Minimize your movements during an earthquake to a few steps to a nearby safe place. Stay indoors until the shaking has stopped and you are sure exiting is safe.
If you are
Then:
Indoors
Take cover under a sturdy desk, table, or bench or against an inside wall, and hold on. If there isn’t a table or desk near you, cover your face and head with your arms and crouch in an inside corner of the building.Stay away from glass, windows, outside doors and walls, and anything that could fall, such as lighting fixtures or furniture.Stay in bed – if you are there when the earthquake strikes – hold on and protect your head with a pillow, unless you are under a heavy light fixture that could fall. In that case, move to the nearest safe place.Use a doorway for shelter only if it is in close proximity to you and if you know it is a strongly supported, loadbearing doorway.Stay inside until shaking stops and it is safe to go outside. Most injuries during earthquakes occur when people are hit by falling objects when entering into or exiting from buildings.Be aware that the electricity may go out or the sprinkler systems or fire alarms may turn on.DO NOT use the elevators.
Outdoors
Stay there.Move away from buildings, streetlights, and utility wires.
In a moving vehicle
Stop as quickly as safety permits and stay in the vehicle. Avoid stopping near or under buildings, trees, overpasses, and utility wires.Proceed cautiously once the earthquake has stopped, watching for road and bridge damage.
Trapped under debris
Do not light a match.· Do not move about or kick up dust.Cover your mouth with a handkerchief or clothing.Tap on a pipe or wall so rescuers can locate you. Use a whistle if one is available. Shout only as a last resort – shouting can cause you to inhale dangerous amounts of dust.
What to Expect
The first indication of a damaging earthquake may be a gentle shaking. You may notice the swaying of hanging plants and light fixtures or hear objects wobbling on shelves. Or you may be jarred first by a violent jolt (similar to a sonic boom). Or you may hear a low (and perhaps very loud) rumbling noise.
A second or two later, you’ll really feel the shaking, and by this time, you’ll find it very difficult to move from one place to another. A survivor of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake compared the physical sensation to riding down a long flight of stairs on a bicycle.
The following are recommended drill procedures for a teacher and class of students:
• TAKE COVER under desks or tables
• FACE AWAY from windows
• ASSUME “CRASH” POSITION on knees, head down, hands clasped on back of neck or head covered with book or jacket
• COUNT ALOUD to 60 — earthquakes rarely last longer than 60 seconds and counting is calming