The 5 Earthquake Safety Tips to Protect Your Home & Family

25 Nov The 5 Earthquake Safety Tips to Protect Your Home & Family

California hosts a sleeping giant, the San Andreas Fault, who is responsible for most of the biggest earthquakes in California, one of which has been long expected and who is said, could wipe out all California.

The San Andreas Fault is formed by the narrow breaks and fractures between the North America and Pacific plates, and the coalition between these many fractures are what cause all seismic activity in the region.

It is important to notice that although in California we have a rate of over 22 earthquakes happening daily along the State, only 17% of homeowners have earthquake insurance.

At Stone Creek Insurance, we believe it is fundamental that in these kinds of situations, we make everything in our hands to keep our client’s properties safe in case of an earthquake of any magnitude.

Here are 5 safety tips that can help you prevent greater damage and losses before and during an earthquake:

1. Get an earthquake insurance: Most home insurances don’t cover earthquake loss, so in many cases a separate earthquake insurance is required to protect your home, building, and belongings.
2. Identify safe places: Review regularly with your family the safe places around your house. Find places where you can drop, cover and hold on and identify at least two emergency exits.
3. Keep a basic kit handy: Having an emergency kit with the basics is important in any situation, your kit should include a flashlight, first-aid kit, whistle, gloves, blankets and food and water supplies for up to 3 days.
4. Have a plan: If you’re at work, at school or away from home, make a plan with your family to reunite at a specific location in the city or neighborhood.
5. After the earthquake: Remain calm, check yourself for injuries, do not move people with severe injuries unless they’re in danger. Continually assess your surroundings and look out for hazards. Take your personal items and emergency supplies and do not re-enter damaged buildings.

The best advice we can give homeowners would be not to fall under the false impression that just because their house survived an earthquake it means it will be safe for upcoming ones, as in California, new faults are discovered every day and no property is safe from earthquake damage. The right thing to do is to ensure your property ahead of time to prevent suffering devastating damages.

At Stone Creek Insurance, our goal is to provide affordable earthquake insurance through state disaster funds such as the California Earthquake Authority (CEA) while saving you money. Give us a call to learn more about our affordable earthquake insurance coverage options.