Earthquakes are sudden events that don’t forecast before coming into play. Tectonic plates under the earth shake the surface every hour somewhere on earth. Whenever an earthquake strikes, it shakes the earth, leaving you trembling around, looking for shelter. The worst-case scenario is when you’re in your home, and an earthquake strikes as you’re vulnerable at that time.
You have a roof on your head that can break on your head and drive you to death or severe injury. So, the biggest question is how to stay safe during an earthquake at home and what precautions to take. In this article, I’ll get you through the things you must do while an earthquake comes into play. I’ll include the precautionary steps for earthquake safety, especially if you’re home when it happens.
How To Stay Safe During An Earthquake At Home
You never know when the tectonic plates beneath the surface move a little, and an earthquake takes place. Taking precautionary steps and knowing what to do during the earthquake is the only way to stay sharp. Here is how to stay safe during an earthquake at home and the steps you should take:
Before an earthquake comes
The best way to survive any natural disaster, including earthquakes is to know and take the necessary precautions, such as:
Prepare a survival rig
To get prepared for an earthquake means to have a survival kit for the situation and to keep it in hands reach. You can make a survival kit yourself, which should include dry food, water, first aid, light, fire-making equipment, and so on. Put them into a sturdy survival kit box that has a sturdy shell to survive a heavy impact. However, be sure to get the best earthquake survival kit that can accommodate everything you need.
Prepare your family and community
Discuss with your family and community members about disasters, especially earthquakes. Train them on how to take the necessary steps when an earthquake takes place. Make sure the kids are getting well informed and getting enough training on what to do. Make disaster shelters that are resistant to earthquakes and let the people know what to do.
Prepare the home for earthquakes
The best way to prepare your home for earthquakes is to consider renovating your home design. Put the heavy objects on a lower top where it’s safe and won’t fall on you during an earthquake. Make your furniture like tables, bed with heavy legs, and sturdy tops, so that they support you during the disaster. Anchor the furniture, so that they cannot move around, have latch shut on the drawers and cabinets. Install auto-shutoff lights, cover all the glasses with safety films that can hold them still.
During the earthquake happens
During an earthquake, everybody panics, and that’s how human instinct works, but knowing the right things can make you calm, such as:
Get away from vulnerable places
When an earthquake strikes, if you’re near a glass window or doors, cabinet, wall-mounted TVs, get away from there. The shake may break the glasses or fall something on your head and injure you. So, it’s the foremost important and the first thing to do to survive the initial strike of an earthquake. If you have a shelf above your head with goods on it, they may fall to your head and injure you.
Drop, Cover, Hold
After getting away from the vulnerable places, the first thing to do is to get down on your knees. It will help with crawling to a safer place and also provide stability to hold on. Now, look for a sturdy table that can accommodate your body under the hood, crawl to it and get under the top. Hold on the legs of the table or bed and hold tight until you’re completely safe. If you have anchored furniture, make sure you’re hiding under that instead of a free one that can move around. Don’t go under a table with wheels under the feet; it may run away, exposing you vulnerable.
If you’re outside
If you’re outside and an earthquake takes place, look around you if you have any tree, wall, power lines. If there is any, get away from that, or it may break down and fall on you and injure you. Staying out can be a lot safer than staying at home as you have nothing to fall on you. However, if you’re in a crowded area, lay on your side, cover your head and neck with your hands. If you’re driving, as you realize there is an earthquake, pull over and wait for it to stop. However, be sure there is no heavy object around you that could fall on your car and damage it or injure you.
After the earthquake stops
Once the earthquake stops, it’s a crucial moment that you have to deal carefully and take the necessary steps, such as:
Don’t come out
The earthquake stopped, that doesn’t mean that you can come right out of the shelter, stay that way for a few more minutes. Earthquakes can have aftershocks that follow an initial shock, and that can be worse than the first one. If the second shock happens more intensely, the first one is the foreshock, and the second one becomes the mainshock.
Take the necessary steps
The earthquake may leave you with property damage, and you may end up with dirt all over, and get into a trauma. But don’t panic, and drink water, don’t waste water for washing your dirty clothes or body. You never know if water and food will be available soon and how much damages your area has gone through. Look if anybody is injured, take the first aid kit out from the emergency kit, and pay medical attention. You may not be able to feel the injury when you’re still in the shock as you have less adrenaline running through. Check the gas lines, turn them off, stay away from the damaged area.
Frequently Asked Question
Here are the most frequently asked questions about earthquakes that you should know about:
Where is the safest place to be during an earthquake?
The safest place is a table with sturdy legs and a top that can hold on heavy objects.
Is it better to be upstairs or downstairs during an earthquake?
It’s safer upstairs during an earthquake as the building can fall on you if you’re downstairs.
What should you do immediately after an earthquake?
Remember the universal rule for the situation, Fall, Cover, and Hold on under a shelter.
Is it safe to go outside during an earthquake?
No, don’t run outside during an earthquake, as the earth isn’t stable, you might fall dangerously.
Final Thought
Unlike any other natural disaster, an earthquake won’t give you a chance to go to a safe place before it comes. If you know what to do when it’s on the action, you’ll be prepared beforehand, and only that can help. Knowing what to do also helps you stay calm during the earthquake, which is the most important thing.
I hope the tips above helped you understand how to stay safe during an earthquake at home and keep your family members safe as well. Make sure you have an emergency kit ready to keep you on the safer side during a disaster.