What should you do if you are caught in an earthquake?

Earthquakes can happen anywhere at any time and strike without warning. Here are some tips to keep in mind should you be caught in an earthquake.

If you are indoors, stay there. Get under a desk or table and hang on to it, 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.
Don't run downstairs or rush outside while the building is shaking, or while there is a danger of falling and hurting yourself or being hit by falling glass or debris.
If you are outside, get into the open, away from buildings, power lines, chimneys and anything else that might fall on you.
If you are driving, stop. Move your car as far out of traffic as possible.
Do not stop on or under a bridge or overpass or under trees, light posts, power lines or signs.
Stay inside your car until the shaking stops. When you resume driving, watch for breaks in the pavement, fallen rocks, and bumps in the road at bridge approaches.
If you are in a mountainous area, watch out for falling rocks, landslides, trees, and other debris that could be loosened by quakes.
If you are near the ocean, see these safety rules from NOAA's Tsunami Warning Center.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency offers these tips on what to do when you feel an earthquake:

Drop to your hands and knees. Cover your head and neck with your arms. Hold on to any sturdy furniture until the shaking stops. Crawl only if you can reach better cover without going through an area with more debris.
If in bed, stay there and cover your head and neck with a pillow.
If you are in a high-rise building, expect fire alarms and sprinklers to go off. Do not use elevators.
Expect aftershocks to follow the largest shock of an earthquake.
Check yourself for injury and provide assistance to others if you have training.
If in a damaged building, go outside and quickly move away from the building.
Do not enter damaged buildings.
If you are trapped, cover your mouth. Send a text, bang on a pipe or wall, or use a whistle instead of shouting so that rescuers can locate you.
If you are in an area that may experience tsunamis, go inland or to higher ground immediately after the shaking stops.
Save phone calls for emergencies.
Once safe, monitor local news reports via battery-operated radio, TV, social media, and cellphone text alerts for emergency information and instructions.

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About the Author

Debbie Lord, Cox Media Group National Content Desk