Guidance on Developing Messages for Protective Actions to Take During Earthquake Shaking

What people should do during earthquake shaking, to protect themselves from injury or death? It depends. This evidence-based guidance describes the process to use and the key considerations for creating effective messages for different contexts.  

Protective Actions Implementation Workbook

Tools in this workbook can be used to implement a messaging program about what to do during earthquake shaking, as described in the guidance above. Worksheets and a survey tool support an approach that teaches safest choices given the local risk, building types, and other factors.

Protective Actions Implementation Workbook (editable forms only)

These forms are editable in Microsoft Word and accompany the Protective Actions Implementation Workbook.

Background Papers and Supplementary Technical Information: Guidance on Developing Messages for Protective Actions to Take During Earthquake Shaking

• Epidemiology of Deaths and Earthquake Injuries

• Protective Action in Immediate Fuse Events:a Literature Review

• Designing Risk Communication Programs to Promote Adaptive Human Behavior During Earthquakes and Tsunamis

• On the Nature of Strong Ground Motions during Damaging Earthquakes

• Understanding and Mitigating Building Collapses​

• Public perceptions of protective action, survey in three countries

• Summary of discussions with an international group of disaster messaging professionals

Made in Bhutan: The Earthquake Desk

Industrial designer Ido Bruno's journal as he trained a team of manufacturers in Bhutan to produce Earthquake Desks. "Collaboration at its best." Unlike standard school desks, Earthquake Desks can protect schoolchildren when heavy debris falls during an earthquake.

Non-structural Risk Reduction Handbook for Schools

This guide explains how to prepare schools in advance of an earthquake, so that students are better protected. During severe earthquake shaking, heavy items and building elements can dislodge and fall, causing injury or death, and trapping people inside.  

A Safer Tomorrow? Effects of a Magnitude 7 Earthquake on Aizawl, Mizoram and Recommendations to Reduce Losses

This scenario presents forseeable damage from a realistic-but-hypothetical moderate earthquake in Aizawl, capital of Mizoram state, India. It describes specific actions, taken now, that can reduce harm to people, damage to buildings and infrastructure, and triggered landslides. 

Reducing Earthquake Risk in Hospitals

Reducing Earthquake Risk in Hospitals from Equipment, Contents, Architectural Elements and Building Utility Systems. This manual shows how to reduce damage that can cause deaths, injuries, and loss of building function, even if the building structure was sound.

Conceptual Seismic Design Guidance for New Framed Infill Buildings

This manual for engineers explains how the building type known as concrete-frames-with-masonry-infill-walls can be designed and built for greater seismic safety. Common in low- and middle-income countries, these buildings are likely to collapse during shaking. Five affordable strategies are presented.

Tsunami Preparedness Guidebook

This guidebook helps non-experts learn about tsunamis so that they can educate their communities and prepare for tsunamis. It compiles the best available earth science, social science, and emergency preparedness information for use around the world.

Risk Assessment Tools for Diagnosis of Urban Areas against Seismic Disasters (RADIUS)

This document includes practical tools for seismic risk management that could be applied to any earthquake-prone city in the world. It details earthquake damage scenarios and action plans in nine case-study cities: Latin America (Antofagasta, Guayaquil, Tijuana); Asia (Bandung, Tashkent, Zigong); and Case Studies in Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Europe (Addis Ababa, lzmir and Skopje).

RADIUS Project of Guayaquil, Ecuador

This case study of Guayaquil, Ecuador evaluates the city's seismic risk based on a probabilistic study, and presents a scenario if a hypothetical but likely earthquake were to occur today. It highlights vulnerabilities that put people in danger and details likely damage to buildings, utilities and infrastructure. The report  includes an Action Plan to reduce these risks. Guayaquil is one of nine case study cities in the RADIUS project (Risk Assessment tools for Diagonosis of Urban Areas against Seismic Disasters).

RADIUS Project of Tijuana, Mexico

This case study of Tijuana, Mexico evaluates the city's seismic risk based on a probabilistic study, and presents a scenario if a hypothetical but likely earthquake were to occur today. It highlights vulnerabilities that put people in danger and details likely damage to buildings, utilities and infrastructure. The report  includes an Action Plan to reduce these risks. Tijuana is one of nine case study cities in the RADIUS project (Risk Assessment tools for Diagonosis of Urban Areas against Seismic Disasters).

RADIUS Project of Antofagasta, Chile

This case study of Antofagasta, Chile evaluates the city's seismic risk based on a probabilistic study, and presents a scenario if a hypothetical but likely earthquake were to occur today. It highlights vulnerabilities that put people in danger and details likely damage to buildings, utilities and infrastructure. The report  includes an Action Plan to reduce these risks. Antofagasta is one of nine case study cities in the RADIUS project (Risk Assessment tools for Diagonosis of Urban Areas against Seismic Disasters).

School Earthquake and Tsunami Safety in APEC Economies

A comprehensive school safety program that outlines how to keep students out of harm’s way who live in earthquake, tsunami, and volcano zones in the APEC countries.

Seismic Vulnerability Assessment, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital, Bhutan

Recommendations to improve earthquake preparedness at Bhutan’s main hospital. Few hospitals in the world face this type of threat: high earthquake hazard combined with geographic isolation. The combination will hinder the hospital’s post-earthquake relief and resupply.

Seismic Vulnerability Assessment of Trashigang Hospital, Bhutan

Recommendations to reduce earthquake vulnerability for the sole hospital in eastern Bhutan’s most populous districts. In the event of an earthquake, access to other districts will be blocked by numerous landslides, so the hospital must be prepared to function in isolation.

Seismic Vulnerability Assessment of Trashiyangtse Hospital, Bhutan

Recommendations to reduce earthquake vulnerability at the sole hospital in one of Bhutan’s most remote districts. A major earthquake will trigger landslides that will block access to other regions for some time, so the hospital must prepare to provide essential care in isolation.

Bir Hospital Assessment Report

A seismic assessment of Bir Hospital, a tertiary referral and teaching hospital run by the National Academy of Medical Sciences. It offers numerous medical specialties, serves as a center for disaster response, and provides care for Kathmandu’s poor. Bir's disaster preparedness is high priority due to the large number of people it serves.

Kanti Children’s Hospital Assessment Report

A seismic assessment of Kanti Children’s Hospital, which is the only tertiary referral hospital for children in the Kathmandu Valley. It caters to children up to the age of eighteen. Almost half of the patients are reported to be from outside the Kathmandu Valley, with families travelling from far and remote areas to access care for their children. The hospital's disaster preparedness is a high priority.

Paropakar Maternity and Women’s Hospital Assessment Report

A seismic assessment of Paropakar Maternity and Women’s Hospital, popularly known as Prasuti Griha, which is a tertiary central hospital. Kathmandu’s main specialty centre for women’s health, it provides essential care for women and newborn babies. The hospital's disaster preparedness is a high priority.

Numerous earthquake vulnerabilities endanger the Tibetan community’s efforts to preserve its cultural heritage in Dharmsala. GHI analyzed the seismic safety and recommended safety improvements to protect the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives (LTWA) campus and other structures of importance in the Upper Dharamsala area..

Preventing Another Haitian Crisis: Prevention and Mitigation as Aid

This publication is the transcript of a talk given by Dr. Brian E. Tucker to the World Affairs Council in San Francisco, California, on February 2, 2010.

The Global Earthquake Safety Initiative (GESI) tested a model to estimate community earthquake safety and the potential lethality of earthquakes; the model was tested on 21 cities around the world. Disproportionately high urban earthquake risk in developing countries persists due to lack of awareness about the risk and about affordable means to manage it. In response, the model alerts threatened cities and helps evaluate which measures will have the most impact on saving lives, with special attention to strengthening schools.

Quito has significant earthquake risk and has experienced several strong intensity earthquakes over the last 250 years. The risk has increased with population growth, poorly constructed buildings, and high risk developments. This report describes effects of future earthquakes on Quito and prioritizes recommendations for managing the risk.

This document details strategies for urban earthquake risk management for the Central Asian Republics: Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan.

Download the document - Russian version

In 1997, GeoHazards International convened more than eighty government and non-government institutions to develop an earthquake mitigation Action Plan, which was released and endorsed by the Prime Minister of Nepal on Earthquake Safety Day in January 1999.

The Global Earthquake Model (GEM) Foundation is now at a point in its organizational history when it is ready to begin developing tools and resources for individuals who are not earthquake risk assessment experts. The research project described in this report comprised a study of earthquake risk reduction activities, needs, and barriers. It was designed to learn about the needs of these individuals worldwide, in order to provide information that could help to guide GEM’s future tool and resource development.

Executive summary

This report describes possible impacts of a potential earthquake to impact Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. The description is intended for use in planning and preparedness exercises and in raising awareness of Kathmandu Valley’s earthquake risk.

The National Capital Region of India, which consists of Delhi and surrounding smaller cities including the booming commercial center of Gurgaon, is located in India’s second highest zone of seismic hazard. GHI has been partnering with Bechtel India to reduce school earthquake risks and to educate students, faculty, and parents about earthquake preparedness.

Teacher Sensitization: Instructor Guide 

Volunteer Training: Instructor Guide

Volunteer Training: Student Guide

This document comprises a description of the Quito, Ecuador school earthquake safety project. High risk schools are prioritized and solutions presented to strengthen them.

Download the document (in spanish)