Earthquake is a very severe natural disaster that can occur anytime. It is capable of causing large-scale loss of life and property. An earthquake might turn your house into a total mess making it difficult for you to locate important articles. In order to minimize the destruction caused by earthquake to your house and family, you must be prepared in advance. If you are living in an earthquake-prone area it is all the more important for you to be well-prepared for it. Follow some simple guidelines to safeguard your family from high risk. Read on.
Complexity Level: Moderate
Time Required: 4 hours
Resources Required:
- Brackets
- Paper and pen
- Portable radio
- Emergency kit
- Water and food
- Cellphone
Instructions:
1. Check hazards inside your home
Look out for potential hazards inside your home and eliminate these hazards as soon as possible. It is better to do away with all the potential hazards, the sooner the better. Make a checklist of all the hazards and secure them.
- Look out for loose shelves and secure them to the walls.
- Window glass can cause some serious injuries. It is thus important that you install a shutter safe security window.
- Place all the heavy articles on the floor of lower shelves. Try avoiding such things in the living area.
- Keep breakable items inside closets and keep the latch on.
- Avoid placing too many pictures on the walls.
- Repair if any deep crack is there in the walls or foundations.
2. Check all crucial connections
Check the electrical wiring of the entire house and also the gas connection. Keep the knob of the gas connection turned off when you are not using it. A faulty wiring can become a major fire hazard during earthquake.
3. Keep flammable item away
Make sure you keep all the flammable items at a safe place so that in case of an earthquake they do not result into a major fire hazard.
4. Prepare emergency kit
Make yourself an emergency kit that will be highly useful in case of earthquake. Your emergency kit must contain food and water supply that would last at least a week. It must also contain radio, flashlight, fire extinguisher, first aid kit, batteries, medication, etc.
5. Make note of safe places
Make a note of all the safe places in your home, that too for each room as in any emergency scenario you will not be running from one room to the other. Also, make sure that you know all the dangerous spots like the ones having glass windows, mirrors, hanging objects, etc.
6. Keep the escapes ready
Make sure that the emergency exits of the house are not blocked with unnecessary material. Check if the doors have not jammed.
7. Decide a reunion spot
Decide in advance a spot which is familiar to all the family members, this will help you to locate others in emergency situations.
8. Conduct drills
Conduct an earthquake drill for your family members once every months so that in case of actual emergency there is no chaos and everybody knows where to go and how to go about things.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Which is the ideal place to take cover during an earthquake?
Take cover under a study table during an earthquake. Avoid standing near any cupboard or glass rack. Do not stand below the beams.
Quick Tips:
- It is always better to prepare for the worse. Do not postpone any emergency work that needs to be done to safeguard the house from earthquake.
- Take expert help if you are unable to do anything on your own.
Things To Watch Out For:
- Make sure that every family member knows about the emergency kit and the emergency exit.
- Take extra care of kids and old people.
