Set up your meet up.

First, make an emergency plan with your inner circle of friends, relatives, or immediate family. That way, you will each know what to do in an emergency.

What basics does your plan need to include?

  1. Select a few of your nearest and dearest. Who’s the group you’ll want to get in touch with if something happens?

  2. Pick an out of state contact. Who can serve as a hub for information, if you can’t reach others in your local area?

  3. Agree on a place to meet. How about a park? A landmark? Don’t choose a house—in case it’s inaccessible.

Print this.

Use the simple forms in this pdf to make a plan with a few people close to you, so you all know what to do in the event of an emergency. Print a copy for yourself, and email or print copies for the people in your group. Stick your copy on the fridge—or somewhere else you won’t forget.

Emergency plan clipboard

What to do.

Print our Quake Guide to learn a few easy steps to keep your cool when the earth shakes.

1

Drop, cover and hold.

Duck under a strong table or desk. Cover your head and neck with your arms against an interior wall. Stay away from windows.

2

Stay calm.

Keep calm and carry on. Keeping your wits about you will ensure that you make safe choices for yourself and those around you.

3

Stay put.

Shelter in place–whether you’re in a car, in bed, or in a public place. Do not try to run out of the building during strong shaking, hold tight until the shaking stops. If you’re outdoors, steer clear of wires or falling objects.

1

Leave a trail.

If you leave home, leave a sign telling friends and family your location. Digitally savvy? Send a Tweet or Facebook update telling everyone you know that you’re ok.

2

Stay tuned.

Listen to the radio for important information and instructions. Remember that aftershocks, which generally follow large quakes, can be large enough to cause damage in their own right.

3

Check SF72.

In the event of an emergency, this site will go into emergency mode and bring you live updates and tweets from around the city, information on missing persons, and ways you can help.

Imagine this.

SF72 is always thinking about innovative new tools to help San Franciscans plan ahead—including a mobile app that would help you find and communicate with your loved ones in the event of a crisis.
A few features are detailed below. Would you use a tool like this? Interested in collaborating with SF72 to make this real? Send feedback to sf72@sfgov.org.