Earthquake preparedness

Earthquake preparedness is a set of measures taken at the individual, organisational and societal level to minimise the effects of an earthquake. Preparedness measures can range from securing heavy objects, structural modifications and storing supplies, to having insurance, an emergency kit, and evacuation plans.

Preparedness can consist of survival measures, preparation that will improve survival in the event of an earthquake, or mitigating measures, that seek to minimise the effect of an earthquake. Common survival measures include storing food and water for an emergency, and educating individuals what to do during an earthquake. Mitigating measures can include firmly securing large items of furniture (such as bookcases and large cabinets), TV and computer screens that may otherwise fall over in an earthquake. Likewise, avoiding storing items above beds or sofas reduces the chance of objects falling on individuals.

Planning for a related tsunami, tsunami preparedness, can also be part of earthquake preparedness.

Building codes in earthquake prone areas may have specific requirements designed to increase new buildings' resistance to earthquakes. Older buildings and homes that are not up to code may be modified to increase their resistance. Modification and earthquake resistant design are also employed in elevated freeways and bridges.

Codes are not designed to make buildings earthquake proof in the sense of them suffering zero damage. The goal of most building designs is to reduce earthquake damage to a building such that it protects the lives of occupants and thus tolerance of some limited damage is accepted and considered a necessary tradeoff. A supplement or precursor to retrofitting can be the implementation of earthquake proof furniture.

Earthquake modification techniques and modern building codes are designed to prevent total destruction of buildings for earthquakes of no greater than 8.5 on the Richter Scale. Although the Richter Scale is referenced, the localized shaking intensity is one of the largest factors to be considered in building resiliency.

The basic theme behind preparedness is to be ready for an earthquake. Preparedness starts with an individual's everyday life and involves items and training that would be useful in an earthquake. Preparedness continues on a continuum from individual preparedness through family preparedness, community preparedness and then business, non-profit and governmental preparedness. Some organisations blend these various levels. Business continuity planning encourages businesses to have a Disaster Recovery Plan. The US FEMA breaks down preparedness generally into a pyramid, with citizens on the foundational bottom, on top of which rests local government, state government and federal government in that order.

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