What to do during an earthquake

Drop, cover and hold on. Drop to your hands and knees, cover your head and neck (under a sturdy table if one is close), and hold on until the shaking stops. Don’t run outside or stand in a doorway. Expect aftershocks. Near the coast, if the shaking was strong or long, go to high ground now.

What to do right now

1. Drop to your hands and knees.
2. Cover your head and neck, under a sturdy table if one is close.
3. Hold on until the shaking stops. Don't run outside or stand in a doorway.
4. In bed: stay there and cover your head with a pillow. Driving: pull over, away from buildings, trees, overpasses and wires.
5. Smell or hear gas? Open a window, get everyone out, shut the outside main valve if you can, call the gas company from outside. Only a pro turns it back on.

Remember: Drop, cover and hold on. Don't run outside or stand in a doorway.

What to expect

Shaking can start with no warning at all. Most injuries come from falling and flying objects, not the ground itself.

What happened: Loma Prieta, California, 1989

On 17 October 1989 a magnitude 6.9 earthquake hit the San Francisco Bay Area. It caused 63 deaths, according to the USGS. 41 of them came when the Cypress Street Viaduct, an elevated freeway in Oakland, collapsed.

The lesson: Drop. Cover. Hold on. Don't run outside, and don't stand in a doorway.

Practice it before it happens

• Drop to your hands and knees before the shaking drops you.
• Cover your head and neck. Get under a sturdy table or desk if one is close.
• Hold on until the shaking stops. In a car: pull over, stop, set the brake.
• Expect aftershocks. Drop, cover and hold on again each time.
• Find the water and gas shut-offs.