How to Check for Recent Earthquakes Near You

When you feel shaking or hear that an earthquake happened nearby, the fastest way to get accurate information is the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program map. It is free, updated within one to five minutes of detection, and shows every earthquake of magnitude 1.0 or greater across the United States and worldwide.

Here is how to use it:

1. Go to earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/ in any browser.
2. The map defaults to showing earthquakes from the past 24 hours at magnitude 2.5 and above. Click the Settings gear icon to filter by distance from your location or a custom zip code.
3. Click any dot on the map for details: magnitude, depth, time in UTC and local time, and the nearest named city.
4. Use the List view at the top left to see events sorted by time or magnitude if you prefer a table format.

For email alerts, sign up for the free Earthquake Notification Service (ENS) at earthquake.usgs.gov/ens/. You choose the location, the radius, and the minimum magnitude. USGS sends an alert email within minutes of a qualifying event.

The USGS also maintains a Did You Feel It? tool at earthquake.usgs.gov/data/dyfi/ where you can report what you felt and see a shaking intensity map based on thousands of community reports — useful for confirming whether a tremor you felt was real and how widely it was noticed.

Setting Up Earthquake Alerts on Your Phone

Push alerts give you a heads-up before you feel the shaking or notify you the moment a quake occurs near you while you are away from home. Two tools are worth installing:

MyShake (Android and iOS)

Developed by UC Berkeley, MyShake uses your phone's accelerometer alongside a seismic sensor network to detect earthquakes in real time. It provides:

• Earthquake early warning on the US West Coast via the ShakeAlert system — you may get 5 to 30 seconds of notice before strong shaking arrives at your location.
• Push notifications for earthquakes detected near your GPS position.
• A post-event shake report showing estimated shaking intensity at your address.

Download it by searching MyShake in your app store. After installing, enable location permissions and notifications in your phone settings so alerts reach you even when the app is in the background.

Wireless Emergency Alerts Built Into Your Phone

On newer Android and iOS devices, ShakeAlert early-warning alerts are delivered through the government Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) system — the same channel used for tornado and amber alerts. You do not need a special app. Confirm that Emergency Alerts are enabled: on iOS go to Settings, then Notifications, then scroll to Government Alerts; on Android go to Settings, then Safety and Emergency, then Wireless Emergency Alerts.

FEMA App

The free FEMA app provides real-time alerts from the National Weather Service and allows you to set up to five locations to monitor. After a disaster, it shows open shelters and recovery center locations. Search FEMA in your app store.

What to Do During an Earthquake: Drop, Cover, Hold On

The correct action during an earthquake takes about two seconds to initiate and prevents the most common injuries: cuts from broken glass, bruises from falling objects, and fractures from being knocked off your feet.

1. DROP to your hands and knees the moment you feel shaking. This prevents the earthquake from throwing you down and keeps you mobile enough to take cover.
2. COVER under a sturdy table or desk. If there is no table nearby, get against an interior wall away from windows and cover your head and neck with both arms and your hands.
3. HOLD ON to the table leg with one hand and protect your head with the other. If the table moves, move with it. Stay in position until the shaking stops completely — even if it feels like it has stopped, wait a few extra seconds.

If you are outdoors: move away from buildings, streetlights, and utility lines. Once in the open, drop to your knees and cover your head and neck with your arms until shaking stops. Do not try to run indoors while shaking is active.

If you are driving: pull over away from overpasses, bridges, buildings, and power lines. Stay inside with your seatbelt fastened. Once shaking stops, drive carefully and watch for road damage and downed lines.

If you are in bed: stay there. Pull a pillow over your head and neck for protection. The biggest risk in a bedroom during an earthquake is stepping on broken glass after getting up — leaving you barefoot on debris. Keep shoes near your bed at all times if you live in a seismic zone.

Never run outside during active shaking. Research on earthquake injuries consistently shows that people who try to exit buildings during shaking face the highest risk from falling debris and collapsing entry structures.

What to Do Immediately After an Earthquake Stops

When shaking stops, work through the following checks before doing anything else. Do them in order — the sequence matters.

1. Check for injuries. Assess yourself, then others nearby. Provide first aid for cuts or sprains. Do not move anyone who may have a spinal injury unless they are in immediate danger from fire or structural collapse.
2. Check for gas leaks. Sniff for a rotten egg or sulfur smell. If you detect it, or if you hear hissing, do the following immediately: open any nearby window, do not flip any light switch or create any spark, leave the building, and call your gas utility's emergency line from outside on your mobile phone. Do not re-enter until the utility company clears the building.
3. Check for fires. Look for small fires or smoldering material. A kitchen fire extinguisher can handle a small blaze. Call 911 for anything larger or spreading.
4. Inspect your structure. Walk the perimeter inside and outside. Look for diagonal cracks running from the corners of windows or door frames — these indicate structural stress. Check the foundation for cracks wider than a quarter inch. If you see major structural damage or the building appears to lean, leave and do not re-enter.
5. Check utilities. If water from the tap is discolored or not flowing, your pipes may be broken. Shut the main water valve. Avoid using the toilet until you confirm sewer lines are intact — a backed-up sewer can be a serious health hazard. Use battery-powered flashlights only if power is out.
6. Avoid elevators. Use stairs exclusively. Elevator shafts may be misaligned or structurally compromised even if the car appears functional.

Tune to a local emergency broadcast radio station or the FEMA app for official updates on road closures, gas main breaks, shelter locations, and re-entry guidance for your neighborhood.

How to Prepare Your Home for Earthquakes Before One Hits

Most earthquake injuries in residential settings are preventable with a few hours of preparation and modest hardware store purchases. Here is a practical checklist organized by task.

Secure Furniture and Appliances

• Water heater: Purchase a water heater earthquake strap kit ($15 to $30 at any hardware store). Install two straps — one at the upper third of the tank and one at the lower third — bolted into wall studs, not just drywall. This prevents the tank from tipping and rupturing the gas line.
• Bookshelves and wardrobes: Use L-brackets or furniture anti-tip straps (often marketed as child safety straps) to anchor the top of each piece to a wall stud. A six-foot bookshelf can fall with enough force to be fatal.
• Refrigerator: Use a bungee appliance strap across the front to keep the door from swinging open and food from becoming a projectile.
• Heavy artwork and mirrors: Hang with closed-loop picture hooks rated for the weight. Use museum putty under small valuables and decorative items on shelves.

Rearrange Your Storage

Move the heaviest items to the lowest shelves. Store breakables — glass, ceramics, heavy cookbooks — in low, closed cabinets rather than open upper shelves. Keep a pair of shoes under or beside your bed so you can put them on before walking on broken glass after a quake.

Know Your Utility Shutoffs

Locate your gas shutoff valve — typically at the gas meter on the exterior of your home. Keep an adjustable wrench or a dedicated gas shutoff tool on a hook within arm's reach of the meter. Know where your main water shutoff is (usually near the water meter or where the main line enters the house) and where your electrical panel is. Practice operating each shutoff so the procedure is familiar when you need it under stress.

Assemble a 72-Hour Emergency Kit

FEMA recommends preparing for at least 72 hours of self-sufficiency, since emergency services may be overwhelmed after a significant quake. Pack:

• One gallon of water per person per day (three-day minimum; five days is better)
• Non-perishable food for three days: canned goods with pull tabs, protein bars, dried fruit, peanut butter
• Battery-powered or hand-crank AM/FM radio
• Flashlight and extra batteries or a hand-crank model
• First-aid kit including any prescription medications (rotating stock every 12 months)
• Whistle to signal for help if trapped
• N95 or P100 dust masks for debris and concrete dust
• Wrench or multi-tool for utility shutoffs
• Manual can opener
• Paper maps of your local area in case cell service fails
• Copies of critical documents in a waterproof zip bag: photo IDs, insurance policy numbers, a list of medications and dosages, bank account information, and an out-of-state emergency contact

Understanding Earthquake Magnitude: What the Numbers Mean

Earthquake magnitude is measured on the moment magnitude scale (Mw), which replaced the older Richter scale in scientific use. It is logarithmic: each whole number step represents about 32 times more energy released than the step below it. A magnitude 6.0 releases roughly 32 times the energy of a magnitude 5.0 and about 1,000 times the energy of a magnitude 4.0.

Practical reference for what you will experience:

• Below 2.5: Rarely felt by people. Detected only by seismographs.
• 2.5 to 3.9: Often felt, especially on upper floors of buildings. No significant damage expected.
• 4.0 to 4.9: Widely felt. Dishes rattle, some windows crack. Minor damage to poorly built structures. Drop, Cover, and Hold On is appropriate.
• 5.0 to 5.9: Noticeable strong shaking. Can cause major damage to unreinforced masonry and poorly built structures, and slight damage to well-built buildings. This is the range where preparedness matters most.
• 6.0 to 6.9: Strong earthquake. Significant damage to a wide area. Most earthquake-related deaths and injuries in developed countries occur in this magnitude range.
• 7.0 and above: Major to great earthquake. Widespread, serious structural damage. Capable of rupturing infrastructure across a large region.

Depth also matters significantly. A magnitude 5.5 at 5 km depth produces far stronger surface shaking than the same magnitude at 50 km depth, because the energy has less distance to travel and dissipate. Shallow quakes (under 20 km) are generally the most destructive for a given magnitude.

Aftershocks: What to Expect and How to Stay Safe

After a significant earthquake, expect aftershocks — smaller earthquakes along the same fault or nearby faults as stress redistributes. Aftershocks are a normal and expected part of every earthquake sequence, and knowing what to expect reduces panic.

How large are aftershocks? The largest aftershock in a sequence is typically about one full magnitude unit smaller than the main event. After a magnitude 6.5 main shock, expect aftershocks around magnitude 5.5 — still strong enough to cause injury and additional structural damage to a building already weakened by the main quake.

How long do they last? Aftershock frequency follows the Omori-Utsu law: it decreases roughly in proportion to 1 over elapsed time. Most aftershocks happen in the first hours and days, dropping off rapidly in the following weeks. However, individual large aftershocks can occur unpredictably weeks or even months after the main event.

Safety rules during aftershock sequences:

• If you evacuated a damaged building after the main quake, do not re-enter to retrieve belongings until the building is inspected by a structural engineer or cleared by local authorities. Aftershocks routinely collapse structures that were weakened but still standing after the main event.
• During each aftershock, respond exactly as you would to the main quake: Drop, Cover, and Hold On.
• If you are in an undamaged building when an aftershock hits, stay inside — running out during active shaking is more dangerous than sheltering in place.
• If you are outdoors in an open area, stay there and drop to your knees to protect yourself from being knocked over.

Register with your local emergency management office or city's disaster check-in system if one exists so that rescue teams know your status without dispatching personnel to your address. Many cities and counties have web-based or SMS-based systems activated after a major earthquake — check your city's emergency management website in advance so you know how to use it when the time comes.