What to Do During an Earthquake: Drop, Cover, and Hold On (and Why It Works)

Key Takeaways

• Drop, Cover, and Hold On is the correct response in almost every indoor situation. This is the consensus recommendation of FEMA, the American Red Cross, USGS, and all 50 state emergency management agencies. It is not debatable.
• You have 5 to 15 seconds to react in a moderate earthquake and up to 60 seconds in a major one. There is no time to make decisions — your response must be trained and automatic.
• Falling objects are the number one cause of earthquake injuries in countries with modern building codes. Protecting your head and neck is the single most important action.
• Running outside during shaking is one of the most dangerous things you can do. The area immediately outside buildings — where bricks, glass, signs, and facades fall — is a kill zone during an earthquake.
• The "triangle of life" is a debunked myth. It has been rejected by every credible emergency management organization and is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of how buildings fail.
• Your response changes based on location — the correct action in bed is different from the correct action in a car, outdoors, or near the coast.

When the Ground Starts Shaking

Earthquake shaking begins suddenly. There may be a rumbling sound, or the first thing you notice may be objects rattling or the floor moving beneath you. In some cases, a sharp jolt comes first (a P-wave), followed seconds later by the violent side-to-side shaking (S-waves) that causes most damage.

The intensity builds. What begins as a tremor may escalate into shaking violent enough to knock you off your feet, throw objects across rooms, and shatter windows. You cannot predict in the first second whether you're feeling a magnitude 4.0 tremor that will end in five seconds or the beginning of a magnitude 7.0 event that will shake for a minute or more.

This is why your response must be immediate. Every second of hesitation — every moment spent trying to assess the situation, grab belongings, or decide what to do — is a second during which a bookcase can topple onto you, a ceiling fan can break free, or violent shaking can throw you into furniture or down stairs.

The protocol is three words: Drop. Cover. Hold On.

Drop, Cover, and Hold On: Step by Step

Step 1: DROP

Get down on your hands and knees immediately. This position serves two critical purposes. First, it lowers your center of gravity so shaking is less likely to knock you down. Being thrown to the ground by earthquake shaking is a leading cause of fractures, head injuries, and impact trauma — particularly for older adults. Second, the hands-and-knees position allows you to crawl to cover rather than trying to walk or run across a violently moving floor.

Do not try to stand and walk to cover. Earthquake shaking has thrown people through plate glass windows, down stairwells, and into heavy furniture. The floor is the safest level.

Step 2: COVER

Crawl under a sturdy piece of furniture — a desk, table, or bench. Once underneath, protect your head and neck with one arm. The furniture shields you from falling objects: ceiling tiles, light fixtures, bookcases, monitors, decorative items, and broken glass.

If no sturdy furniture is available, crawl to an interior wall (away from windows, mirrors, and heavy wall-mounted objects) and curl into a protective position with both arms covering your head and neck.

What counts as "sturdy" furniture? A solid wood or metal desk, a heavy dining table, or a substantial workbench. Not a glass coffee table, not a flimsy folding table, and not a bed (addressed separately below). The furniture must be strong enough to bear the weight of falling debris without collapsing.

Step 3: HOLD ON

If you're under furniture, grip one leg with your free hand (the hand not covering your head). If the furniture moves — and it will in strong shaking — move with it. Tables and desks can slide several feet across a room during violent shaking. If you let go, you lose your protection precisely when you need it most.

If you're in the open (no furniture cover), hold your protective position against the interior wall. Lock your hands behind your neck, keep your head down, and stay put until the shaking stops.

The Science: Why Drop, Cover, and Hold On Works

This protocol isn't a guess. It's based on decades of earthquake casualty research, structural engineering studies, and post-earthquake injury analysis from events around the world.

What Actually Kills and Injures People in Earthquakes

In countries with modern building codes (United States, Japan, New Zealand, Chile), the vast majority of earthquake injuries and deaths come from:

1. Falling objects. Bookcases, ceiling tiles, light fixtures, TVs, dishes, and decorative items that become projectiles during shaking. USGS data from the 1994 Northridge earthquake (Los Angeles) found that falling objects caused the majority of the roughly 9,000 injuries.

2. Broken glass. Windows, mirrors, picture frames, and glass shelving shatter during shaking. Lacerations from broken glass were among the most common Northridge earthquake injuries.

3. Being thrown or falling. People who are standing when strong shaking hits are thrown into walls, furniture, down stairs, or through windows. Falls are particularly dangerous for older adults.

4. Attempting to move during shaking. People who try to run — to a doorway, outside, to another room — are at dramatically higher risk of injury than those who drop and take cover where they are.

Building collapse, while devastating when it occurs, accounts for a relatively small percentage of earthquake casualties in modern-code countries. The vast majority of buildings in the United States will not collapse in an earthquake. They will shake, crack, lose facades, and drop non-structural elements — which is exactly what Drop, Cover, and Hold On protects against.

Research Supporting Drop, Cover, and Hold On

A landmark study by the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) examined injury patterns across multiple California earthquakes and found that the majority of injuries resulted from people's actions during shaking — moving around, being hit by objects, or falling — rather than structural collapse. The research concluded that taking cover under sturdy furniture reduced injury risk significantly.

The ShakeOut earthquake scenario, developed for Southern California's emergency planning, modeled a magnitude 7.8 earthquake on the San Andreas Fault and estimated that approximately 1,800 deaths and 50,000 injuries would result — with the clear majority from non-structural hazards that Drop, Cover, and Hold On is designed to address.

ShakeOut: Drop, Cover, and Hold On

Myths That Get People Hurt

Myth 1: "Stand in a Doorway"

Origin: This advice comes from early California earthquakes in unreinforced adobe buildings, where the wooden door frame was often the only part of the wall that remained standing after collapse.

Why it's wrong today: In modern wood-frame, steel, or concrete construction, doorways are no stronger than any other part of the structure. They offer no overhead protection from falling objects. Worse, swinging doors can slam into you during shaking, and you're exposed to objects flying through the opening from both sides. You're also blocking an exit that others may need.

FEMA's official position: "Doorways are no stronger than any other part of the structure. During an earthquake, get under a sturdy piece of furniture and hold on. Don't stand in a doorway."

Myth 2: "Run Outside"

Why it's wrong: The area immediately outside buildings is the most dangerous place to be during an earthquake. Building facades, bricks, signs, awnings, and glass fall outward. Power lines come down. In the 1933 Long Beach earthquake, a significant number of fatalities occurred from falling parapets and building facades striking people who were trying to flee.

Running also requires standing and moving across a violently shaking surface — exactly the scenario that leads to falls, collisions, and being thrown into hazards.

If you are already indoors when shaking starts, stay indoors. The safest action is to take cover where you are. You can exit the building after the shaking stops, when you can see the hazards around you.

Myth 3: The "Triangle of Life"

The claim: An email chain and online article, circulated widely since the early 2000s, claims you should lie in the fetal position next to large, bulky objects (refrigerators, couches, beds) rather than under furniture. The theory is that when a ceiling or floor collapses onto a large object, it creates a triangular void space next to it — the "triangle of life" — where you can survive.

Why it's wrong:

1. It assumes total building collapse (pancake failure). This is extremely rare in modern construction in the United States. It can occur in unreinforced masonry or non-engineered construction in developing countries, but it is not the failure mode of wood-frame, steel-frame, or reinforced concrete buildings built to U.S. seismic codes.

2. It ignores what actually hurts people. In the United States, the danger is falling objects, not collapsing ceilings. Lying on the floor next to a refrigerator, with no overhead cover, exposes you to everything falling in the room.

3. It has been specifically debunked by FEMA, the American Red Cross, USGS, the Earthquake Country Alliance, the Structural Engineers Association of California, and emergency agencies in multiple countries. The American Red Cross issued a direct rebuttal stating that the triangle of life "could lead to injury or death."

4. The originator of the theory conducted his demonstrations in buildings demolished with explosives — not buildings subjected to earthquake shaking — an entirely different failure mechanism.

FEMA: What to do during an earthquake

What to Do by Situation

Different locations require different specific responses, but the underlying principle remains the same: protect your head and neck, and don't try to move until shaking stops.

Situation-by-Situation Response Table

Detailed Guidance: In Bed

If an earthquake strikes while you're in bed — particularly common, since roughly one-third of your life is spent sleeping — stay there. Roll face down and pull your pillow over your head and neck.

The reason is practical: the floor around your bed is the most likely place for broken glass, fallen lamps, books, and other debris. If you jump out of bed in the dark and step on broken glass in bare feet, you've just given yourself a serious injury that compromises your ability to respond to everything that comes next.

If you have a heavy light fixture, ceiling fan, or large framed picture directly above your bed, consider relocating either the bed or the hazard. This is a preparedness action you should take before an earthquake occurs.

Detailed Guidance: In a Car

Earthquakes while driving feel like a flat tire or mechanical failure at first. The car will pull or handle strangely. As shaking intensifies, it becomes obvious.

Slow down and pull over. Do not stop on or under overpasses, bridges, or ramps — these are the most vulnerable structures in an earthquake. Avoid stopping under power lines, near signs, or next to tall buildings. Once stopped, set your parking brake and stay inside. Your car's structure provides a protective shell.

After shaking stops, proceed carefully. Watch for road damage: cracks, buckled pavement, downed power lines, fallen debris, and damaged traffic signals. Bridges and overpasses should be treated as potentially compromised until inspected.

Detailed Guidance: Near the Coast

If you feel strong shaking and you are in a tsunami hazard zone (generally within a mile of the coast or in low-lying areas near tidal inlets), the shaking itself is your tsunami warning. Do not wait for an official alert.

As soon as shaking stops, move immediately to high ground — at least 100 feet elevation — or inland at least 2 miles. Go on foot if possible; roads may be damaged, and traffic will be gridlocked.

Tsunamis can arrive within minutes of a local earthquake. The first wave is not always the largest. Do not return to low ground until local authorities issue an official all-clear.

Earthquake tsunamis: what you need to know

Detailed Guidance: People Using Wheelchairs or Mobility Aids

The standard Drop, Cover, and Hold On protocol assumes you can get to the ground. If you use a wheelchair, the appropriate response is:

1. Lock your wheels immediately.
2. Bend forward as far as you can, bringing your chest toward your knees.
3. Cover your head and neck with your arms or any available protection (a bag, book, cushion).
4. Stay in this position until shaking stops.

If you use a walker or cane and can safely get to the ground, do so — but only if you can do it quickly and without high risk of injury. If getting to the ground is slow or dangerous for you, sit down in the nearest sturdy chair and cover your head.

After shaking stops, check your path for debris, broken glass, and damage before moving. If your mobility aid was displaced, call for assistance rather than trying to navigate debris without it.

FEMA: Preparedness for people with disabilities

When the Shaking Stops

The end of shaking does not mean the end of danger. Here is what to do in the first 30 seconds to 5 minutes:

Stay Where You Are (Briefly)

Don't leap up immediately. Take a breath. Look around you. Check for hazards between you and the exit: broken glass, fallen objects, damaged flooring, hanging light fixtures, exposed wires.

Check for Injuries

Check yourself first, then others nearby. Provide basic first aid for bleeding, but do not move anyone with potential spinal injuries unless they are in immediate danger (fire, gas leak, imminent structural collapse).

Check for Hazards

Gas leaks: If you smell gas (rotten egg smell) or hear hissing, do not flip any light switches, use lighters or matches, or start your car. Open windows if you can do so safely, leave the building, and call 911 and your gas company from outside.

Water leaks: If you see water flowing or hear running water inside walls, turn off the main water supply if you know how and can access it safely.

Electrical: If you see sparking wires, exposed electrical components, or smell burning, stay away. If the main electrical panel is accessible and you can safely reach it, shut off the main breaker.

Structural damage: Look for large cracks in walls (especially diagonal cracks from corners of windows and doors), shifted foundations, leaning walls, or sagging ceilings. If you see any of these, evacuate carefully.

Prepare for Aftershocks

Aftershocks are virtually guaranteed after any earthquake large enough to be felt. Some will be small; some may be nearly as strong as the original event. Each aftershock can cause further damage to already-weakened structures.

When an aftershock hits: Drop, Cover, and Hold On again. Every time. Treat each aftershock as a new earthquake.

Complete guide: what to do after an earthquake

Understanding earthquake aftershocks

Earthquake Early Warning: ShakeAlert

The ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning system, operated by the USGS in partnership with state agencies, is live in California, Oregon, and Washington. It provides seconds to tens of seconds of warning before shaking arrives at your location.

ShakeAlert works by detecting the fast-moving P-waves from an earthquake (which travel at about 3.5 miles per second and usually cause little damage) and sending alerts before the slower, destructive S-waves (about 2 miles per second) arrive. The further you are from the epicenter, the more warning time you get.

You can receive ShakeAlert warnings through:

• Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) — automatically sent to cell phones in affected areas for magnitude 5.0+ earthquakes with expected intensity of MMI IV or higher.
• MyShake app (UC Berkeley) — provides alerts for earthquakes expected to cause shaking at your location.

Even a few seconds of warning is enough to Drop, Cover, and Hold On; move away from hazards; stop a vehicle; or halt a medical procedure. The system does not predict earthquakes — it detects them and sends warnings faster than the shaking travels.

ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning

Sources

• FEMA. "Earthquakes — During." Ready.gov. ready.gov/earthquakes
• American Red Cross. "Earthquake Safety: What to Do During." redcross.org earthquake safety
• USGS. "What Should I Do During an Earthquake?" usgs.gov earthquake FAQ
• Earthquake Country Alliance. "Step 5: Drop, Cover, and Hold On." earthquakecountry.org step 5
• Southern California Earthquake Center. "ShakeOut: Drop, Cover, Hold On." shakeout.org/dropcoverholdon
• ShakeAlert. "USGS Earthquake Early Warning." shakealert.org
• FEMA. "Preparedness for People with Disabilities." ready.gov/disability
• Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI). eeri.org