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Priorities

Household precautions that matter most

Safety Gallery

48 household precautions and practical solutions

Emergency Kit

Review the consolidated supply checklist

Remember Your Pets

Reduce household hazards and plan for animals

Official Resources

Find maps, programs, & further resources

Earthquake Guide

A detailed guide for earthquake preparedness [PDF]

Preparedness Priorities

A practical hierarchy for deciding which household precautions deserve attention first

Crucial

Address these first. They affect immediate personal safety and the ability to function after a damaging earthquake.

Bed placement

Do not place a bed beneath heavy, sharp-cornered, glass, or poorly secured wall-mounted objects. Consider what could fall across the bed, block the exit, or leave broken glass between the bed and the doorway.

Emergency supplies

Keep water, food, light, first aid, medication, sanitation supplies, communication tools, and essential documents where they remain reachable after cabinets, shelving, or utilities are damaged.

Early Alert & Notification Apps

These apps provide access to early-warning systems, alerts, information, and practical notification tools.

MyShake: Earthquake early-warning and earthquake-information application.

QuakeFeed: From USGS, quick earthquake updates and custom notifications from around the world.

Watch Duty: Wildfire incident and alert information that can be useful during overlapping regional emergencies.

Availability: search your device's official app store for "MyShake", "QuakeFeed", and "Watch Duty".

Strongly Recommended

These measures reduce several of the most common household hazards: falling furniture, wall hangings, electronics, books, and other shelf contents.

Use "maze" picture hooks

Use closed or locking picture-hanging hardware that makes it difficult for a wire or frame to bounce free during repeated side-to-side motion.

Brace tall bookcases

Anchor tall and top-heavy furniture to structural framing with hardware appropriate for the furniture, wall, and expected load.

Secure stereos and computers

Restrain expensive or heavy electronics so they cannot slide, topple, or become projectiles. Leave enough flexibility for ventilation, cables, and ordinary maintenance.

Add shelf lips or restraints

A raised front edge, stretch cord, rail, or other restraint can stop books, discs, containers, and display objects from walking forward and falling during shaking.

Recommended

These measures reduce breakage and financial exposure, especially in kitchens, bathrooms, and storage areas.

Install quake-resistant cabinet latches

Use latches that keep doors closed under shaking while remaining practical enough that household members will not disable them during everyday use.

Review earthquake insurance

Understand deductibles, exclusions, contents coverage, temporary-living coverage, retrofit requirements, and whether the likely loss would exceed what you could absorb without insurance.

Nice if Possible

Once the larger hazards are controlled, work through smaller objects and unusual room-specific problems.

Secure household objects in general

Look for objects that can fall, slide, roll, swing, spill, shatter, block an exit, expose a flame, or become accessible to a child or pet.

Stick down loose objects

Use removable putty, gel, gripper pads, straps, buckles, or other appropriate restraints for objects that do not need to move often.

Many of these supplies can be found at Quake Prepare, Safe-T-Proof, Quake Hold, TheEpicenter, as well as Amazon. The listing of websites here is for reference only and should not be construed as endorsements of specific companies.

Emergency Supply Kit Checklist

A consolidated checklist for home use. Adjust quantities, medication, accessibility items, and pet supplies to fit the household. The PDF guide mentioned at the top of the page remains available for printing and includes a similar list.

Water and food

  • Stored drinking water in manageable containers
  • Shelf-stable food that household members will actually eat
  • Manual can opener and basic eating utensils
  • Food and water for pets
  • A rotation schedule for items with limited shelf life

Light, power, and information

  • Flashlights or headlamps kept where they can be reached in darkness
  • Spare batteries stored separately and checked periodically
  • Battery bank and charging cables for mobile devices
  • Battery, hand-crank, or otherwise independent radio
  • Whistle and written emergency contact information

Health and first aid

  • First-aid supplies and basic instructions
  • Prescription medication and copies of prescriptions where practical
  • Eyeglasses, hearing-device supplies, mobility-device supplies, and other access needs
  • Work gloves, sturdy shoes, dust protection, and eye protection
  • Personal hygiene and menstrual supplies

Sanitation and shelter

  • Heavy-duty trash bags, ties, toilet paper, and disinfectant
  • A plan for toilet use if water or sewer service fails
  • Blankets, warm clothing, rain protection, and a change of clothes
  • Basic tools, duct tape, plastic sheeting, and an adjustable wrench
  • Fire extinguisher appropriate for the home and familiar to household members

Documents and money

  • Copies of identification, insurance, medical, and property records
  • Household and out-of-area contact list on paper
  • Small bills and coins in case electronic payment systems are unavailable
  • Photographs or inventory of valuable possessions
  • A map showing meeting places, evacuation routes, and nearby resources

Pet supplies

  • Carrier, leash, harness, and current identification
  • Medication, food, water, bowls, and cleanup supplies
  • A recent photograph and copies of vaccination or medical information
  • A plan for retrieving animals that hide when frightened
  • An identified caregiver in case household members cannot return home
  • Also see Remember Your Pets section for more tips

The listing of websites & products here is for reference only and should not be construed as endorsements of specific companies.

Remember Your Pets

Earthquake preparedness should account for animals' lower height, curiosity, and the possibility that they may be alone after shaking.

Include pets in the emergency plan: Include food, water, medication, identification, a leash or carrier, cleanup supplies, and a recent photograph in the emergency kit. Decide who will retrieve each animal if the household must evacuate or if the primary caregiver cannot return home.

Pets create two household considerations that are easy to overlook. First, animals and small children are closer to the floor, so shorter furniture and lower objects can injure them even when those hazards are less threatening to an adult. Second, a dog or cat may be alone for hours after a small earthquake scatters objects across the floor.

Look beyond large falling furniture

Restrain not only tall bookcases but also lower shelves or objects that could strike an animal. Rows of books, discs, containers, tools, or other hard-edged objects can become hazardous when they fall from above.

Common areas of concern for pets

  • Keep knives and other sharp objects from falling onto the floor.
  • Secure glass and ceramics that could shatter into pieces an animal might lick, chew, or step on.
  • Prevent cleaning products, medications, and other chemicals from spilling.
  • Do not leave toxic foods where a quake can knock them into reach. Common concerns for dogs include chocolate, coffee grounds, onions, garlic, grapes, raisins, and macadamia nuts.
  • Check whether household plants are toxic and whether pots, soil, or leaves could become accessible after shaking.

Home Preparedness in Earthquake Country Presentation Video

A recorded version of Dr. Matthew Springer's household earthquake-preparedness presentation.

The "Triangle of Life" Method: Why Experts Reject It As mentioned in the above video (27:10 - 27:45) and what major emergency organizations now suggest

The recurring "Triangle of Life" message argues that people should position themselves beside a supposedly incompressible object instead of taking cover beneath sturdy furniture. The original resource page rejected this advice because it depends on assumptions that do not reliably describe how modern buildings and their contents behave during earthquakes.

Recommended response: Drop, Cover, and Hold On. Get low before the shaking knocks you down, protect your head and neck beneath sturdy furniture when available, and hold on so that you can move with the shelter.

Problems with the "Triangle" claim

  • A void found beside a large object after a collapse does not prove that the location was safe while the object and surrounding structure were moving.
  • Objects can slide, roll, topple, or be driven sideways before coming to rest, destroying the supposed safe pocket.
  • Many building failures produce rubble and falling fragments rather than an intact ceiling settling neatly onto furniture.
  • Demonstrations in which supports are deliberately removed do not reproduce the complex side-to-side motion of a real earthquake.
  • Widely repeated anecdotes associated with the message have included factual problems, including claims about schoolchildren during the 1985 Mexico City earthquake.

Passing along dramatic advice because it sounds plausible can increase risk. The safer message is the less sensational one endorsed by major emergency organizations: remain inside when inside, move away from obvious falling hazards when possible, and Drop, Cover, and Hold On.

Official Maps, Programs, & Further Resources

External links are limited to government, nonprofit, educational, or local-program resources.

USGS Earthquake Hazards Program Earthquake information, hazard science, maps, and preparedness guidance. California MyHazards Location-based earthquake, liquefaction, flood, fire, and tsunami hazard information. San Francisco Building Inspection Current city contact and program information for building safety, permits, and seismic-retrofit questions. California Earthquake Authority Residential earthquake-insurance information, coverage explanations, and mitigation resources. San Francisco NERT Neighborhood Emergency Response Team training and volunteer information. Ready.gov Earthquakes Federal preparedness, response, and recovery guidance.

About Dr. Springer

Remembering the scientist, musician, mentor, educator, and friend whose work forms the foundation of this earthquake-preparedness archive.

Matthew L. Springer, PhD

In Memoriam

Matthew L. Springer, PhD

(10/21/1963 - 06/15/2026)

Dr. Matthew Springer was a UCSF scientist, devoted mentor, accomplished musician, and longtime public educator whose earthquake-preparedness presentations helped communities throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

Quaketips Blog Archive
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