Earthquake Preparedness for San Francisco Homeowners

Start earthquake preparedness with what could fall on you

First things first! Walk through the rooms where people sleep, sit, and spend the most time. Look above the bed, beside the sofa, around the dining table, and along the route you would use to leave the home. Don’t wait until the shaking starts to notice problem areas.

Move heavy objects to lower shelves. Secure tall furniture, televisions, mirrors, cabinets, and other items that could tip or fall, using hardware and installation guidance appropriate for the item and wall. Keep exit routes clear at all times. ReadySF's earthquake safety guide recommends addressing these items before any others.

In San Francisco flats and condos, earthquake preparation includes the spaces you share with your neighbors. Keep common hallways and stairways clear of bikes and stored belongings so everyone has an unobstructed route out. If your building has tandem parking, exchange contact information and agree ahead of time on how a blocking car could be moved if its owner is away. Only act on that plan once the shaking has stopped and it’s safe to access the garage.

Back inside, the limited storage available in many San Francisco homes can create its own problems. A heavy box on top of a cabinet may fit neatly, but if it can fall onto your bed or into the path to your door, it needs a different home. Store heavier items on lower shelves, and keep the space around your bed and exits clear.

Make an emergency plan for an ordinary weekday

The most useful household plan works on a Wednesday afternoon, when perhaps one member is at home, another is at work, another is at school, the pets are home, your phone’s batteries have been working all day… How can you be sure you’re ready?

Choose one meeting location in the city, and an out-of-area contact who can relay information if needed. Keep important numbers on paper as well as in your phones. Review the emergency procedures used by schools, childcare providers, workplaces, and any other settings outside the home you rely on regularly. Don’t forget to account for pets and anyone who may need help with mobility, communication, medication, or transportation.

ReadySF provides a one-page emergency-plan worksheet for recording contacts and meeting places. It recommends choosing locations that are recognizable, accessible without a car, and away from buildings, trees, or power lines that could create hazards.

Then get specific. Who has a spare key if you’re all away from home? Where is the pet carrier? What happens if the elevator or garage door are unavailable? Does everyone know where the emergency supplies are stored?

Register for AlertSF by texting your ZIP code to 888-777 or creating an account at AlertSF. Keep a battery-operated or hand-crank radio as a backup source of official information. ReadySF lists KCBS 740 AM / 106.9 FM as a local station you can count on for emergency updates.

After a disaster, brief text messages may be more reliable than calls. The CDC recommends saving phone calls for emergencies.

Your earthquake kit should have two parts

ReadySF suggests you divide emergency supplies into a Stay Box and a Go Bag. This distinction is useful because you’ll have different needs depending on whether you choose to remain at home with reduced services or to evacuate.

The Stay Box holds supplies for the household when water, electricity, or other services are unavailable. The Go Bag contains the essentials to carry during an evacuation. To name just one item, a gallon of water weighs more than eight pounds! You won’t want to deal with a week’s supply of that in a big bag if you’re trying to rush out the door.

ReadySF recommends you stay ready for about a week without water or electricity. Customize the Stay Box to your household, but this basic emergency kit checklist covers the essentials:

• Water, with at least one gallon per person per day and additional water for pets or other needs.
• Shelf-stable food that does not require cooking, plus a manual opener if notall your cans have pull tabs.
• Flashlights or headlamps, spare batteries, a radio, charged power banks, and cables compatible with your devices (keep these updated!).
• First-aid supplies, necessary medications, glasses, and an established plan for essential medical equipment.
• Sanitation supplies, warm layers, cash in small bills, and a few favorite toys for children or pets.

Start collecting these items now! Store them somewhere accessible and out of direct sunlight, then check water, food, medications, and batteries according to their expiration or replacement dates. It can be cool to run across things from years ago, but not in  your emergency kit.

ReadySF has a separate Go Bag checklist for the supplies you’ll want to keep portable if you choose not to stay home. Include copies of identification and contact information, necessary medication, a flashlight, a phone charger, and sturdy shoes. The time is now to ask trusted medical professionals about medication storage and backup power for health equipment - a general checklist can’t cover these questions.

For food refrigeration, powered medical equipment, garage access, and backup power, our San Francisco power outage guide goes into those issues separately.

Learn the home's systems before they become urgent

Locate the gas, water, and electrical controls. Keep access to them clear. If you do not understand the setup, ask PG&E, building management, or other appropriate qualified professional now so you can be prepared.  In a multi-unit property, confirm which meter or control serves your unit and which systems belong to the building.

Gas deserves especially careful treatment. Do not automatically turn it off after every earthquake. PG&E advises shutting off service only if you smell gas, hear it escaping, see a broken line, or otherwise suspect a leak, and only if it is safe to do so.

If you suspect a gas leak, alert others and leave immediately. Do not operate lights, phones, flashlights, appliances, or anything else that could create a source of ignition until you are safely away. From a safe location, call 911 first, then PG&E at 1-800-743-5000. Do not remain in danger to reach a valve. If the gas has been shut off at the meter, a PG&E representative or another qualified professional must inspect the system and restore service. PG&E's gas safety instructions provide current best practices.

Get answers about basic building systems now

Establishing how the foundation, walls, chimney, lower level, etc of your building might perform during strong shaking is just as important as protecting yourself from your home’s contents and preparing to leave..

Age and architectural style are not enough to answer that question. Construction, ground conditions, previous alterations, and the actual scope of strengthening work matter. USGS recommends consulting a structural engineer when a homeowner has questions about seismic safety or whether retrofitting may be appropriate.

Remember not to blindly trust reassuring phrases. “Soft-story retrofit complete” sure sounds useful, but I would still want to know what specific work was performed, when it was completed, what records are available, and what the project was designed to address.

Gather available permits, plans, invoices, and reports for previous structural or seismic work. The documents may help a qualified professional understand what was done and guide them at the beginning of their own evaluation.

Condo owners have two plans to consider. Your household needs its own supplies and communication arrangements, but the HOA or building manager may be responsible for common-area access, resident notifications, building-wide procedures, and decisions involving shared systems or structural components. Ask how those responsibilities are divided before an emergency makes the distinction urgent.

Keep earthquake safety tips simple during the shaking

When shaking begins, Drop, Cover, and Hold On. Get onto your hands and knees, protect your head and neck under a sturdy table or desk, and hold on until the shaking stops. If no shelter is nearby, get low beside an interior wall, away from windows and objects that could fall, and cover your head and neck.

If you are indoors, stay indoors. Do not run outside or down the stairs during shaking. If you are in bed, stay there and protect your head with a pillow. A doorway is not generally safer; USGS describes that advice as outdated.

Someone who cannot get to the floor should adopt an appropriate seated response, protecting the head and neck, and lock wheelchair wheels if applicable. If you are already outside, stay outside and move away from buildings, trees, and utility wires. If driving, pull over safely away from overpasses and overhead hazards, then remain in the vehicle until the shaking stops. The CDC explains these earthquake safety actions and mobility adaptations.

Practice the response with the household. Instructions that have been rehearsed are much easier to retrieve than instructions everyone once read while scrolling on a phone.

After the earthquake, expect the situation to keep changing

Check yourself and others for injuries. Put on sturdy shoes before walking through debris, and look for damaged stairs, broken glass, utility hazards, and objects that may fall during an aftershock. If the shaking begins again, Drop, Cover, and Hold On.

Leave visibly unsafe areas carefully. Do not reenter a damaged building until authorities say it is safe, and do not attempt structural or utility repairs yourself. Follow official instructions about evacuation, drinking water, and other local hazards. The CDC's after-earthquake guidance covers these next steps.

If you spend time near the coast, learn the tsunami evacuation route in advance. In a tsunami-risk area, strong or prolonged shaking is a natural warning to move inland or to higher ground as soon as you can move safely. At the beach or water's edge, leave for higher ground and/or head inland after you feel any earthquake, as soon as it is safe to do so. Do not wait for a phone alert. Follow the National Weather Service's tsunami guidance.

Keep the paperwork ready for the less immediate problems

Preparedness continues after the immediate danger has passed. Keep accessible copies of identification, insurance information, important contacts, and a household inventory with photos of significant belongings. Store protected digital copies and the essential paper records you may need away from home.

Homeowners should also organize records of structural or seismic work, contractor information, and HOA or property-management contacts. The Earthquake Country Alliance includes documents and insurance review in its preparedness guidance.

Ask your insurance professional to explain what your policies cover, the applicable deductibles, and the exclusions. Earthquake coverage is often a separate category, so it’s best to be certain your coverage includes it specifically.

How to prepare for earthquake risk without doing everything at once

You do not need to repeat the entire article every time you review the plan. Use this shorter schedule:

• Today: correct one obvious falling-object hazard and register for AlertSF.
• This week: write down household contacts and meeting arrangements, then practice Drop, Cover, and Hold On.
• On the next shopping trip: add the most important missing supplies to the Stay Box and Go Bags.
• Schedule separately: resolve utility questions and bring building concerns to the appropriate professionals.
• Once a year: review supplies, batteries, contacts, insurance information, and property records.

Revisit the plan after moving, remodeling, buying new furniture, adding a pet, or experiencing another household change. Think of preparedness as ordinary home maintenance with unusually important consequences, and stay on top of it!