An earthquake preparedness guide to ensure structural safety and information on actions to be taken before, during or after an earthquake.

Past earthquakes in our country brought home the harsh reality that earthquakes don’t kill people, unsafe buildings do. About 60% of the land area of our country is susceptible to damaging levels of seismic hazard. We can’t avoid future earthquakes, but preparedness and safe building construction practices can certainly reduce the extent of damage and loss. To take necessary action, it is mandatory for every citizen to have elementary knowledge of what is an earthquake, forces acting on structures, remedial measures to be taken for structural safety and knowledge of what to do before, during and after an earthquake. This guide will serve as a reference tool to sensitize citizens about the issues concerning preparedness measures for an earthquake. The guide will take you through the basic aspects that cause structural damage and provide information on steps to be taken to ensure structural safety and information on actions to be taken before, during or after an earthquake. The use of simple visuals makes it easy for the readers to understand the structural and non-structural element of a building and the necessary steps to safeguard it against earthquake.