What to Do Before, During and After an Earthquake

By Quake Tracker Live Editorial · Published November 9, 2026

Earthquakes give little or no warning, and the shaking itself usually lasts from a few seconds to a minute or two. What you do in those first seconds, and how prepared your home is, matters far more than anything you can do once the shaking has stopped. The guidance below follows the recommendations of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Earthquake Country Alliance, the group behind the annual Great ShakeOut drills.

No guide can promise safety in every situation. Buildings, locations and people differ, and the advice here is a baseline. If local authorities give different instructions for your area, follow theirs.

Before: the preparation that makes the difference

Most injuries in earthquakes do not come from collapsing buildings but from falling and flying objects, broken glass and people moving around during shaking. Reducing those hazards is the cheapest protection you have.

• Secure heavy furniture such as bookcases, tall shelves and dressers to wall studs with brackets or straps.
• Move heavy items to low shelves and keep nothing heavy above beds, couches or desks.
• Strap your water heater and know how to turn off the gas and water at the main valves.
• Store breakables and chemicals in low cabinets with latches that stay closed when the cabinet shakes.
• Look at the building itself. Older wooden homes that are not bolted to the foundation, and buildings with weak ground floors, are the types that tend to fail. A structural engineer or your local building department can tell you if a retrofit makes sense.
• Pick your safe spots. In each room, find the sturdy table or desk you could get under, and the places to avoid, such as beside windows, mirrors and tall unsecured furniture.
• Practice. Rehearse Drop, Cover and Hold On with your household. The Great ShakeOut is held each year in October and is a good prompt.

For a full list of supplies and a family plan, see our earthquake preparedness checklist.

During: Drop, Cover and Hold On

The core advice from FEMA, the USGS and the Red Cross is the same: Drop, Cover, and Hold On.

1. Drop to your hands and knees right where you are. This keeps you from being knocked over while still letting you move if needed.
2. Cover your head and neck with one arm and hand. If there is a sturdy table or desk within a few steps, crawl under it for more protection. If there is no shelter, crawl next to an interior wall away from windows and cover your head and neck with your arms.
3. Hold on to your shelter and be ready to move with it if it shifts. Stay put until the shaking stops.

The key is to act immediately and stay where you are. Studies of injuries in earthquakes have found that most people hurt in the shaking were hit while moving or trying to leave a building.

If you are in bed

Stay there, turn face down, and cover your head and neck with a pillow. Moving across a dark room with broken glass on the floor is usually riskier than staying put. This is one reason to keep sturdy shoes and a flashlight next to the bed in earthquake country.

If you are in a car

Pull over to a clear location as soon as you can do so safely, away from buildings, trees, overpasses, bridges and power lines. Set the parking brake and stay inside with your seat belt on until the shaking stops. When you continue, avoid bridges, ramps and roads that may be damaged, and watch for debris and fallen lines.

If you are outside

Move away from buildings, streetlights, utility wires and anything that could fall, then drop, cover and hold on. The greatest danger just outside buildings is falling debris, including facade pieces and glass.

If you use a wheelchair or walker

Lock your wheels if you can, and cover your head and neck with your arms, a pillow, a book or whatever is at hand. If you cannot get out of your chair, stay in it.

If you are near the coast

If the shaking is strong or long, or if it is hard to stand, treat it as a natural tsunami warning. Once the shaking stops, move to high ground or inland right away, on foot if possible, without waiting for an official alert. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) summarizes it as: if the shaking is long or strong, go. After a distant earthquake, official tsunami warnings are issued, and you should follow instructions from local authorities.

Myths to leave behind

• "Stand in a doorway." That advice comes from older, unreinforced adobe houses. In modern buildings, doorways are no stronger than the rest of the structure, and you may be hit by the swinging door.
• "Run outside." Exits and stairwells are where people get hurt by falling objects, and elevators can stop. Stay where you are until the shaking ends.
• "The triangle of life." This idea has been reviewed by emergency-management and engineering experts, who do not recommend it. Drop, Cover and Hold On remains the guidance of FEMA and the USGS.

After: the first minutes

1. Check yourself and the people near you for injuries. Give first aid if you are trained, and call emergency services for serious injuries.
2. Expect aftershocks. Smaller quakes will follow, and some can be strong enough to cause more damage. Drop, cover and hold on again each time. Our guide to aftershocks explains how long they last.
3. Put on sturdy shoes before walking across floors with broken glass.
4. Look for hazards: fires, damaged chimneys, hanging objects, leaking gas or water, downed power lines. If you smell gas or hear a hissing sound, open windows, leave the building and report it from outside. Turn off the gas at the meter only if you know how and suspect a leak; do not use matches, lighters or switches.
5. Use text messages rather than voice calls so that phone networks stay available for emergencies, and keep calls short.
6. Stay out of damaged buildings until they have been inspected. Do not re-enter if there are cracks in walls, leaning, or a smell of gas.
7. Listen for official information on a battery or hand-crank radio, or through your phone's emergency alerts. Do not rely on social media for instructions.

After: the first days

• Keep drinking water, food and medications within reach. Utilities can be out for days. FEMA recommends having at least enough supplies for several days.
• Check on neighbors, especially older adults and people with disabilities.
• Take photos of damage for insurance. Standard homeowners policies generally do not cover earthquake damage, so check what you have.
• Clean up chemical spills carefully, wear gloves, and be careful with unstable chimneys and masonry.
• Take care of your mental health. Anxiety and trouble sleeping after a strong earthquake are common and usually ease over time.

A note about early warning

In California, Oregon and Washington, the USGS ShakeAlert system detects the start of a quake and can send alerts to phones and public systems seconds before strong shaking arrives. Those seconds are enough to drop, cover and hold on. Quake Tracker Live is not an early warning system: our data reach you after an earthquake has already been detected and reported. For what to expect where you live, see our guide to U.S. earthquake zones.

Frequently asked questions

Sources and further reading

• FEMA / Ready.gov: Earthquakes
• USGS: What should I do during an earthquake?
• Great ShakeOut: Drop, Cover, and Hold On
• NOAA National Tsunami Warning Center

This guide is general information, not professional or emergency advice. Quake Tracker Live is not an official warning system; follow instructions from local authorities.