Why this matters
Ground shaking is only the first hazard. Falling furniture and glass cause injuries indoors, while damaged buildings, fires, leaking gas, fallen electricity lines, contaminated water, blocked roads, landslides and interrupted health services can create a wider emergency within minutes.
The strongest household plan combines three layers: reduce hazards before the event, practise an immediate protective action that works for every person, and prepare for damaged lifelines and repeated aftershocks afterwards.
Building type, soil, coast, slope, local construction standards and available warning systems change the risk. Use the geological, tsunami, building-safety and emergency authorities responsible for your location, and arrange qualified advice for structural work and utility connections.
Before disruption
Prepare now
- Check official earthquake, liquefaction, landslide and tsunami maps for home, work, school and regular travel routes.
- Ask a qualified professional whether the building, foundation, chimney, garage, exterior walls or additions need seismic assessment or strengthening.
- Anchor tall furniture to structural wall members, latch cabinets, secure electronics and overhead fixtures, and move heavy or breakable items away from beds and seats.
- Have water heaters, fuel appliances and other major equipment restrained correctly. Use qualified professionals for flexible gas or water connections and code-controlled work.
- Learn the location of gas, electricity and water controls and the exact local rules for isolating them. Keep any required tool accessible without entering a dangerous room.
- Choose safe protective positions in every room and practise Drop, Cover and Hold On. Agree accessible alternatives such as Lock, Cover and Hold for wheelchairs and walkers.
- Keep sturdy closed shoes, a torch, gloves, glasses, a whistle and essential medicine beside each bed.
- Build supplies from the official local minimum toward the time roads, water, power and shops could realistically remain disrupted in your area.
- Plan two meeting points, including one outside the neighbourhood, and choose an out-of-area contact who can receive status texts.
- Keep a battery or wind-up radio, power banks, paper maps, cash, document copies and a grab bag in locations that remain reachable if one exit is blocked.
- Walk tsunami, landslide and evacuation routes. Choose alternatives that do not depend on one bridge, tunnel, lift, vehicle or mobile network.
- Plan for fire, sanitation, medicine refrigeration, powered medical equipment, pets, assistance animals, school reunification and temporary shelter during aftershocks.
- Enable official earthquake early-warning and emergency alerts where available, but remember that warning may be only seconds or absent.
When it is happening
Protect the next decision
- Drop onto your hands and knees, or as low as your body safely allows, before the shaking knocks you down.
- Cover your head and neck under sturdy furniture if it is within a few steps. Otherwise protect your head and neck beside an interior wall away from glass and tall furniture.
- Hold on to the shelter or your protective position until the shaking stops. Move with the furniture if it shifts.
- Stay inside during the shaking. Do not run outside, stand in a doorway by default or use stairs and lifts while the building is moving.
- If outside, move only a short distance to a clear place away from buildings, glass, trees, streetlights and electricity lines, then get low and protect your head.
- If driving, pull over in a clear location, stop and remain belted. Avoid bridges, overpasses, tunnels, steep slopes, buildings and electricity lines.
- When the shaking stops, pause before standing, put on sturdy shoes and check injuries, fire, gas, electricity, water, stairs and structural movement.
- Repeat Drop, Cover and Hold On during every aftershock. Stop inspection, rescue support or cleanup until the new shaking has ended.
- Leave a damaged or gas-affected building by a safe route and remain beyond the collapse zone. Do not re-enter for possessions.
- After strong or long coastal shaking, move inland or uphill using the locally taught route without waiting for an official warning when natural-warning guidance says to go.
- Use short text messages and official radio or alerts. Avoid unnecessary travel and keep routes open for emergency and utility crews.
Why this guide is extensive
Venezuela showed how one earthquake becomes many emergencies
On 24 June 2026, two major earthquakes struck north-central Venezuela. PAHO reported disruption to electricity, water, domestic gas, transport and telecommunications. UNHCR reported that repeated aftershocks continued to weaken damaged structures and complicate humanitarian operations, while damage to roads, bridges, health facilities and the main international airport restricted movement and access to services.
An early UNDRR model estimated direct infrastructure damage across water and sanitation, telecommunications, roads, railways, energy, ports, airports, oil and gas at about US$13 billion. It was an analytical first estimate, not a final loss figure. The preparedness lesson is clear: households must expect several systems to fail together and recovery to continue long after the first shaking ends.
Protect yourself where you are
What to do during an earthquake in different situations
The safest response depends on where you are, but movement during strong shaking should be minimal. Practise the version that works for your body before you need it.
Inside a home, school or workplace
Stay inside during the shaking. Drop, Cover and Hold On. Move only a few steps to nearby protection. Keep away from windows, exterior walls, tall furniture and suspended objects. Do not use a doorway as a default safe place and do not run for the stairs.
In bed
Stay in bed if there is no immediate hazard above you. Turn face down, cover your head and neck with a pillow and hold on. Keep sturdy shoes, a torch and glasses within reach because broken glass may cover the floor.
In a high-rise or crowded building
Drop, Cover and Hold On away from glass. Expect alarms, sprinklers and power failure. When the shaking stops, follow the building plan and use stairs if evacuation is required. Do not use lifts until they have been declared safe.
Outside
Move only a short distance to a clearer place away from facades, glass, chimneys, trees, streetlights and electricity lines. Drop low and protect your head and neck until the shaking stops. Falling masonry is a major danger close to building edges and exits.
Driving
Pull over gradually in a clear location, stop and keep your seatbelt fastened. Avoid bridges, overpasses, tunnels, steep slopes, buildings and electricity lines. After the shaking, drive only if necessary and assume roads, ramps, traffic lights and bridges may be damaged.
Using a wheelchair, walker or cane
Use the version that works for your body. Lock the wheels of a wheelchair or walker, get low if possible, cover your head and neck and hold your position. With a cane, sit or drop low, protect your head and keep the cane close for use afterwards.
Near a coast, steep slope or cliff
Protect yourself from shaking first. After long or strong coastal shaking, follow local natural-warning guidance and move inland or uphill immediately. Near steep ground, expect landslides, rockfall and debris. Do not wait below an unstable slope for an official message.
Trapped
Protect your mouth, nose and eyes from dust. Send a text if a network is available, use a whistle, or make a repeated sound by tapping a solid pipe or wall. Avoid shouting continuously, lighting a flame or moving unstable debris around you.
The emergency is not over
Aftershocks: plan for repeated danger
Aftershocks are earthquakes in the same general area following a larger earthquake. Their rate usually decreases with time, but they can continue for days, weeks, months or, after a very large event, longer. Most are smaller than the mainshock, yet they can still be damaging or deadly. A small proportion of sequences produce a later earthquake larger than the first, which means the original event is only recognised as a foreshock afterwards.
Damage is cumulative. A wall, staircase, bridge, gas connection or slope that survived the first shock may have lost strength. Rescue work, inspection, travel and sleep all take place in a changed environment. Never treat an aftershock as "just" a minor event.
- Repeat the full action. Drop, Cover and Hold On every time you feel shaking.
- Stop work immediately. Move away from unstable walls, lifting equipment, debris and open utility repairs.
- Do not re-enter on hope. Wait for the required inspection and official permission.
- Recheck every route. A later shock can damage a bridge, stair or slope that was usable an hour earlier.
- Recheck utilities. New gas, water or electrical damage may appear after each significant shock.
- Keep night readiness. Put shoes, torch, glasses, medicine, clothing and a grab bag within reach before sleeping.
- Use official forecasts carefully. Follow geological agencies, but do not treat social-media predictions as warnings.
- Expect stress reactions. Sudden noise, vibration and alarms can trigger fear. Use short tasks, rest and calm factual updates.
Cascading infrastructure failure
Gas, electricity, water, roads and other lifelines
Earthquakes can remove several basic services at once. Prepare to recognise the hazards, live without the service and wait for qualified inspection or repair.
Gas and fuel
Shaking can fracture supply pipes, pull rigid connectors from appliances and damage storage tanks. Before an earthquake, have qualified professionals secure gas appliances and install code-compliant flexible connections where appropriate. Afterwards, treat any smell of gas, hissing, damaged pipe or unexpected meter movement as an emergency. Leave, avoid sparks and call the utility or fire service from a safe place.
Electricity
Lines, substations, building wiring and solar or battery systems can remain energised after damage. Treat every fallen line and anything touching it as live. Keep away from water, fences, vehicles and debris near a line. Use torches rather than candles. Isolate building power only if local guidance supports it and the panel can be reached without entering water, smoke or structural danger.
Water and sanitation
Broken mains can empty storage, lower pressure and allow contamination into the network. Store safe water before an event. After shaking, follow official drinking-water notices and do not assume clear tap water is safe. Boiling does not remove fuel or toxic chemicals. Stop using toilets and drains if sewage pipes may be broken, and move to an approved emergency sanitation method.
Roads, bridges and transport
Surface cracks may be visible, but bridge bearings, ramps, tunnels and retaining walls can be damaged without an obvious sign. Landslides and liquefaction can cut several routes at once. Plan meeting points on both sides of major bridges or valleys, keep a paper map and do not drive around barriers. Unnecessary traffic delays ambulances, utility crews and rescue vehicles.
Communications
Mobile networks may lose power, fibre routes may break and demand may overwhelm the remaining service. Text rather than call when authorities recommend it. Use an out-of-area contact, battery radio, written addresses and agreed meeting places. Record the time and source of every important update so aftershock rumours do not replace verified information.
Health and medicines
Hospitals, pharmacies, ambulances and refrigerated medicine supplies may all be affected at the same time. Keep a current medicine list, prescription information, essential supplies and a backup plan for powered medical equipment. Treat serious bleeding and life-threatening injuries first, but do not move a seriously injured person unless an immediate hazard makes staying more dangerous.
Fire and carbon monoxide
Earthquake fires can spread quickly when water mains, roads and fire stations are damaged. Keep alarms and suitable extinguishers maintained, but fight only a small fire when you are trained and have a safe exit. Never operate generators, barbecues or fuel-burning equipment indoors, in garages or near openings. Use battery-backed carbon monoxide alarms.
Food, cash and supply chains
Power loss spoils food, road closures delay deliveries and cash machines or card systems may stop. Keep no-cook food that suits the household, useful small amounts of cash and more than one way to obtain essentials. Open refrigerators and freezers as little as possible and follow public-health instructions on food safety.
A usable sequence under stress
What to do after an earthquake
When shaking stops
The first minute
- Stay in the protective position briefly and look for falling or shifting hazards before standing.
- Expect another shock. Put on sturdy shoes, take a torch and keep head protection close.
- Check yourself before helping others. Control serious bleeding with direct pressure if trained.
- If you are on a tsunami-risk coast, begin the locally taught evacuation immediately after strong or long shaking.
Stabilise immediate danger
The first ten minutes
- Look, listen and smell for fire, gas, electrical arcing, leaking water, damaged stairs and structural movement.
- Leave by a safe route if the building is damaged, you smell gas, hear shifting, see fire or authorities direct evacuation.
- Use stairs, not lifts. Check overhead before stepping through an exterior doorway.
- Take the grab bag only if it is within reach and collecting it does not delay escape.
Account and communicate
The first hour
- Move to the agreed safe meeting point and account for household members without re-entering danger.
- Send one short status text to the out-of-area contact and keep calls for emergencies.
- Use official radio, alert and emergency-management sources. Do not circulate unverified damage or tsunami claims.
- Check nearby people if safe, especially anyone likely to need mobility, communication or medical assistance.
Prepare for disruption
The first day
- Treat aftershocks as certain enough to plan for. Keep exits, shoes, lights, medicines and protective positions ready.
- Use only water, food, shelter and sanitation methods confirmed safe by the relevant authority.
- Avoid damaged districts and unnecessary journeys. Never cross a closed bridge, road, rail line or landslide.
- Photograph damage from a safe place, record costs and contacts, and notify insurers or assistance providers when systems permit.
Sustain recovery
The following days and weeks
- Do not restore gas, electricity, water or a damaged building to use without the required professional inspection.
- Recheck plans after each significant aftershock because routes, walls and utilities may have changed.
- Rotate rest, information monitoring, childcare and practical tasks so fear and exhaustion do not drive decisions.
- Watch for scams, unsafe informal repairs and pressure to sign contracts before damage and terms are understood.
The shaking can trigger more hazards
Tsunami, landslide, liquefaction, fire and industrial danger
- Tsunami: after strong or long coastal shaking, move inland or uphill using the locally taught route. Do not wait at the shore for a wave or an official alert if natural warning signs require immediate evacuation.
- Landslide and rockfall: leave the path below cliffs, cut slopes and unstable hills after the shaking. Watch for cracking, falling stones, new water flow and moving trees or poles.
- Liquefaction and ground failure: saturated ground can lose strength, tilt buildings and damage buried pipes. Avoid cracked, sunken or water-emitting ground and wait for professional assessment.
- Fire: broken fuel lines and electrical systems can start many fires while roads and water supplies are impaired. Leave early when a fire is beyond a small, safely extinguishable stage.
- Dams, ports and industrial sites: follow evacuation or shelter instructions for chemical releases, flooding and damaged storage facilities. Do not improvise protective equipment or enter a restricted area.
Print, practise and review
Earthquake preparedness checklist
Print this section and review it after moving home, changing care needs, completing building work or receiving new local hazard information.
Reduce damage before shaking
- Tall furniture anchored to structural wall members
- Water heater and major appliances properly restrained
- Qualified professional consulted about flexible utility connections
- Cabinet latches fitted and heavy items stored low
- Heavy mirrors, pictures and objects moved away from beds and seats
- Chimney, foundation and building vulnerabilities professionally assessed
- Exits, stairs and mobility routes kept clear
Keep within reach
- Sturdy closed shoes beside each bed
- Torch or head torch and spare batteries
- Glasses, hearing equipment and mobility supports
- Work gloves, eye protection and dust masks
- Whistle and first-aid supplies
- Fire extinguisher and working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms
- Printed utility and emergency instructions
Plan for broken lifelines
- Safe stored water and a contamination backup plan
- No-cook food and household-specific supplies
- Medicines, prescriptions and powered-equipment backup
- Battery or wind-up radio and charged power banks
- Paper map, contacts, meeting points and out-of-area contact
- Useful cash, document copies and insurance records
- Sanitation, pet, baby and care supplies
Practise the whole sequence
- Drop, Cover and Hold On practised in every common location
- Accessible Lock, Cover and Hold method agreed
- Coastal or landslide evacuation route walked
- Two meeting points chosen in case a bridge or road fails
- School, workplace and care arrangements checked
- Aftershock sleeping and shelter plan agreed
- Local geological, tsunami and emergency alerts enabled
PrepareNow.org earthquake preparedness checklist. Review local official guidance before relying on this copy.
Clear answers
Earthquake preparedness questions
Can earthquakes be predicted?
Scientists cannot predict the exact time, place and magnitude of an earthquake. Some regions have early-warning systems that detect an earthquake after it starts and may provide seconds of warning before stronger shaking arrives. Use those seconds to Drop, Cover and Hold On, not to run outside.
Should I run outside while the ground is shaking?
Usually no. Moving during strong shaking increases the chance of falling or being hit by glass, masonry and other debris near building exits. Drop, Cover and Hold On where you are, then assess the safest exit after the shaking stops.
Is a doorway the safest place?
Doorways in modern buildings are generally no stronger than other parts of the structure and do not protect you from flying or falling objects. Use sturdy furniture when it is close, or protect your head and neck beside an interior wall away from glass and tall furniture.
How long can aftershocks continue?
Aftershocks usually become less frequent with time, but a large earthquake sequence can continue for days, weeks, months or longer. A damaging event can still occur after a quiet period. Treat every new shaking episode as an earthquake and repeat the protective action.
Should I turn off the gas after every earthquake?
Do not turn gas off automatically unless your local utility directs this. Leave immediately if you smell gas, hear hissing or see a damaged line. Do not use flames, switches, appliances or anything that could spark. Shut a valve only if local guidance says to do so, you have been taught, and it can be reached safely. A qualified professional may need to restore service.
When is it safe to re-enter a damaged building?
Wait for the responsible authority or a qualified building professional to say it is safe. A building that remains standing may have damaged stairs, walls, ceilings, foundations, gas lines or electrical systems. Aftershocks can bring down parts weakened by the first earthquake.
What should be different about an earthquake kit?
Add sturdy closed shoes, work gloves, eye protection, a dust mask, whistle, head torch, fire extinguisher, paper local map and clear utility instructions to the household supplies you already keep. Store useful items in more than one location because one room or exit may be inaccessible.
Plan for real people
Access, care and inclusion
- Practise a protective action that works for each person's body. Wheelchair and walker users can lock wheels, cover the head and neck and hold position.
- Keep mobility, communication, hearing, vision and medical equipment attached or within reach so shaking does not separate it from the person.
- Place emergency supplies at accessible heights and in more than one location because debris may block a room or exit.
- Plan how a support person will help after shaking without lifting, moving or touching someone without consent.
- Provide instructions in needed languages, large print, audio, Easy Read, sign language and non-digital formats.
- Arrange backups for lifts, accessible transport, personal assistance, medicine refrigeration and powered breathing or mobility equipment.
- Teach children a short truthful sequence and practise reunification with schools and carers without encouraging them to leave a safe location alone.
- Keep animals under direct control after shaking because broken fences, glass, noise and aftershocks can cause escape or injury.
Mental readiness
Protect morale and clear thinking
- Aftershocks can make people feel that safety has disappeared. Name what is known, what remains uncertain and the next review time.
- Use short shifts for watching alerts, caring, cooking and practical work so nobody remains hyper-alert for hours.
- Keep shoes, torch, water and a grab bag ready before sleep. A visible plan reduces repeated checking.
- Give children and adults permission to react to new shaking, then return to the same practised action and a simple routine.
- Use familiar drinks, food, music, prayer, play or conversation to restore calm without dismissing fear or grief.
- Seek qualified support when distress, sleeplessness, panic or withdrawal prevents ordinary safety and care.
Common mistakes
What to avoid
- Running outside during strong shaking or moving farther than needed to reach protection.
- Standing in a doorway as a universal rule or following discredited triangle-of-life claims.
- Using matches, lighters, candles, switches or appliances when gas may be leaking.
- Touching fallen electricity lines, vehicles, water, fences or debris that may be energised.
- Turning off gas automatically without local utility guidance, training or signs of damage.
- Crossing a closed bridge, road, tunnel, rail line, landslide or restricted area to reach home.
- Re-entering a damaged building because it remained standing through the first shock.
- Treating a quiet period as proof that the aftershock sequence is over.
- Repeating earthquake predictions, casualty figures or tsunami claims that do not come from a responsible official source.
- Using generators, grills or fuel-burning equipment indoors, in garages or near doors, windows and vents.
Evidence and review
Sources behind this guide
Prepare Now uses authoritative government, humanitarian and public-health material as a starting point. Source advice can be specific to a country, hazard or date, so check the current version for your location.
- Safety Guidelines: After an EarthquakeUS Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Drop, Cover and HoldNew Zealand National Emergency Management Agency
- Aftershock Forecast OverviewU.S. Geological Survey
- Earthquake Safety at HomeFederal Emergency Management Agency
- Earthquake Safety and Home StrengtheningAmerican Red Cross
- Analytical Estimate of Damage Caused by the June 2026 Venezuela EarthquakesUnited Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction
- Venezuela Earthquake Emergency Update, 24 to 29 June 2026United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
- Earthquakes in Venezuela, Situation Report 1Pan American Health Organization
- Mental Health in EmergenciesWorld Health Organization
- Household Water Treatment and Safe Storage Following EmergenciesWorld Health Organization
Editorial status: first staging edition. Safety-critical instructions will receive specialist and jurisdiction review before public launch.