Most earthquake injuries don't come from buildings collapsing. They come from the first sixty seconds — from people running, from falling furniture, from glass, from panic decisions made while the floor is moving. The difference between walking away and being carried away is rarely luck. It's having one drilled response ready before the shaking starts.
This guide covers exactly what to do when the ground moves: at home, outside, in your car, in a crowd — and the myths that still get people killed every year.
Drop, Cover, and Hold On
If you remember one thing from this article, make it this. Drop to your hands and knees so the shaking can't knock you down. Cover your head and neck under a sturdy table or desk. Hold on to it with one hand so it doesn't slide away from you — and be ready to move with it if it shifts.
This is the official guidance in the United States, Japan, New Zealand, and most other earthquake-prone countries, and it has been for decades. It works because it protects you from the most common cause of injury: being struck by falling or flying objects — bookshelves, ceiling tiles, light fixtures, broken glass. A sturdy table won't save you from a collapsing building, but total building collapse is rare; being hit by your own furniture is not.
If no table or desk is nearby, drop to the floor against an interior wall and cover your head and neck with your arms. Stay away from windows, glass partitions, and anything tall enough to topple onto you.
If you're indoors
Stay inside. This is the single most misunderstood rule: do not run outside during the shaking. Building exteriors are where the danger concentrates — falling facade panels, shattering glass, parapets, and signs. Most injuries in survivable earthquakes happen to people who were hit by debris while entering or exiting buildings.
Where you are in the room matters:
In the kitchen: move away from the stove, refrigerator, and overhead cabinets. Kitchens concentrate the heaviest falling hazards in a home — appliances, glassware, knives. Get under the dining table or into a doorway-adjacent interior spot away from the counters.
In bed: stay there and cover your head and neck with a pillow. Getting up and stumbling through a dark, shaking room is how people get cut by broken glass and hit by falling objects. Only move if something heavy is directly above the bed.
In a high-rise: Drop, Cover, and Hold On still applies. High-rises are engineered to sway — the motion can feel stronger and last longer on upper floors, but modern tall buildings in seismic zones are among the safest places to be. Do not use the elevators, ever. Expect the power to cut and the fire alarms to sound; wait for official instructions before evacuating.
If you're outdoors
Move to an open area away from buildings, streetlights, utility wires, and trees. Then drop to the ground and stay there until the shaking stops. The greatest outdoor danger is debris falling from facades — in dense downtowns, move to the middle of the street if it's safe to do so, away from both sides of falling glass.
If you're near a cliff, hillside, or steep slope, be alert for landslides and rockfalls, which earthquakes frequently trigger. Move laterally away from the slope, not downhill along it.
If you're driving
Pull over as quickly and safely as you can — onto the shoulder, clear of overpasses, bridges, power lines, signs, and trees. Stop, set the parking brake, and stay inside the vehicle with your seatbelt fastened until the shaking stops. Your car is a steel cage; it's far safer than standing on an overpass.
After the shaking, drive on cautiously. Avoid bridges and ramps until they've been inspected — earthquake damage to road structures isn't always visible. If a power line falls on your car, stay inside and wait for help; if you must exit because of fire, jump clear with both feet together so you don't become a path for the current.
If you're in a crowd
Stadiums, theaters, malls, and concert halls add one more hazard: the crowd itself. Do not rush for the exits. Stampedes injure more people than shaking in crowded venues.
Drop where you are and cover your head and neck — duck under your seat in a theater, get under a sturdy table in a food court. In a stadium, stay in your seat and protect your head until the shaking stops, then follow staff instructions. Exits will still be there in ninety seconds; the crush at the doors during shaking is what kills.
Three myths that can get you killed
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Myth 1: Stand in a doorway. This advice is a relic from old adobe houses, where the door frame was the only reinforced part of the structure. In modern homes and offices, doorways are no stronger than any other part of the wall — and a swinging door can injure you. Get under a table instead.
Myth 2: The "triangle of life." A viral email has claimed for years that you should curl up next to — not under — heavy furniture to survive in a "triangle" of void space. Every major emergency agency rejects this. It assumes total building collapse, which is rare in countries with seismic building codes, and it leaves you fully exposed to the falling objects that cause the vast majority of injuries. Rescue professionals who work real collapses do not teach this.
Myth 3: Run outside immediately. As covered above, the strip of ground right outside a building is the kill zone for falling glass and facade debris. The urge to run is the hardest instinct to override — which is exactly why drilling Drop, Cover, and Hold On matters. You will do what you have practiced.
If you get trapped
It's rare, but it happens. If you're pinned under debris: do not light a match or lighter — gas leaks are common after strong shaking, and a spark can ignite them. Cover your mouth with a cloth or clothing to filter dust. Tap on a pipe or wall so rescuers can hear you; shouting is a last resort because it exhausts you and fills your lungs with dust. Stay still and wait — modern search-and-rescue response is fast, and most trapped survivors are found within the first day.
Near the coast? When the shaking stops, move
This rule is separate from everything above and it saves thousands of lives. If you are near the coast and feel shaking that is strong, long (a minute or more), or makes it hard to stand, do not wait for a siren or an official warning. As soon as the shaking stops, move immediately to high ground or inland — on foot, not by car.
Tsunamis from nearby earthquakes can arrive within minutes. In 2011, many survivors in Tōhoku lived because they ran the moment the shaking stopped; many who waited for confirmation did not. If you see the sea withdraw unusually far, treat it as the final warning and run. For the full science of how tsunami warnings work, see our explainer on tsunami warning systems.
The first ten minutes after
When the shaking stops, the danger isn't over — it changes shape. Expect aftershocks, some nearly as strong as the mainshock. Move carefully: floors may be covered in broken glass, so put on shoes before walking anywhere.
Check yourself for injuries, then check on others. Check for fire and gas: if you smell gas or hear hissing, open windows, get everyone out, and don't flip switches or use phones inside. If your home is badly damaged, get out and stay out until it's inspected.
Use your phone for text, not calls — texts get through when voice networks jam. And resist the urge to drive: streets need to stay clear for emergency vehicles, and damaged roads and bridges are genuinely dangerous.
If you use a wheelchair, have kids, or have pets
Wheelchair users: lock your wheels, stay seated, and cover your head and neck with your arms, a book, or a pillow. If you can, move under a sturdy table; if not, position yourself against an interior wall away from windows.
Parents: drill your kids the same way schools do — Drop, Cover, and Hold On, practiced until it's boring. Agree in advance on what they do if you're separated: which neighbor's house, which school gate. Children who have practiced stay calmer, and calmer children are safer children.
Pet owners: animals panic and bolt. Keep leashes and carriers accessible, not buried in a closet. After the shaking, keep dogs leashed and cats contained — the familiar neighborhood is suddenly full of broken glass, downed lines, and strange smells.
The uncomfortable truth is that earthquakes don't schedule themselves around your readiness. The sixty seconds of shaking are coming whether you've thought about them or not. One drilled response — drop, cover, hold on — plus a home where the heavy things are anchored and a kit in the closet, is the entire difference between an emergency you manage and one that manages you.