As a Southern California resident, earthquake preparedness has always been essential for me. After the recent catastrophic quake in Turkey, you, too, may be wondering if you’re properly equipped to handle such an event.

Given that earthquakes can’t be accurately predicted, surviving one is less about avoiding it than it is about being prepared enough to respond effectively, according to Jon Gudel, a senior emergency services coordinator with the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services’ seismic hazards branch.

“Always devise a family plan and always know your evacuation routes,” Gudel said. “And course you want to practice how to drop, cover and hold on.”

This childhood-taught rule of seeking cover under things like tables or chairs is what seismologist Peggy Hellweg, president of the Seismological Society of America, said is the official and most protective bet against falling objects.

“And if you’re in bed when an earthquake happens, stay in bed,” said Hellweg, citing bedrooms as relatively safe spaces in people’s homes.

“You also want to make sure your environment is safe by doing things like properly securing bookshelves to walls, bracing and repairing chimneys and making sure you don’t have cripple walls in your home,” Hellweg said.

She added that projects such as one funded by the California Earthquake Authority, an earthquake insurance company, can help support people needing seismic retrofitting to their homes.

“A seismic retrofit can help to protect you and your family, and it is a good way to lessen the potential for costly earthquake damage, saving you what could be tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars in repair costs,” said Charlotte Fadipe, a CEA representative.

“The main thing I would like to stress is to sign up for emergency alerts, which can send earthquake notifications directly to your phone,” Gudel said.

He explained that thanks to recent state-of-the-art technology, early earthquake warning and tracking systems like the California government’s MyShake app can provide a few seconds’ worth of life saving notice before an earthquake strikes. Similar applications exist for other earthquake-prone regions.

Hellweg, Gudel and Fadipe all agree that availing yourself of the information on local government websites and organizations like the Red Cross can be useful, especially when building an emergency earthquake kit, which Gudel said he keeps not just at home but also in his car and at work.

To see what essentials these experts have in their own earthquake kits and why, keep reading on.

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