resistant to breakage.
- Secure your water heater, refrigerator, furnace and gas appliances by strapping them to the wall studs and bolting to the floor. If recommended by your gas company, have an automatic gas shut-off valve installed that is triggered by strong vibrations.
- Repair any deep cracks in ceilings or foundations. Get expert advice if there are signs of structural defects.
- Be sure the residence is firmly anchored to its foundation.
- Store weed killers, pesticides, and flammable products securely in closed cabinets with latches and on bottom shelves.
- Locate safe spots in each room under a sturdy table or against an inside wall. Reinforce this information by moving to these places during each drill.
Holding earthquake drills with your family members is also a good idea!
When you're in an earthquake here is what you should do:
- First you need to find a stable object and get underneath it. (a table, desk, door frame, etc.)
- Next curl up into a ball under the object with your hands over your head ,which is what your going to want to protect the most, and your back facing up (you want to curl up as small as you can, unless you are under a door frame, in which case you will want to stand and brace yourself against the sides.)
- Then all you can do is wait out the earthquake.
Useful info Laud! I just checked and Austin had an earthquake back in 1902. It was a 3.9 magnitude so pretty mild, but who knows maybe we're due for another one soon!
ReplyDeleteI have been in a couple of big earthquakes; the San Francisco earthquake in 1989 and then the Kobe Japan earthquake in 1995. They are scary, but I'm sure it helps if you are prepared like you have listed. I was looking up information on earthquakes here in Arizona and they don't happen too frequently and are usually not very big--but you never know!
ReplyDeleteLauren, great job on the blog. I enjoyed reading your useful tips. I lived in San Jose during the 7.2 SF earthquake in 1989. I was at home with some of my other family members. I remember I dove under the dining room table for cover, the earthquake seemed to last a very long time even though it was only 15 seconds long (long for an earthquake, though). None of my family was hurt but all the shaking made a pretty big mess of things around the house. I think we started bolting more things down after that : )
ReplyDelete-Suzie Stimpson
Good information. We live in California where we use the earthquakes (about 22 a week) here in the SF Bay Area to "stir our hot cocoa" in the mornings... had to change the wording there since we are not coffee drinkers :) It's kind of a way of life around here.
ReplyDeleteGreat information. Luckily all the of the earthquakes I was in were long enough for my heart to skip a few beats but not long enough to have to get under anything. All your information is very helpful and what I remember as being helpful to live in earthquake country. Good job!
ReplyDeleteGood information, Lauren. Having lived in CA and Taiwan I have been through some pretty big earthquakes. Your advice is good. Here in Utah we haven't had a big earthquake for a long time, but they say we could have another big one in the near future. Hopefully this information will help us be prepared in case it happens.
ReplyDeleteDerek/Dad
Great info., and I'm sure this will be helpful to those who have never experienced and earthquake before. Living in CA, we have them often. I remember the big earthquake we had in Oct. 1989 and the house I was renting at the time had a swimming pool in the back yard. When I got home after the earthquake, I discovered that almost 1/2 of the water was gone out of the pool... some of which found its way into the house. I'm sure the effect in the pool was like trying to carry a large bowl of water where it falls out with each step you take. You may want to forewarn people with pools to be aware of flooding issues.
ReplyDeleteThere were some good tips in this! Thanks for keeping me aware of Earthquakes. It's nice to see blogs like this that give out good information.
ReplyDeleteGood comprehensive advice. This reminded me of the earthquake drills that I had in elementary school as a kid. An interesting tip that I've heard recently that goes against conventional wisdom is to lay down next to a solid object instead of under it. The theory is that if the object gets smashed you will be protected as it can't smash flat and you will be in the small space right next to it. Not sure if this is sound advice.
ReplyDeleteGood and valuable advice, Lauren. I see a few things on there that I could improve such as putting pesticides and flammable items down low. I also need to check on the food in my 72 hour kit to see if it's any good! You're great.
ReplyDeleteMom/Marsha
Lauren, I was in a mini practice earthquake drill at school. I wasn't scared. It was just practice. I want to be safe. When you're doing something at your desk and there's an earthquake you just crawl under your desk and hold on to your desk.
ReplyDeleteJoseph
I was in a small earthquake. I felt it only a little bit.
ReplyDeleteRyan, age 8
Utah is supposed to have a big one any time now! Hopefully we'll all be ready for it and it won't be too detrimental.
ReplyDeleteI have been in many earthquakes in my life. Anything less than 6.0 doesen't bother me much. I always wonder if there is anything leaking that might have to be shut off. Lauren has lots of sound suggestions that everyone can benefit from. You always feel safer once it is OK to go outside. You have to have a strong, secure place in mind whenever you encounter an earthquake. Just don't do anything foolish. Be Safe.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lauren
Grand Pa Sorenson
Lauren, A great report. Grandma
ReplyDeleteMy elementary school children have been talking a lot about the earthquake drill they recently experienced at school. My five year-old has been asking me what our plan is for being prepared if it happens while we're at home. Your blog actually answered some of her questions! I'll have to share the ideas with her. Thanks for your informed blog.
ReplyDeleteThanks Lauren. These are all things we should consider since we live so close to a fault line. Also, after a bad S. Cal earthquake, I learned that having shoes or slippers close to your bed is good because of broken glass on the floor.
ReplyDeleteGreat tips on how to best prepare for a quake. Living in Utah I'm sure we will experience one someday and it is always best to be prepared. This also reminded me that I need to update our 72 hour kits because I'm sure my kids have outgrown the spare outfits that were in there. Thanks for the reminders!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tips Lauren. When I lived in California there were a lot of little earthquakes this just reminded me that we always need to be prepared for the worst. I bet someday there will be a huge earthquake and a lot of people will not be ready for it and expect help but won't get any because everyone else needs their stuff. A couple weeks ago we had a county wide earthquake drill why do you think we had that?
ReplyDeleteRecently we had a earthquake drill at school on earthquake day and it was really educational!... and scary!
ReplyDelete