When the Shaking Begins

Any person living for a period of a few years or more in the Aleutians or in southern or central Alaska is likely to experience a strong, possibly damaging, earthquake. One's chances of getting hurt in a strong earthquake really are fairly small, but the chances can be made even smaller by taking the right actions.

Above all, stay calm. If inside, stay inside, or if outside, stay outside; entering or leaving a building can be dangerous, especially one of masonry with attached exterior objects that might fall during the shaking.

The safest places to stand indoors usually are near interior walls or within interior doorways. Office desks or other heavy pieces of furniture give good protection if one can get under them. Stay away from windows and outside doors.

If outdoors, avoid overhead electrical wires or objects that might fall. If driving a car, stop the car and remain inside until the shaking ceases.

Collapsing dams, sloshing of water in lakes and tsunamis can be deadly. It can pay to be alert to these possibilities if one is near the water when an earthquake occurs. In many instances, there will be time enough to reach a safer location.