Before a quake: secure your home

Most injuries in California earthquakes come from falling objects, not collapsing buildings. This section walks through the DIY jobs that make a house safer, and it flags retrofit and mobile-home work that needs a permit or a pro.

You do not need to be a contractor to make the house a lot safer, but a construction background helps you do the simple jobs correctly: hit real studs, use the right anchors, and know when a job has crossed into permit territory. Earthquake Country Alliance calls this "secure your space," and it is the first of their Seven Steps to Earthquake Safety because it prevents so many injuries. For finding studs and picking anchors, see How to hang something heavy without it falling off the wall.

Start with what is free

• Move heavy or breakable items to low shelves.
• Move bookcases, TVs, and other things that can fall away from beds, couches, cribs, and places where people spend a lot of time.
• Keep heavy or unstable objects away from doors and exit routes so a fallen dresser cannot block the way out.
• Hang heavy pictures and mirrors on closed hooks, and not over beds.

Strap the water heater

What you need

• A water-heater seismic strap kit with two heavy-gauge metal straps (not thin plumber's tape) — for example, the HoldRite QuickStrap QS-50 Water Heater Strap Kit
• A stud finder, tape measure, level, and drill
• The lag screws or bolts that come with the kit; 1/4-inch expansion bolts if you are anchoring into concrete
• Wood blocking if the tank sits more than about 2 inches from the wall

Steps

1. Check the pipe connections first

   Look at the gas and water lines. They should have flexible connectors so a little movement does not snap a rigid pipe. If the connections are rigid, stop and have a licensed plumber install flexible connectors before or while you strap the tank.

2. Bring the tank close to the wall

   Earthquake Country Alliance says the tank should be within 2 inches of the wall so it cannot tip backward. If there is a larger gap, add wood blocking, screwed into the vertical studs behind the heater.

3. Find the studs

   Use a stud finder and mark the studs. Straps have to land in solid wood (or in concrete with the right bolts), not just in drywall.

4. Install two metal straps

   Use the kit's upper and lower straps, generally around the upper and lower third of the tank. Wrap each strap from the wall, around the front of the tank, and back to the wall, then screw both ends into studs or into the wood block, following the kit instructions.

5. If the wall is concrete, use the right anchors

   Earthquake Country Alliance calls for 1/4-inch expansion bolts when you are securing into concrete. Do not use drywall anchors on a water heater.

Anchor furniture and TVs

What you need

• Furniture and TV anti-tip strap kits (nylon straps with screws and adhesive or buckle ends) — for example, Safety 1st TV & Furniture Safety Straps
• A stud finder and a screwdriver or drill
• A TV wall-mount kit, if you choose to mount the TV on the wall
• Museum putty or earthquake wax for small objects on shelves

Steps for tall furniture

1. Place it thoughtfully, then strap it

   If you can, keep bookcases and dressers away from beds and exit paths. Then plan to strap them anyway.

2. Find the studs on both sides

   Earthquake Country Alliance says these kits must be screwed into wall studs. Locate studs near each side of the furniture.

3. Fasten the straps high enough to work

   Screw the wall end of each strap into a stud, hidden behind the furniture if you can. For furniture taller than 6 feet, attach straps to the sides at about two-thirds of the height.

4. Attach the other end to the furniture

   Follow the kit: adhesive pads, Velcro, or buckles. Flexible straps are the point; they let the piece move a little without tipping.

Steps for TVs and other electronics

1. Strap the TV to the furniture, or mount it on the wall

   Option 1: use flexible nylon TV straps. One end goes on the furniture; the other screws into the TV's mount holes or uses the kit's adhesive fasteners. Option 2, often the sturdier choice: a wall-mount kit, installed exactly to the manufacturer's instructions, into studs or the rated anchors the mount requires.

2. Secure the stand too

   If the TV sits on a tall cabinet or media stand, strap that furniture to the wall as well. A secure TV on a tippy stand is still a hazard.

3. Do the same for computers and heavy electronics

   Use safety straps or grip fasteners so monitors and heavy equipment cannot slide off a desk.

Add cabinet latches

What you need

• Cabinet latches that close automatically, such as push latches, child-proof latches, or seismic latches
• A screwdriver, and rubbing alcohol to clean surfaces if you are using adhesive-mount latches

Steps

1. Start with upper kitchen cabinets

   Those doors are the ones most likely to swing open over your head and over the floor you will walk on in the dark.

2. Pick a latch people will actually use

   Earthquake Country Alliance notes that hook-and-eye or standard surface latches only work if you remember to close them every time. Push latches, many child-proof latches, and seismic latches close themselves and are a better everyday habit.

3. Install them to the package directions

   Clean the surface before using adhesive. For screw-mounted hardware, keep screws short enough that they do not punch through the cabinet face in an ugly or weak way.

4. Move the heavy stuff down

   Latches help, but a stack of dinner plates is still safer on a lower shelf.

Know the gas shutoff

Earthquake Country Alliance notes that about one in four fires after an earthquake is related to a natural gas leak. Anchored appliances and flexible connectors lower that risk. The other half of the job is knowing how to shut the gas off, and when not to.

What you need

• An emergency gas shutoff wrench that fits your meter valve, often kept in a plastic sleeve or zip-tied to the meter — for example, the On Duty Emergency Gas Shut Off 4-in-1 Tool
• A flashlight, for after-dark checks

Steps

1. Find the meter and the valve now, not after a quake

   The meter is usually outside. The shutoff is typically a valve on the pipe leading into the meter. Make sure you can reach it and that shrubs or storage are not blocking it.

2. Show everyone in the house who is old enough

   Point out the valve, show them the wrench, and explain the only reasons to turn it off. Practice the motion without actually turning the valve.

3. If you need to shut it off, use a quarter turn

   Turn the valve so it sits crosswise, perpendicular to the pipe. That is the off position. Then leave the house if it is not already safe, and stay out until the utility says it is clear.

4. Leave it off after that

   Do not turn it back on yourself. Restoration should include an inspection of the system. After a major quake, that can take time.

Retrofits, mobile homes, and when to call a pro

If you have a construction background, these jobs can look familiar: plywood shear walls in a crawl space, anchor bolts or foundation plates, and hardware into sill plates. They are still not a casual weekend project. The work has to meet the California Existing Building Code, and a mistake here affects whether the house stays on its foundation.

What these terms mean

• Cripple walls — Short wood walls in the crawl space between the foundation and the floor framing. If they are unbraced, they can lean or collapse and drop the house. Bracing them usually means adding plywood or OSB in a permitted pattern.
• Foundation bolting — Connecting the wood frame of the house to the concrete foundation with anchor bolts or foundation plates so the house is less likely to slide off during shaking. This is common on older raised-foundation homes.
• Soft-story buildings — Buildings with a weak or open first story, often apartments with tuck-under parking. Some California cities have mandatory soft-story retrofit programs. This is engineer, contractor, and permit work, not a homeowner weekend job. Ask your city or county building department whether your building is covered.
• Manufactured and mobile homes — Cal OES notes that mobile homes and other homes not attached to a foundation are at particular risk in an earthquake. In California, the seismic upgrade is an Earthquake Resistant Bracing System (ERBS) certified by the Department of Housing and Community Development, not ordinary wind tie-downs. A permit is required before installation, the system has to be installed to the certified manufacturer's instructions, and the work may be done only by the registered owner or a California-licensed contractor.

The California Residential Mitigation Program, a partnership that includes the California Earthquake Authority and Cal OES, runs Earthquake Brace + Bolt (EBB). It is for wood-framed, pre-1980 homes with a raised foundation, and eligibility is offered by ZIP Code in participating high-hazard areas. A typical EBB retrofit bolts the house to the foundation and, if there are cripple walls, braces those walls. The program has also required the water heater to be properly strapped. When registration is open, qualifying homeowners can apply for a grant; the program has offered up to $3,000, with additional help for income-eligible households. Amounts, ZIP Code eligibility, and income limits change, so check the official site rather than relying on a number you remember.

Steps if you think your house needs a retrofit

1. Look under the house, or have someone who can

   A raised foundation with a crawl space, especially on an older wood-framed home, is the usual candidate for brace-and-bolt work. A house on a slab is a different problem.

2. Check Earthquake Brace + Bolt eligibility

   Start at crmp.org. See whether registration is open, whether your ZIP Code and house type qualify, and what the current grant amounts are.

3. Get a qualified contractor or go the official owner-builder route

   Most homeowners hire a contractor from the EBB directory. Those contractors are California-licensed and trained in this retrofit. Experienced owner-builders can do the work, but you become the general contractor, you need a permit, the work must follow the code, and your own labor is not reimbursable.

4. Pull the permit and follow the approved plan

   Do not invent a plywood layout or bolt pattern from memory. Use an approved plan set that complies with California Existing Building Code Chapter A3, or an engineer's design when the house does not fit the standard.