How to Prepare For an Earthquake (Survival Guide)

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

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.

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.

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

Target Savings Hacks

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.

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!

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.

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

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!

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!

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!

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.

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!!

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

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