United States

Earthquake

Reviewed 2026-07-26

Use at your own risk. Educational and research use only, not medical advice. Verify numbers and rules for the country you are in. They change. Before you rely on these cards in practice, review them with a medical professional or a fire safety specialist. 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, people are hurt by what falls: shelves, facades, glass, chimneys. That is why the answer is not running outside through the falling zone, it is drop, cover and hold on where you are, and moving calmly only when the shaking ends.

Step by step

Indoors: drop, cover under a solid table or against an inner wall, hold on. Away from windows, mirrors, shelves and anything tall.
In bed: stay, face down, pillow over head and neck. Running barefoot through broken glass in the dark loses.
Outdoors: move to open ground away from buildings, walls, poles and lines, and stay there. In the car, stop away from bridges and buildings and remain inside.
When shaking stops, count heads, check for injuries, and put on solid shoes. Glass is everywhere.
Check gas by smell, water and electricity. Smell of gas means main valve off, windows open, out, no switches. Leave the rest off until 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, use SMS instead of calls, and in coastal areas after a long or strong quake move uphill at once, do not wait for a tsunami warning.

Never do this

Never run outside during the shaking, and never use lifts during or after.
Never stand in doorways, that is an old myth, modern doorframes protect nothing and the door itself batters 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, cover your mouth against dust.
Smell of gas, fire, or a badly cracked building with people inside.
A neighbour who is vulnerable, 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.