        What To Do Before the Next Earthquake

 1. Store drinking water and canned food at home so that you can survive for
    a few days on your own.  One gallon of water per person per day is
    suggested for drinking and cooking purposes.  If the electricity goes
    out, food in the refrigerator will soon spoil, so canned and dried food
    will be needed.  An emergency method of cooking is convenient; for
    example, a camp stove or barbecue. (Careful how you store fuel!)

 2. Always have flashlights and spare batteries readily available. Keep a
    flashlight beside your bed.

 3. Keep a battery-operated radio at home and at any other places where
    you spend a great amount of time. (And spare batteries, as well.)

 4. Keep one or more fire extinguishers in convenient locations. Keep
    garden hoses attached to faucets; if water pressure is adequate, they
    can be used immediately in event of fire.

 5. Learn how to turn off the gas, electricity, and water at your home
    and other places where you spend a great amount of time.  Keep a wrench
    of the proper size near the gas shutoff valve.

 6. Keep basic first-aid supplies on hand and have a knowledge of first-aid
    procedures. (After a major disaster, hospitals may be overcrowded and
    medical personnel may be occupied with more serious cases.)  Keep an
    ample supply of any special medicines that are needed by you or others
    who live with you.

 7. Write the telephone numbers for ambulance, fire and police services
    beside your phone.

 8. Fasten to the walls any bookcases or other heavy pieces of furniture
    that might topple and cause injuries.  Be sure that heavy equipment
    is properly fastened to floors and walls.

 9. Put one or more straps around water heaters and gas furnaces and attach
    them securely to the walls.  Bolt the supports to the floor.

10. Store dangerous materials, such as flammable liquids and poisons, in a
    secure place where they cannot fall and break open.  Remove heavy
    objects from upper shelves and store them on the floor or on bottom
    shelves.

11. Be sure your bed is not located near a large glass window.

12. Make sure that all members of your household, as well as co-workers
    and others, know what to do during and after an earthquake.

13. If you have small children, tell them what to do if they are in school
    during an earthquake. (It is usually best if they stay at school until
    you can go there and get them.)

14. Keep a canteen of water at your place of work if there is a chance that
    you will have to walk or bicycle a long distance to reach home after
    the earthquake is over.

15. Determine whether you live or work in an area that could be subjected
    to flooding (from a dam failure), landslides, or tsunami damage. If you
    do, then plan evacuation procedures with members of your household,
    neighbors, and co-workers.  Decide in advance where your family will
    meet if the neighborhood is evacuated.  (In San Diego, this will usually
    be the nearest City Recreational Center, which is where the City Office
    of Emergency Management plans to open shelters.)

16. In the normal course of daily activities at work or school, avoid
    blocking corridors, doorways or exits with supplies, bicycles, cars,
    etc.  When an emergency occurs, it is essential that all passages be
    clear both for evacuation of occupants and for the entry of rescue
    workers.

17. When building or remodeling a house, be sure to provide adequate bracing
    against horizontal forces.  Make sure that the foundations are adequate
    and that the house is securely tied to the foundation.

18. To protect your home if damage occurs, have available some plywood and
    sheets of plastic to cover broken windows and other openings.

19. Support community programs to prepare for earthquakes and other
    disasters.  Support efforts to improve building codes.  Support zoning
    regulations that control the kinds of construction permitted near
    known active earthquake faults.  Support efforts to remodel and
    rehabilitate old and unsafe buildings, including the removal or
    reinforcement of unsafe parapets and cornices.

20. Be aware of developments in earthquake prediction by responsible
    engineers and scientists, especially those working for the U.S.
    Geological Survey.  When the time comes that reliable predictions
    can be made, follow the advice of the USGS or other responsible
    government agencys.


              What To Do During the Earthquake

 1. Tell yourself to remain calm and don't do things that upset other
    people. (such as shouting or running around)

 2. If you are indoors, move immediately to a safe place.  Get under a desk,
    table, or workbench if possible.  Stand in an interior doorway or in the
    corner of a room.  Watch out for falling debris or tall furniture.
    Stay away from windows, chimneys, and heavy objects (such as
    refrigerators and machinery) that may topple or slide across the floor.

 3. As a general rule, don't run out of a building.  Falling debris around
    a building is a common hazard.  It is better to seek safety where you
    are, wait until the earthquake is over, and then leave calmly if
    evacuation is necessary.

 4. If you are in a tall building, don't rush for stairways or elevators.
    Exits are likely to be jammed and elevators often stop operating. Seek
    safety where you are.

 5. Don't be suprised if the electricity goes out, or if elevator, fire
    and burglar alarms start ringing, or if sprinkler systems go on.
    Expect to hear noise from breaking glass, cracks in walls, and falling
    objects.

 6. If you are in an unreinforced brick building or other hazardous
    structure, you may feel it is better to take a chance on leaving the
    building than to stay inside.  Then leave quickly but cautiously, being
    on the alert for falling bricks, fallen electrical wiring, and other
    hazards.

 7. If you are on the sidewalk near a tall building, step into a doorway
    to avoid debris falling from the building.

 8. If you are outdoors, try to get into an open area, away from buildings
    and power lines.

 9. If you are in a moving automobile, calmly stop the car away from tall
    buildings, overpasses, and bridges if possible.  Remain in the car
    until the shaking is over.

10. Don't be suprised if you feel more than one shock.  After the first
    motion is felt, there may be a temporary decrease in the motion followed
    by another shock.  This phenomenon is merely the arrival of different
    seismic waves (first the P wave, then the S wave) from the same
    earthquake.  Also, aftershocks may occur.  These are seperate earthquakes
    that follow the main shock.  Aftershocks may occur several minutes,
    several hours, or even several days after the main shock.  Sometimes
    aftershocks will cause damage or collapse of structures that were
    already weakened by the main earthquake.


             What To Do After the Earthquake

 1. Remain calm, and take time to assess your situation.

 2. Help anyone who is hurt.  Administer emergency first aid when necessary.
    Cover injured persons with blankets to keep them warm.  Seek medical
    help for those who need it.

 3. Check for fires and fire hazards.  Put out fires immediately if you can.

 4. Check for damage to utilities and appliances.  Shut off gas valves if
    there is any chance of a gas leak.  Detect gas by smell, never by using
    matches or candles.  Shut off electricity if there is any chance of
    damage to wiring.  Shut off water mains if breakage has occured.  In due
    time, report utility damage to the utility companies and follow their
    instructions.

 5. Do not light matches, use any open flames, or turn on electrical switches
    or appliances until you are sure there are no gas leaks.

 6. Do not touch power lines, electric wiring, or objects in contact with
    them.  (Assume all downed lines are power lines for safety)

 7. Do not use the telephone except to call for help, or to report serious
    emergencies (injuries, fires, or crimes), or to perform some essential
    service.  Jammed telephone lines interfere with emergency services, and
    it is thoughtless to use the phone for personal reasons or to satisfy
    curiosity.  When the emergency is clearly over, contact relatives and
    friends so that they will know you are safe and where you are.

 8. Do not go sightseeing nor occupy the streets unnecesarily.  Do not visit
    damaged areas unless your assistance is needed.  Avoid beach areas
    where seismic sea waves (tsunamis) could arrive.

 9. Before resuming use of toilets, be certain that sewer lines are not
    broken.

10. Wear sturdy shoes in order not to be injured by broken glass or other
    sharp debris.

11. Clean up and warn others of any spilled materials that are dangerous,
    such as chemicals and gasoline.  (Clean up chemical spills only if you
    know what the correct methods for the chemical are - otherwise, just
    keep people well away and notify authorities.)

12. Listen to the radio for information about the earthquake and disaster
    procedures.  (DO NOT SPREAD RUMORS! - This is a very great problem in
    disasters, and must be kept to a minimum.)

13. Be prepared to experience aftershocks.  They often do additional damage
    to buildings weakened by the main shock.

14. Use great caution when entering or moving about in a damaged building.
    Collapses can occur without much warning, and there may be dangers from
    gas leaks, electric wiring, broken glass, etc.

15. If electricity is out, use up foods from the refrigerator that will
    spoil, then turn to canned and dried foods.  Use camp stoves and
    barbecues for emergency cooking.

16. Inspect chimneys for damage; do not use fireplaces unless the chimney
    is undamaged and without cracks.

17. Open closet doors and cupboards cautiously because objects may fall
    outward on you.

18. Be reassuring and helpful to young children and others who may suffer
    psychological trauma from the earthquake.  Do not spread rumors!

19. If you are at home during the earthquake, assist your family and
    neighbors in coping with the damage.  When you have done what you can,
    consider how you can help at nearby places such as schools or places of
    work.  If you are at work when the earthquake strikes, assist in every
    way you can there; then make your way home.

20. Cooperate with police, fire, paramedical and other people engaged in
    rescue and repair work.

21. If you abandon your home, leave an easily seen message giving the names
    of those living at the address, where they are and what their status is
    for the use of emergency assessment teams and friends.  Be sure to leave
    information on how to contact you.  Include the street address on this
    message, it may be unreadable on the building, or unclear.

22. In San Diego, the city policy is to use City Park and Recreational
    Centers for shelters.  If you must leave your home, and do not have
    a place to stay with friends or relatives, this is where you can go.
    You can also contact officials here to volunteer your assistance in
    disaster relief and cleanup efforts.  Listen to radio information for
    locations of shelters which have been opened or requests for volunteers.



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