FOR INDIVIDUALS

Before

• Consult a structural engineer to make your house earthquake resilient.
• Know your seismic zone and carry out necessary structural changes in your house.
• Preserve the design and layout drawings of your house for future reference.
• Repair deep plaster cracks on walls and ceilings
• Fasten shelves securely to walls; place heavy / large objects on lower shelves. Provide strong support to power and gas appliances
• Prepare an emergency kit with essential items for safety and survival.
• Develop an emergency communication and evacuation plan for your family.
• Learn the technique of ‘Drop-Cover-Hold’.
• Avoid flood plains and filled-up areas for construction as far as possible.
• Educate yourself and family members about earthquake risk.

During

• Stay calm. Do Not Panic. If you’re indoors, stay inside. If you’re outside, stay outside.
• Don’t use matches, candles, or any flame. Broken gas lines and fire don’t mix.
• If you’re in a car, stop the car and stay inside until the earthquake stops.
• Drop under a table; Cover your head with one hand and Hold the table till the tremors last
• Stay away from mirrors and windows. Do not exit the building while the earth is still shaking.
• Move outside as soon as the tremors stop. Do not use a lift.
• When outside, move away from buildings, trees, walls and poles/electric lines.
• When inside a vehicle, pull over in an open place and remain inside; avoid bridges.
• When in a structurally safe building, stay inside until shaking stops.
• Protect yourself by staying in the corner/ under a strong table or bed/ an inside wall away from mirrors and windows.
• If near an exit, leave the building as soon as possible.
• If inside an old and weak structure, take the fastest and safest way out.

After

• Do not enter damaged buildings.
• If trapped in rubble:
• —Do not light a matchstick.
• — Cover your mouth with a cloth.
• —Cover your mouth with a cloth.
• — Tap on a pipe or a wall
• —Sound a whistle.
• —Shout only as a last resort. This will help you conserve energy
• Use stairs and not lifts or elevators.
• Move cautiously, and check for unstable objects and other hazards above and around you. Check yourself for injuries.
• Anticipate aftershocks, especially after a major earthquake
• Stay away from beaches. Tsunamis and seiches sometimes hit after the ground has stopped shaking.
• Do not spread and/ or believe in rumours
• Leave a message stating where you are going if you must evacuate your house.
• Do not drive around the damaged areas as rescue and relief operations need roads for mobility
• Do not attempt to cross bridges/flyovers, which may have been damaged

Community

• Practice Drop, Cover, Hold drills regularly
• Practice evacuation drills regularly.
• Ensure that exit routes are marked and fire fighting equipment is working properly, especially in high-rise buildings.