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When things start to fall; how to reinforce your house against potential earthquakes

by Samantha Simpson Hi there, This is Samantha, A professional writer

Earthquakes can strike without much warning. Recently, seismographic data has made it easier to predict earthquakes and to warn people about potentially strong earthquakes.  This kind of data allows people to ensure that they have made the necessary precautions to protect themselves and their property from any sort of earthquake related damage.

Recently, buildings are being made according to new technologies that provide earthquake relief. There is a complete branch of earthquake engineering that keeps potential earthquakes in mind while building buildings, structures, and homes. To protect your own home from earthquake damage, here are a few measures you can take.

Fasten Your House

Add steel bolts and plates to anchor your home to its foundation. Check if your home is bolted or not by crawling into the crawl space or basement, and check if there are bolts or plates along the wall that tie the sill to the foundation. If they are not present, you can hire a professional to install them.

Protect the Cripple Wall

The cripple wall is the short wall between your foundation and the first-floor layer. You can cover it with sheathing or protective casing in order to strengthen your foundation against earthquakes.

 Repair Faulty Wiring

Inspect the electricity and gas lines in your home. Check if any of the wires have their outer edges worn out, or if they are in need of replacement. If so, seek adequate professional help to fix the broken or leaky connections. Try to get some flexible pipe fittings for gas and water connections. These fittings won’t break easily in case there is an earthquake. An easy way to counter faulty wiring is to use wireless tech more often. For home security options, Vivint security can be quite effective, given their wide array of wireless features.

 Bolting the Appliances

If there are any heavy duty appliances in your home, make sure you secure them to the floor and the wall. This includes a fridges, stoves, gas heaters, and dishwashers. This decreases the risk of them sliding off the wall and hurting someone in case there are earthquake shocks. This also protects the equipment from damage and breakage.

 Gas Valve

Talk to your gas company about installing an automatic shutoff valve on your gas or central heating equipment. This will allow the gas connection to shut off on its own if it detects any strong vibrations in the ground. In case tragedy does happens, your gas connection won’t start leaking, meaning further hazards can be avoided.

 Lighting Fixtures

If there are any overhead lights or fans in your home, make sure they are secured to the permanent structure of your home. This will ensure that these heavy fixtures do not fall and hurt someone.

 Smart Storage

Store objects around the home so that the inhabitants are safe in case there is a natural disaster. If there are heavy things, place them on the lower shelf so they don’t fall down or break. The same goes for breakable china and glass. Store them in shelves and cupboards that can be bolted shut.

  Earthquake Plan

Even after you’ve taken all the necessary precautions, you cannot completely ensure that you or your family won’t be at risk next time an earthquake happens. In order to account for such situations, agree upon an effective plan. The plan should decide a safe place to meet in case some of the family members are outside of the house when an earthquake happens. A good idea is to also invest in a security system that can lock the house once you evacuate, that way you can prevent any break-ins or intrusions before you and your family have come back.

Following these important measures will most definitely prepare your house to survive through an earthquake, as well as keeping your family members safe from any harm in case of such a horrible occurrence!


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About Samantha Simpson Innovator   Hi there, This is Samantha, A professional writer

31 connections, 0 recommendations, 76 honor points.
Joined APSense since, February 28th, 2018, From Brampton, Canada.

Created on Mar 2nd 2018 04:00. Viewed 511 times.

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