How should I secure items like furniture and electronics in my house?

There may be simple actions you can do right now that will protect you if an earthquake happens tomorrow. START NOW by moving furniture such as bookcases away from beds, sofas, or other places where people sit or sleep. Move heavy objects to lower shelves. Then begin to look for other items in your home that may be hazardous in an earthquake.

Identify Potential Hazards in Your Home and Begin to fix Them.
This is a link to Putting Down Roots in Earthquake Country.

LAFD Earthquake Handbook: Family Home Planning
Simple preparedness checklist that includes instructions for individual preparation, home preparedness and community preparedness (go to page 5).

How To Secure Your Furniture (PDF)
A PDF checklist for securing your furnishing for an earthquake.

The Commercial Property Owner's Guide to Earthquake Safety
40 page PDF booklet that outlines commercial business risks, hazards, instructions during and after a quake, and legal requirements for business owners.

How to Strap Your Water Heater (PDF)
Step-by-step instructions (PDF) for securing your water heater safely against the shaking of an earthquake.

ABAG Home Hazard Solutions
Graphical description for securing non-structural hazards like televisions, computers, pictures, mirrors, bookshelves, wood stoves, china cabinets, kitchen cabinets, file cabinets, plants and vases, fire extinguishers, and water heaters (corner and wall).

Projects Everyone Should Do
Detailed instructions for preparedness projects: Strapping Your Water Heater, Bolting the Sill Plate to the Foundation, Sheathing Cripple Walls, Shutting off the Gas and Other Utilities, Reducing Interior Damage

Strap Your Water Heater… (PDF)

A simple 1 page PDF that explains how to strap your water heater.

2002 Homeowner's Guide to Earthquake Safety (PDF)
36 page booklet that outlines home risks, hazards, instructions during and after a quake, and legal requirements for home owners.

What are the chances an earthquake could hit your favorite locations? Make a One-Step Earthquake Forecast here.
To see locations of current major earthquakes, go the Hazards Viewer and click on one of the Earth globes on the right hand side.
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