Earthquakes

Studies show that most earthquake injuries in the United States are caused by falling objects or people falling down during the shaking. Reduce your chance of injury: drop, cover, and hold on. 

• Drop where you are onto your hands and knees. This position protects you from being knocked down and allows you to stay low and crawl to shelter (if possible).
• Cover your head and neck with one arm and hand.
  • If a sturdy table or desk is nearby, crawl underneath it for shelter.
  • If no shelter is nearby, crawl next to an interior wall (away from windows and other things than can fall).
  • Stay on your knees; bend over to protect vital organs.
• Hold on until the shaking stops.
  • Hold on to the shelter with one hand; be ready to move with your shelter if it shifts. 
  • If there's nothing to shelter under, hold on to your head and neck with both arms and hands.

It's important to think about what you will do to protect yourself wherever you are when the earth begins to shake. What if you are driving, in a theater, in bed, at the beach, etc.? Keep reading to find more advice about what to do in specific situations. 

You may need to adapt the "drop, cover, and hold on" method.

• If you're in a recliner or bed: Cover your head and neck with your arms or a pillow until the shaking stops.
• If you use a cane: Drop, cover, and hold on or sit on a chair, bed, etc. and cover your head and neck with both hands. Keep your cane near you so it can be used when the shaking stops.
• If you use a walker or wheelchair: Lock your wheels (if applicable). If using a walker, carefully get as low as possible. Bend over and cover your head/neck with your arms, a book, or a pillow. Then hold on until shaking stops.
• If you have difficulty hearing: Before an earthquake, identify and test multiple ways to receive warnings and evacuation information.
• If you have difficulty seeing: Earthquakes can cause items to fall and furniture to shift. Regular sound clues may not be available afterwards. Move with caution.
• If you have developmental/cognitive/intellectual disabilities: If you have difficulty understanding, remembering, or learning, keep a simple list of what to do and important information with you and in your kits. Practice your plan in advance. If you use communication supports, include these in your planning.

More info can be found on the Additional Needs page. 

Drop, cover, and hold on. Avoid exterior walls, windows, hanging objects, mirrors, tall furniture, large appliances, and kitchen cabinets with heavy objects or glass. However, do not try to move more than 5-7 feet before getting on the ground.

Do not go outside during shaking! The area near the exterior walls of a building is the most dangerous place to be. Windows, facades and architectural details are often the first parts of the building to break away. 

• If seated and unable to drop to the floor: bend forward, cover your head with your arms, and hold on to your neck with both hands.
• In bed: Do not get out of bed. Lie face down to protect vital organs, and cover your head and neck with a pillow (keeping your arms as close to your head as possible) while you hold on to your head and neck with both hands until shaking stops. You are less likely to be injured by fallen and broken objects by staying where you are.
• In a high-rise building: Drop, cover, and hold on. Avoid windows and other hazards. Do not use elevators. Do not be surprised if sprinkler systems or fire alarms activate.
• In a classroom: Drop, cover, and hold on. Laboratories or other settings may require special considerations to ensure safety. Students should also be taught what to do at home or other locations.
• In a store: Drop, cover, and hold on. Get next to a shopping cart, beneath a clothing rack, or within the first level of warehouse racks - this may provide extra protection. 
• In a stadium or theater: Drop to the ground in front of your seat or lean over as much as possible, then cover your head with your arms (as much as possible), and hold on to your neck with both hands until the shaking stops. Then walk out slowly, watching for anything that could fall during aftershocks.

Move to a clear area if you can safely do so. Avoid power lines, trees, signs, buildings, vehicles, and other hazards. Then drop, cover, and hold on. This protects you from objects that may move sideways, even if nothing is directly above you.

• Driving: Pull over to the side of the road, stop, and set the parking brake. If you can, avoid overpasses, bridges, power lines, signs, and other hazards. Stay inside the vehicle until the shaking stops. Then, proceed carefully by avoiding fallen debris, cracked or shifted payment, and emergency vehicles. If a power line falls on the car, stay inside until a trained person removes the wire.
• Near the ocean: Follow instructions above for your particular location. As soon as shaking reduces so that you can stand, walk quickly to high ground or inland. A tsunami will likely arrive soon. Don’t wait for officials to issue a warning. Walk (rather than drive) to avoid traffic, debris, and other hazards.
• Below a dam: Follow instructions above for your particular location. Dams can fail during a major earthquake. Catastrophic failure is unlikely, but if you live downstream from a dam, you should know flood-zone information and have an evacuation plan for getting to high ground.

We have studies years of research about how people are injured or killed during earthquakes. And we have considered the experiences of U.S. and international search and rescue teams. In most cases, these four actions are not recommended during earthquakes:

• Do not run outside.
• Do not go to other rooms. 
• Do not stand in a doorway. 
• Do not get into the “triangle of life.”

In most cases, the safest thing to do is to drop, cover, and hold on. 

Once you're in a safe place, take slow, deep breaths. Keeping your breath steady will help you think more clearly and make safe choices for yourself and those around you. Stay where you are until the shaking stops. Once it does stop, exit the building and help others around you. Large earthquakes usually produce large aftershocks, so be ready.

You're far more likely to remain calm and make good choices during an earthquake if you've practiced. Practice at home, work, school, or wherever you spend a lot of time. Encourage your friends and family to practice as well. Don't skip this very important part of earthquake preparedness. 

1. Local authorities send out emergency alerts through several notification systems, including the PublicAlerts system. Sign up now. These alerts can provide vital information during a disaster.
2. Starting on March 11, 2021, in Oregon you may also receive an alert on your smartphone before an earthquake reaches you. If a large earthquake occurs, ShakeAlert will send a message that may give you time to take protective action before strong shaking starts. Download these frequently asked questions and share them with others. This system will go live in Washington State in May 2021. 
3. Download the QuakeAlertUSA app on your smartphone.
4. Follow USGS on Twitter @USGS_ShakeAlert.

Mobile phones that have Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) turned on are able to receive ShakeAlert messages. This setting may already be turned on in your mobile phone setting, but please take the time to check.

Apple iPhones:

• Tap “Settings” and then “Notifications.”
• Scroll to the bottom of the screen.
• Under “Government Alerts” tap “Emergency Alerts” and “Public Safety Alerts” to turn them on or off.
• If emergency alerts are turned on, the circle will be on the right-hand side of the switch. No further action is needed.
• If emergency alerts are turned off, the circle will be on the left-hand side of the switch. You will need to tap the switch to put it in the “on” position. 
• Watch this video demonstration.

Newer Android Phones:

• The exact location of the options to turn on Wireless Emergency Alerts may vary. Use the search function in “Settings” to find “Emergency Alerts” or “Public Safety Messages."
• If you can’t find “Emergency Alerts” by searching “Settings,” it may be within your Messaging app, instead.
• Make sure all alerts are turned on (i.e. “Extreme Threats”, “Severe Threats”, and “Public Safety Messages”). If alerts are turned on, the circle will be on the right-hand side of the switch. No further action is needed.
• If alerts are turned off, the circle will be on the left-hand side of the switch. You will need to tap the switch to put it in the “on” position.
• Watch this video demonstration. 
• Refer to your mobile phone carrier and/or mobile phone manufacturer’s website for additional information.

All Wireless Emergency Alerts behave the same. The mobile phone vibrates and makes a loud, distinctive sound, and a message pops up in a text window. Some mobile phones with text-to-voice capability may read out the message text.

A real (non-test) alert will say:

• English: Earthquake Detected! Drop, Cover, Hold On. Protect Yourself. -USGS ShakeAlert
• Spanish: Terremoto detectado! Agachese, cubrase, sujetese. Protejase. -USGS ShakeAlert