/ first_moves
Do these first
/ failure_mode
How this plan fails
Do not run outside during shaking unless you are already in a place where staying is clearly more dangerous. Falling glass, facade pieces, and debris are common outside hazards.
/ avoid
Do not spend your first mistake here
- Standing in doorways unless that is genuinely the strongest nearby cover.
- Lighting matches or flames if you smell gas.
Earthquake response has two phases. During shaking, do not solve the building. Protect the body. Drop, cover, and hold on.
When shaking stops, the plan becomes hazard scanning. Put on shoes before moving. Check bleeding, breathing, and trapped people. Then look for fire, gas smell, broken glass, unstable shelves, damaged stairs, and blocked exits.
Expect aftershocks. Move essential items near an exit while you have a calm minute: shoes, light, radio, water, medications, first aid, documents, and a bag.
The mistake is treating the earthquake as over when the shaking stops.