What to do after an earthquake: the first 24 hours

When the ground stops moving, the long part begins. The first 24 hours after an earthquake concentrate most of the avoidable injuries: cut feet, gas poisoning, falls during an aftershock, and decisions made in a hurry inside a building that may not survive the next jolt.

The first five minutes

Order matters, because each step shapes the next.

1. People before things. Injuries, breathing, bleeding. Heavy bleeding is treated before any inspection of the house.
2. Closed shoes. Before the first step. If the quake hit at night, this is what prevents the most common injury in the whole sequence.
3. Smell. Gas odour, hissing, or a meter spinning with nothing running means shut off the valve, open windows and get out.
4. Switch nothing on. No lights, no phone indoors, no lighter, until the leak is ruled out.
5. Leave if the structure worries you, and use the stairs, never the elevator.

What to check before calling the house safe

Item	What to look for	If you find it
Structure	New cracks in load-bearing walls, doors that no longer close	Do not enter; wait for inspection
Gas	Smell, hissing, meter spinning with nothing running	Shut the valve and ventilate
Electrical	Sparks, burning smell, loose wiring	Cut the main breaker
Water	Pooling, abnormal pressure	Close the shutoff
Chimney	Cracks, displaced bricks	Do not use until inspected

Water stops being safe even when it looks the same

A break in the mains lets contaminants in without changing the appearance or pressure of the water. Until your local authority confirms it is safe, use what you have stored.

If the water heater stayed upright, there are 30 to 50 usable gallons inside it. Close the incoming supply first so it does not get contaminated from the mains, then draw water from the drain valve at the bottom.

Communication: write, do not call

In the hours after a quake, voice networks saturate quickly while text messages keep going through because they take far less capacity. The same logic applies to your out-of-area contact: calling another city often works when calling your neighbour does not.

• Send a short message saying you are safe and where you are.
• Avoid long calls: they take capacity others need.
• Put the phone in low-power mode. You do not know when power returns.

Getting ready for the aftershocks

Every aftershock is a new earthquake and the response is the same: drop, cover and hold on. In between, buy yourself margin:

• Move aside anything that already shifted and is now unstable.
• Do not stay under whatever barely held.
• Sleep with the flashlight and shoes beside you.
• If you sleep somewhere else, tell your out-of-area contact.