Just a few precautionary measures can go a long way towards saving a life in the event of an earthquake. It is very important that if you do live in an earthquake zone that you do prep yourself in case “the big one hits.”

Practice how you will react physically and what you will do if the ground starts shaking.  Teach all of your family members how to behave in case it should actually happen.

Go through your home with your family and discuss the safest places to be in your home while the ground is shaking. This means identifying the safe places in a room such as staying under a desk. Do not take cover under large windows, mirrors, hanging objects, heavy furniture and fireplaces.

Be sure you are stocked up on emergency supplies including a battery operated radio, flashlights, many extra batteries, extra water, two weeks food, first aid kit, bottle water, blankets, supplies cooking fuel and the tools you need to turn off the gas in your home.  Have the tools around in case you need to manually shut off electricity or water and have the fuels available to start up any emergency generators.

It is a good idea to have your home arranged so it is less susceptible to big damage from a quake. Anchor heavy appliances like fridges, water heaters and book cases to the ground so they cannot harm a pet or human if they fall.

Be sure to that all flammable fuels and liquids are kept away from ignition sources like stoves, furnaces and water heaters. Make sure you know where all the turn-offs are for your water, gas and electricity and make sure that your children are aware of these shut-offs as well.

Be sure to get all of the information you can from your city and stet about what you can do in your area to avoid being hit the worst in an earthquake. Many cities in earthquake prone zones like California have brochures that are put out by the Fire Department or Chamber of Commerce that tell you how to act, what routes to avoid and also where the nearest shelters in the city might be.  Take time out for yourself and your family so that you can sit down together and thoroughly discuss what you all might do in the event of a big emergency.  This is the best way to save lives and minimize damage to your property.

Sometimes disaster strikes when we are not properly clothed. It can catch us night or all of our clothes could be lost in a flood or fire. This can mean that we have to somehow make clothing out of towels, clothing, cloth, plastic bags and paper bags.  We may have to use what is available with the idea of conserving body heat and protecting the body from bugs and other threats.

If keeping warm is the goal then you needs to trap a layer of air between your body and the fabric.  The best insulating materials are windbreaker material, paper or tightly woven fabric.  This slows down the rate that heat is carried away from the body. Quilted fabrics are insulating but do not trap an insulating layer of air between the body and coldness.

We lose a lot of heat from our head and neck. If it is cold it is important to keep these areas warm. Taking any type of warm material such as a towel and covering it with a paper bag makes a good make-shift head warmer. You can also pack a shirt with thick layers of newspaper to keep warm.

You can also make yourself boots out of newspapers. Place your feet on ten newspapers and then fold all of the sheets on top of your foot.  Use strips of sheets to tie the newspapers to your foot. Then cover this with a canvas or burlap sack and tie at the ankle.  If this does not work or if burlap is not available you can try using plastic bread bags.

If temperatures drop at night you may have to insulate the whole body.  Once again you can use newspapers to insulate your body and wrap it with strips of cloth. Most people are kept warm with eight sheets of newspaper.  Any type of coat stuffed with newspapers can also help keep a person warm.

If you are in the unfortunate position of having to sleep on frozen ground it is best to keep the temperature in the shelter a bit below freezing. This is because it is easier to sleep on ground that is solid rather than disintegrating into frozen slush.

Psychologically it is also important to keep a person clothed. This is because in a state of distress they can regress into behaviors that are fearful and child-like if they are naked and cold for too long