Home ReadySonoma

Earthquake preparedness checklist for Sonoma County

Secure the heavy things, strap the water heater, build a kit and learn three words: drop, cover, hold on.

As of October 17, 2026. This is general information from Ready.gov, Cal OES and Sonoma County Emergency Management. It is not engineering or insurance advice. Rules and advice change, so confirm with your local authority.

The short answer

Do four things: secure heavy items so they cannot fall, strap the water heater, build a supply kit and a plan, and practice drop, cover, hold on. Ready.gov lists all four, plus a note that "a standard homeowner's insurance policy does not cover earthquake damage" (Ready.gov).

Most of it takes a weekend and a few hardware store parts.

Who this applies to

Every Sonoma County household. Earthquakes come with no warning and no season. Our fire and storm guides cover the risks that come with a date on the calendar; this one covers the one that does not.

What to do when the ground shakes

Three steps: drop onto hands and knees, cover your head and neck, hold on until the shaking stops.
  1. Drop where you are onto hands and knees.
  2. Cover your head and neck with one arm and hand. If a sturdy table or desk is nearby, crawl under it.
  3. Hold on until the shaking stops.
Steps from Ready.gov.

In bed, Ready.gov says to turn face down and cover your head and neck with a pillow. In a car, pull over, stop and set the parking brake. Outside, move to an open area away from buildings, trees, streetlights and power lines.

The County asks neighbors to practice drop, cover and hold on together (County of Sonoma). Try it once with your household this week.

Secure the heavy things

Side view of a room with a bookcase, heavy items on low shelves, a wall-mounted TV, a refrigerator and a strapped water heater, each with a numbered marker.
  1. Bookcase: secure it to the wall.
  2. Heavy or breakable objects: store them on low shelves.
  3. TV: secure it.
  4. Refrigerator: secure it.
  5. Water heater: strap it to the wall.
Not to scale. Items from Ready.gov and Cal OES.

Ready.gov names bookcases, refrigerators, water heaters and TVs, and says to store heavy or breakable objects on low shelves. Sonoma County says to secure heavy items to the wall so they do not come down.

Water heater

Cal OES says that strapping a water heater and fitting it with a flexible gas supply line reduces the risk of fire or explosion from a gas leak after an earthquake. If yours has no flexible gas line, Cal OES says to contact a licensed plumber to install one (Cal OES instructions, copy hosted by CERT-LA).

The Cal OES sheet walks through a strap kit made from plumber's tape and conduit, screwed into wall studs with lag screws. Many people buy a ready-made kit instead. Follow the instructions that come with it, and have a licensed professional do any gas work.

We are not a licensed contractor. Gas line work needs a licensed plumber that you hire directly.

Build a kit and a plan

Ready.gov says to make a family communications plan with an out-of-state contact and a meeting place, and to keep several days of food and water, a flashlight, a fire extinguisher and a whistle. The County recommends a shelter-in-place kit so you can stay home and off the roads after a major earthquake.

Our power outage checklist covers a home kit, and our go bag checklist covers the grab-and-go bag. One set of supplies serves both.

Do this week

  1. Walk each room and look for anything tall or heavy that could fall on a bed, a couch or a doorway.
  2. Move heavy and breakable items to low shelves.
  3. Secure bookcases, the TV and the refrigerator to the wall with hardware sold for the purpose.
  4. Check the water heater. If it is not strapped to wall studs, strap it. Ask a licensed plumber about a flexible gas line.
  5. Sign up for alerts. The County uses SoCoAlert and Nixle for life safety notifications. Ready.gov also says to sign up for earthquake alerts. Our resources list has links.
  6. Pick a meeting place and an out-of-state contact, and write both down.
  7. Ask your insurer whether earthquake coverage is part of your policy. Ready.gov says a standard homeowner's policy does not cover it.

After the shaking

Ready.gov says to expect aftershocks and be ready to drop, cover and hold on again. Go outside and away from a damaged building, and do not enter damaged buildings. Watch for leaking gas and water lines and downed power lines. Text rather than call, since texts may be more reliable. In a medical emergency, call 9-1-1.

Where this fits

Fire, storms and earthquakes each ask for a different kind of readiness, and a lot of the prep overlaps. See the winter storm checklist for the rainy season. Back to Home Ready Sonoma.

Sources