Ring of Fireby AI Globe Report
Preparedness · USGS

What to do during an earthquake

The actions USGS tells people to take while the ground is shaking, written as steps you can practice.

Not a forecast. This page explains published records. It does not say when or where the next earthquake or eruption will happen.

Steps

  1. If you are indoors, stay there. Get under a desk or table and hold on, or move into a hallway or against an inside wall. Stay clear of windows, fireplaces, and heavy furniture or appliances. Get out of the kitchen. Do not run downstairs or rush outside while the building is shaking.
  2. If you are outside, get into the open. Move away from buildings, power lines, chimneys, and anything else that might fall on you.
  3. If you are driving, stop carefully. Move the car as far out of traffic as you can. Do not stop on or under a bridge or overpass, or under trees, light posts, power lines, or signs. Stay inside the car until the shaking stops. When you drive again, watch for broken pavement, fallen rocks, and bumps at bridge approaches.
  4. After the shaking, expect aftershocks. Damaged buildings can fail later. Follow local officials. This website is not a life-safety system.

What this is not

These steps are protective actions drawn from the cited agency pages. They are not a prediction that an earthquake, tsunami, or eruption will happen at a place you choose. Practice them the way you would practice a fire drill.

Sources