United Kingdom

Earthquake

Reviewed 2026-07-26

Use at your own risk. For education and research only, not medical advice. Check the numbers and rules for the country you are in. They change. Before you rely on these cards, have a medical professional or a fire safety specialist review them. Disclaimer

Do this first

Drop to your knees, cover your head and neck under a sturdy table, and hold on until the shaking stops.

In an earthquake almost nobody is hurt by the ground itself. People are hurt by what falls: shelves, facades, glass and chimneys. So drop, cover and hold on where you are, and move calmly only when the shaking ends. Do not run outside through the zone where things fall.

Step by step

Indoors: drop, cover under a solid table or against an inner wall, and hold on. Stay away from windows, mirrors, shelves and anything tall.
In bed: stay there, face down, with a pillow over your head and neck. Running barefoot through broken glass in the dark is worse.
Outdoors: move to open ground away from buildings, walls, poles and lines, and stay there. In a car, stop away from bridges and buildings and remain inside.
When the shaking stops, count heads, check for injuries and put on solid shoes. Glass is everywhere.
Check for gas by smell, and check water and electricity. If you smell gas, turn off the main valve, open windows, get out and touch no switches. Leave the rest off until it has been checked.
Expect aftershocks. They topple what the first quake loosened. Leave a damaged building by the stairs and do not re-enter for anything.
Follow the official channel and use SMS instead of calls. In coastal areas after a long or strong quake, move uphill at once without waiting for a tsunami warning.

Never do this

Never run outside during the shaking, and never use lifts during or after.
Never stand in a doorway. That is an old myth. Modern doorframes protect nothing, and the door itself can batter you.
Never light flames or flip switches after the quake until you know there is no gas leak.

Call emergency services if

Anyone trapped or injured by rubble. If you are trapped, tap on pipes, shout only as a last resort and cover your mouth against dust.
Smell of gas, fire, or a badly cracked building with people inside.
A vulnerable neighbour who is alone and not responding after the event.

Common questions

There are no strong earthquakes here. Why bother?

Weaker quakes reach far more of Europe than people think, and the same drop, cover and hold on works when a blast, a landslide or a passing tremor shakes the building. It costs one family drill a year.

What actually falls first at home?

Unanchored bookshelves and wardrobes, the television, glass cabinets, water heaters and things above the bed. Anchoring furniture to walls and moving heavy objects off high shelves is most of earthquake safety.