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How to Prepare For an Earthquake (Survival Guide)

July 14, 2020 By DIY Thrill 13 Comments

I may get paid for ads or purchases made through links in this post.

Wondering how to prepare for an earthquake?  Get started today with these simple Earthquake Preparedness Tips!

How to Prepare For an Earthquake



If you’re living in an earthquake zone, take some time to prepare yourself, your family, and your home with this detailed list of Earthquake Preparedness Tips.  From making DIY candles from oranges to prepping the ultimate survival kit, get yourself prepared with this brilliant earthquake preparedness checklist!

I have actually been in three earthquakes, including a 6.8 magnitude quake in the Seattle, Washington area and a 5.1 magnitude quake in La Habra, California.  The sound rattling dishes in your cabinets, books flying off the bookshelves, and chandeliers swinging wildly is something you’ll never forget!

So, are you wondering how to prepare before an earthquake as well as what to do after one hits?  Here’s what you need to do…

How to Prepare For an Earthquake

Safety Tips Before an Earthquake:

1) Secure Your Space: 

Any unsecured objects that can move, break, or fall as an earthquake shakes your home are potential safety hazards.  Walk through each room of your home and make note of all tall, heavy, or expensive objects such as bookcases, home electronics, appliances (including water heaters), and items hanging from walls or ceilings.  Secure these items with furniture straps and fasteners such as water heater straps.

How to Prepare For an Earthquake

How to Prepare For an Earthquake

It’s also a good idea to relocate items away from beds and seating, to lower shelves and cabinets with latched doors.

How can I Receive Emergency Broadcasts if the Power is Out?

2) Get a Hand Crank Emergency Radio: This Hand Crank Emergency Radio will let you hear emergency broadcasts even if the power is out at your home and your cell phone battery is all used up.  I’ve had one of these for years and I love it.  Having one of these hand crank radios is definitely one of the most practical ways for How to Prepare For an Earthquake, and you can even charge your smartphone with it!

What to do When the Power Goes Out:

3) Have a Backup Power Source: Buy a generator to plan for a potential power outage.  Make sure to purchase enough gasoline to run each generator for 7 – 10 days.  One generator can be used for your air conditioning and a separate generator can power your refrigerator, lights, and other necessities.

Having only one generator means you might have to choose between running your air conditioner or your refrigerator, freezer and cell phones.  One generator isn’t always enough to handle all your needs.

4) Get a Pump/Siphon: You might run out of gasoline to run your generator, so it’s a smart idea to have a Pump/Siphon on hand.  In an emergency, you can then siphon the gas from your car’s tank to keep your generator running.

5) Get a Portable Solar Charger: Harness the power of the sun to charge your phone with this Lightweight Solar Charger.  Featuring a built in power bank, this solar charger let’s you charge 2 devices simultaneously!

6) Get Your Camping Gear Ready: If you are lucky enough to have electricity after the earthquake, offer a shower, hot meal, and a bit of time in your air conditioned home to your friends.

Patti writes: “Many of my friends went days without a hot meal or a shower.  Once one friend would get electricity, they’d invite other friends to “share the comforts of life” – even to the point of making meals and having sleepovers. Camping gear came in handy for all the sleeping bags in the living room and family room.”

7) Stock up on Bottled Water: Earthquakes can break water lines and make it impossible to buy water from stores for days.  Stocking up on bottled water should be your first priority, so you have plenty of water on hand.

How to Prepare For an Earthquake

8) Use FREE Gift Cards to Buy Your Supplies!  Get your bottled water and stock up on food for FREE at Walmart or Target with some of my favorite tricks for earning free gift cards!

How to Earn Free Walmart Gift Cards

How to Prepare For an Earthquake

Target Savings Hacks

How to Prepare For an Earthquake

9) Store Extra Water in Plastic Soda Bottles: Want to have even more extra water?  Save your used 2 liter soda bottles.  Wash the soda bottles with dish soap and hot water, rinsing well.  Fill each cleaned bottle with water and place a date on the outside of the bottle so you know when you filled it.  Water should be replaced every 6 months.

How to Prepare For an Earthquake

10) Stock up on Emergency Food Supplies: After an earthquake, it can often be very difficult to buy food from your local grocery store for several days.  That’s why its important to stock up on Emergency Food Supply Kits.  These food kits offer meals ranging from lasagna to scrambled eggs. Yum!  A warm meal can be a real boost to morale in a crisis.

11) Get a Propane Stove: Be sure to get a portable propane stove so you can still cook if the power or gas goes out.  Nothing beats a hot delicious meal, no matter the circumstances!

12) Have your Stovetop Coffee Maker Ready: In a tough situation, there’s nothing better for a boost in moral that a hot cup of coffee!  If power is out, this coffee maker will work well with a propane stove!

What to do in a Power Outage at Home:

13) Grab some Card Games and Board Games: If you don’t have electricity, your iPad and smart phone batteries will run low and you will be bored to tears before long.  That’s why it’s important to make sure you have some fun new board games and favorite card games to provide entertainment until the power is restored.

Have Your Survival Kits Handy:

14) Make a Homemade Survival Kit: Nobody ever plans to be in a survival situation.  When the unexpected actually happens, you’ll give yourself a little pat on the back and thank yourself for planning ahead!  These Homemade Survival Kits are extremely useful to have on hand in a tornado.  These survival kits are like carrying a small convenience store around in a jar!

How to Prepare For an Earthquake

15) Make a DIY Mini Survival Kit: I definitely love this DIY Mini Survival Kit!  This is the compact version of the survival kit above and it’s the perfect addition to your purse, or your car’s glovebox… in case you’re away from home when the storm strikes!  It takes hardly any space to store and is a valuable resource when any unexpected emergency pops up away from home.

How to Prepare For an Earthquake

What to Do After an Earthquake:

  • Be prepared for aftershocks.
  • Listen to the radio or television for information from authorities.
  • Put on sturdy shoes and protective clothing to help prevent injury from broken glass or any other debris.
  • Check your home for structural damage.  If you suspect your home is unsafe, do not re-enter.
  • If you have to leave your home, take your emergency kit, pets, and other essential items with you.
  • Do not light matches or turn on light switches until you are sure there are no gas leaks.  Use a flashlight to check utilities and do not shut them off unless damaged.  Leaking gas will smell.

16) Fill your Bathtub with Water: If tap water is still available immediately after the earthquake, be sure to fill all bath tubs with water.

You can use the water you’re storing in your bathtubs for sanitation purposes.  Use it to wash your hands and for flushing toilets.  You can also use the water in your bathtub as a source of emergency drinking water.  Use these water purification tablets to make sure the water is safe to drink.

Water Purification Tablets

How to Prepare For an Earthquake

17) Make an Altoid Tin Candle: This double wick Altoid Tin Candle is the perfect light source to have on hand when the power goes out.  It’s the ultimate compact candle, and the double wick burns for over 6 hours!

How to Prepare For an Earthquake

What to do if You Run Out of Candles:

18) Turn an Orange into a Candle: Did you know… you can make a candle from an orange peel?  Yes, it’s true!  This little orange peel candle works like a charm!  If the power ever goes out and you’re low on candles, this Orange Peel Candle is the perfect DIY trick!  All you need is an orange and some cooking oil and your ready to go!

How to Prepare For an Earthquake

19) Make an Emergency Crayon Candle: Did you know that in a pinch you can light a crayon and use it as an emergency survival candle? Crazy, right?  The standard crayon will burn for about 20 minutes!

How to Prepare For an Earthquake

20) Make a Milk Jug Lantern: To make this Milk Jug Lantern, wash out a milk jug and remove the label.  Then, fill the milk jug up with water and strap on a headlamp pointing into the milk jug.  That’s it!  It’s a clever re-purposing trick that creates a soft light that’s ideal for reading, playing a game, and illuminating your room.

How to Prepare For an Earthquake

21) Get a Lantern: It’s always useful to have a lantern or two on hand in case you loose your power.  This Etekcity 2 Pack Led Lantern is designed for convenience with an extremely lightweight build.  When not in use, the lantern can collapse into a smaller size enabling easier storage, taking little space.  Having a lantern means you can play a card game and find your way around your house even after it gets dark.

22) Have Extra Garbage Bags on Hand: In addition to debris in the yard, garbage collection services may be temporarily suspended after an earthquake, so having extra garbage bags handy is a necessity.  Check out this easy DIY Grocery Bag Dispenser!  Make one now so the garbage doesn’t take over later!!

How to Prepare For an Earthquake

Now you know How to Prepare For an Earthquake!  If you also live in a hurricane zone {or are planning on visiting one}, these Hurricane Preparedness Tips can really come in handy!

24 Hurricane Preparedness Tips

How to Prepare For an Earthquake

So don’t miss out!  Join us to get the latest DIY Thrill Projects, Easy Recipes, DIY Hacks and more right here…

So do you have any tips for How to Prepare For an Earthquake?

Share with us in the comments below!

Filed Under: Home Improvement, Homesteading, Shop, Survival

Comments

  1. Joshua says

    November 16, 2021 at 4:22 am

    Truly appreciate your post. It really is very important to always be prepared for an earthquake.

    Reply
  2. Juliana says

    July 18, 2020 at 3:43 pm

    Great great post Josiah…living in California we need to be already ready…thanks for the reminder and I love some of the ideas you share in this post.
    Have a wonderful weekend!

    Reply
    • DIY Thrill says

      July 20, 2020 at 1:00 pm

      Thanks so much, Juliana!

      Reply
  3. LetsCurry says

    July 18, 2020 at 10:41 am

    Such handy and useful tips Josiah.

    My in laws and some of my friends live in the earthquake prone city. I aim to share these tips with them. Thanks

    Reply
    • DIY Thrill says

      July 20, 2020 at 1:02 pm

      You’re very welcome!

      Reply
  4. Lauren says

    July 16, 2020 at 10:41 am

    Great tips! i live in an earthquake zone, so this is super useful! Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
    • DIY Thrill says

      July 16, 2020 at 2:50 pm

      Thanks Lauren!

      Reply
  5. Aimsy says

    July 15, 2020 at 12:40 pm

    These are really great tips. I have never experienced an earthquake before, living in the UK, but now I know what to have on hand should I ever be caught in one elsewhere.
    Thanks for sharing!

    Aimsy xoxo
    Aimsy’s Antics

    Reply
    • DIY Thrill says

      July 15, 2020 at 1:05 pm

      You’re very welcome, Aimsy!

      Reply
  6. Michelle says

    July 15, 2020 at 11:13 am

    Great tips! So far we haven’t had any major earthquakes, but it’s always nice to be prepared.

    Reply
    • DIY Thrill says

      July 15, 2020 at 12:24 pm

      Thanks Michelle!

      Reply
  7. John+/+Kitchen+Riffs says

    July 14, 2020 at 4:59 pm

    Great tips! We actually live in an earthquake zone, although the risk is quite small. But it’s still there! So this guide is really useful — thanks.

    Reply
    • DIY Thrill says

      July 15, 2020 at 12:22 pm

      You’re very welcome, John!

      Reply

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Hey there... I'm Josiah!
{DIY'er, Chef, and Adventurer}
Thanks for stopping by! Whether you're searching for DIY Projects You Can Do on a Dime, Easy Recipes, Gardening Hacks, or Budget-Friendly Tips for your next Outdoor Adventure, you're in the right place! I'm so glad you're here, and look forward to getting to know you better! More About Me >>

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