What to do if there is an earthquake

Official updatesLU-Alert · RTL, 100.7 · 112

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Drop to your hands and knees as soon as you feel the shaking, before it knocks you over.
Cover your head and neck. Get under a sturdy table or desk if one is close; if not, crouch next to an inside wall, away from windows, shelves and anything that can fall.
Hold on until the shaking stops. Do not run outside and do not stand in a doorway while the ground is moving.
Stay in bed if you are in it: lie face down and protect your head with a pillow. In a wheelchair, lock the wheels and cover your head and neck with your arms.
Stay outside if you are outside, and move into the open, away from buildings, trees and cables. If you are driving, stop somewhere clear and stay in the car until the shaking ends.
Check yourself and the people with you for injuries once it stops. Call Status: Verified for anyone badly hurt, and leave the building if it looks damaged.
Switch on LU-Alert and a battery or car radio on Status: Verified. Follow the authorities’ instructions for your area.

Fix tall furniture, bookcases, shelves and the television to the wall. Secure heavy appliances such as the fridge and the boiler.
Keep heavy and breakable things on low shelves.
Keep corridors, stairs and doors clear, so you can get out quickly.
Know where the water and gas mains, the electricity meter and the fuse box are, and how to turn them off. Write it in your household plan.

Practise Drop, Cover and Hold On with everyone at home. Pick the safest spot in each room: under a sturdy table, or against an inside wall.

The same kit as for a Loss of power in your street or part of town, usually for a few hours.Loss of power in your street or part of town, usually for a few hours.Power cuts and blackouts: Status: Verified torch per person with Status: Verified spare sets of batteries, a battery or wind-up radio, a charged power bank, a first-aid kit and medicines for at least Status: Verified.
Water: Status: Verified per person per day, for Status: Verified.
A whistle, and a torch you can reach from your bed. See the emergency kit checklist.

Expect more shaking. Each time it starts again, drop, cover and hold on.
Leave any building with cracks, a damaged roof or walls that have moved, and do not go back in until the authorities say it is safe. Use the stairs, never the lift.
If you smell gas, do not use switches, flames or phones inside. Leave, and call Status: Verified from outside.
If you are trapped, cover your mouth and nose against the dust, and tap on a pipe or wall or blow a whistle, rather than shouting, so rescuers can find you.
Put on sturdy shoes before you walk over broken glass, and check on the neighbours.
Photograph any damage before you clear up. The insurer will ask for it.
If the power or water is off, follow Power is out or No water, or water unsafe. Feeling shaken for a few days is normal; Coping with a crisis has help.

Practise Drop, Cover and Hold On as a game, at home and when you visit friends. Tell them to stay where they are and protect their head, not to run to you.

If you cannot get down to the floor, stay seated and protect your head and neck with your arms. Lock the wheels of a wheelchair or walker.
Keep glasses, hearing aids and mobility aids next to the bed, where they will not fall.

Animals often hide or run away after shaking. Keep dogs on the lead and cats indoors until things are calm, and watch for broken glass.

Stay where you are during the shaking and do not head for the stairs while the building moves. Afterwards use the stairs, not the lift.