An 

earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in

EARTHQUAKE PREPAREDNESS
1. What You Can Do Before an Earthquake?
A. Earthquake-proof building
Make your building more earthquake-proof, include earthquake preparedness in
your emergency plans, teach children what to do if an earthquake Happens, and
keep emergency supplies on hand.
In an earthquake, most injuries and deaths are caused by loose objects in and on
buildings. During the shaking, cabinets and bookcases topple, objects fall out of
cabinets, and hanging or large plants fall. Door frames and window jams may be
bent when walls move. Doors may slam or jam shut, and window glass can shatter,
sending broken glass into the room. Light fixtures, and other ceiling components
may pop out and fall. Objects mounted on the walls (such as clocks, maps, and art
work) may shake loose and fly across the room. The electricity may go out, and the
fire alarms may turn on.
B. Make your facility more earthquake-proof
Remove, move, fasten, or latch items that are likely to break, fall over, cause a fire,
or hurt people. Work with the building’s owner or manager and other building
tenants if you rent or share space. If you are housed in a school, coordinate with
your school administrator or manager.
Secure a bookcase to the wall.
You or the school manager may be able to correct most of these hazards.
􀂃 Bolt down and secure to the wall studs:
Water- heater, gas, appliances, and refrigerator.
􀂃 Move heavy objects to lower shelves.
If heavy objects can’t be moved, attach them to the desk or table they are sitting on
with a heavy-duty hook-and-loop fastener, such as Velcro. If necessary, add lips to
shelves to keep items from sliding off.
􀂃 Make sure hallways and exits are clear of objects that might fall and make
it difficult to get out of the building.
􀂃 Brace overhead light fixtures.
􀂃 Install latches on cabinet doors.
􀂃 In the Sick Bay or Day-Care Centers, move beds and cribs away from
windows, and lock their wheels if possible.
􀂃 Move heavy items such as pictures and mirrors away from sleeping and
sitting areas.
􀂃 Lock wheels on rolling carts, such as a TV cart. Have a professional help you
with the following:
􀂃 Bolt the building to the foundation if necessary. Wood frame buildings that
are bolted to the foundation are less likely
to be damaged than those that aren’t.
􀂃 Repair any deep cracks in ceilings or foundation.
􀂃 Repair or replace defective electrical wiring and leaky gas connections.*
􀂃 Replace inflexible utility connections with flexible ones.*
[* Do not repair gas or electrical lines yourself.]
Prepare an emergency kit
After a large earthquake, you may be on your own with the children for two or
three days. In addition to the safety equipment you already have on hand such as a
fire extinguisher, you need an emergency kit. This kit should include: Flashlight
with extra bulbs and extra batteries.
􀂃 Portable battery-operated radio and extra batteries
􀂃 First aid kit and manual
􀂃 Roster of children with addresses and their parents’ emergency
contact information
􀂃 Crescent and pipe wrenches to turn off gas and water supplies
􀂃 Emergency food and water
C. Have a communication plan for disasters and keep parents informed.
“Parents need to know what you plan to do in an earthquake or any
other type of emergency”.
Develop a plan for reuniting families after an earthquake or any other disaster.
Maintain up-to-date rosters of students with contact information for parents and
emergency contacts. Encourage parents to identify an outof-state contact for large-
scale emergencies like an earthquake. After an earthquake, it may be easier to
make out-of-state and long-distance calls as
in-state and local calls may be blocked due to emergency calls.
“Ask parents to make an earthquake plan for their homes and to
talk to their children about earthquake safety.”
D. Conduct Earthquake Drills
Just as you conduct drills for other types of emergencies (fires or tornadoes), you
should conduct earthquake drills several times during the year.
D.1 Identify A Safe Gathering Place Outside
Find a safe spot outside. This spot should be away from the building, trees,
playground structures, fences, utility wires, or anything else that might fall on you.
Make this your designated gathering place in case of an earthquake or other
disaster. Ensure that all children and staff know where to go if you need to leave
the building in an emergency.
D.2 Teach The Children To “Drop, Cover, And Hold”
During an earthquake, the most important thing for any child or adult to remember
is to Drop, Cover, and Hold.
At the First Sign Of Shaking Drop to the ground. Take Cover by getting under a
sturdy table or other piece of furniture. Hold on until the shaking stops.
D.3 Practice Drop, Cover, and Hold in earthquake drills. Drop, Cover, Hold
Tell the children that during an earthquake, the earth might move beneath their feet
like a boat in the waves. Explain that earthquakes may be noisy,
with loud banging, crashing, or rumbling sounds and ringing alarm bells.
“Plan several routes for getting out of the building after an
earthquake, and practice evacuation drills regularly.”
2. What You Can Do During an Earthquake?
A. At the first sign of shaking
􀂃 Drop to the ground
􀂃 Take Cover by getting under a sturdy table or other piece of furniture.
􀂃 Hold on until the shaking stops.
“Sometimes smaller tremors come before or after a larger
earthquake. Because we never know until the shaking has stopped
which quake is the main event, it is essential to Drop, Cover, and
Hold at the first sign of shaking.”
If You Are Inside
􀂃 Kneel under a desk, table, or bench. If there aren’t enough sturdy pieces of
furniture to get under, kneel next to an interior walls but away from windows,
overhead light fixtures, and tall pieces of furniture that might fall over.
􀂃 Stay under cover until the shaking stops (at least one minute). Face away
from windows, and bend your head close to your knees.
􀂃 Hold on to the table leg or desk. Cover your eyes with your other hand. If your
“shelter”
moves, move with it. If you don’t have a “shelter” to hang on to, clasp your
hands on the back of your neck to protect your face.
If You Are Outside
Move into the open, away from buildings, fences, trees, tall playground
equipment, utility wires, and street lights.
• Kneel or sit on the ground and cover your head and face with your
hands.
• Once in the open, stay there until the shaking stops.
“* Don’t try to take cover in a doorway during an earthquake. The
door may slam on you.
* Don’t run during the shaking or use the stairways or elevators.
Many people are killed just outside buildings because of falling
bricks and other debris.
* Don’t turn on the gas again if you have turned it off; let the Gas-
company do it.
* Don’t use your telephone for the first 90 minutes after an
earthquake, except for a medical or fire emergency. You could tie
up the lines needed for emergency response.”
3. What You Can Do After an Earthquake
1. Is it safe to move?
Once the shaking has stopped, look around for possible hazards to determine if
it is safe for you to move before getting up and helping others. If time permits
and there is a small fire that can be put out with the fire extinguisher, do that.
2. If you are inside, decide whether to evacuate or stay put.
3. Is there a gas leak?
• If you smell gas or hear a blowing or hissing noise, open a window and then
quickly leave with the children, and shut the gas off at the outside
main meter.
“• Unless you must evacuate immediately (because of fire, severe
damage to structure, gas leak, or hazardous materials spill), check
all children and adults for injuries and give first aid for injuries
before evacuating.
• Do not move seriously injured persons unless they are in
immediate danger of further injury (from fire and flooding).
Instead, cover them with a sturdy table or whatever is available and
send someone for medical help after the earthquake shaking stops.”
As time permits, you may need to turn off utilities such as gas, electricity, and
water.
If electrical wires are crackling inside, shut off the gas first, then turn off the
master electrical switch.
If you must evacuate, get out of the building and to your designated safe
gathering place, taking the emergency kit along with your children
􀂾 Treat minor injuries.
􀂾 Listen to a battery-operated radio for instructions and the latest emergency
information.
4. Be prepared for aftershocks.
Aftershocks are follow-up earthquakes that are usually smaller than the first one.
They are dangerous because they can cause things that were weakened in the first
earthquake to fall down. You may need to Drop, Cover, and Hold again.
5. Re-enter with caution
After a minor earthquake or after you are informed by emergency responders that it
is safe to reenter the building, open cabinets cautiously and beware of objects that
might fall off shelves.
6. After an earthquake
• Return to routine as soon as possible.
• Express your own concerns openly, and let students know that it’s normal to be
afraid.
• Encourage the children to talk about their fears. Help them sort out what is real
from what is unreal. Encourage them to draw or write about their feelings.
Children are less afraid of things that they understand.
• Be aware that children begin to suck their thumbs, have difficulty eating or
sleeping, wet their beds, or report mysterious aches or pains. It is common for
children to “regress” or act younger when stressed. Do not criticize the children or
call such behavior “babyish.”
• Parents frequently look to you for advice, so help them understand their
children’s behavior and be aware that they also may be suffering. Parents may be
afraid to leave their children after a disaster. Some parents may be angry or upset
because their children are frightened. Reassure them that with support most
children will recover without any lasting problems.
• Watch children for ongoing signs of emotional distress. If a child continues to be
disturbed for more than a few weeks, the family may need to seek professional
counseling. While most children recover completely after a disaster, others may
have more longterm problems that require treatment, including depression and
posttraumatic
stress disorder.
• Understand that you also may have emotional difficulties after a traumatic event
and take care of yourself.