Is the triangle of life a real technique?

No. It has been repeatedly rejected by emergency management and seismic safety organisations, which continue to recommend drop, cover and hold on. The claim circulates widely online despite consistent rebuttal from the agencies that study earthquake injuries.

What if you are in bed when it starts?

Stay there, turn face down and cover your head and neck with a pillow. Getting out of bed in the dark during shaking risks injury from broken glass and falling objects, and the bed itself provides a known surface. Move only if something heavy hangs directly above you.

What should you do if driving?

Pull over as soon as it is safe, away from bridges, overpasses, power lines and buildings, and stay in the vehicle with the seatbelt on until shaking stops. Then proceed cautiously, avoiding roads and structures that may have been damaged.

How long do aftershocks continue?

They can continue for days, weeks or longer, generally decreasing in frequency and magnitude but with occasional larger events. Treat every aftershock as a fresh earthquake and repeat drop, cover and hold on rather than assuming the sequence is over.

Outlast Blog

What Should You Do During an Earthquake?

Updated June 17, 2026 · 6 min read · The Outlast Team

TL;DR. Drop, cover and hold on. Get to the floor, take cover under sturdy furniture or against an interior wall away from windows, and hold on until shaking stops. Do not run outside during shaking, and do not stand in a doorway; both are widely repeated and both are wrong.

Earthquake advice is unusual in that the most commonly known guidance is obsolete. The doorway myth comes from unreinforced adobe buildings where the frame was the strongest element, which does not describe modern construction. Repeating it puts people beside a heavy swinging door instead of under cover.

What does drop, cover and hold on mean?

Drop to your hands and knees before the shaking knocks you down. Cover your head and neck, ideally under a sturdy table, or against an interior wall away from windows if no furniture is available. Hold on to your shelter and move with it until shaking stops.

The sequence targets the actual hazard, which is falling objects rather than building collapse in most modern construction. Head and neck protection is the priority because that is what injures people in the overwhelming majority of earthquakes.

Why should you not run outside?

Moving during shaking is how people fall and are injured, and the area immediately outside a building is where facade material, glass and roof tiles land. Most injuries occur from being struck by falling objects while trying to move rather than from structural failure.

The exception is if you are already outside, in which case move away from buildings, trees, streetlights and power lines and drop to the ground there. The rule is stay where you are and protect your head, not travel to a better location mid-event.

Outlast app showing offline earthquake safety procedures for during and after shaking — Earthquake guidance is needed in seconds, which is why it belongs offline on the phone.

What do you do once the shaking stops?

Expect aftershocks and be ready to drop, cover and hold on again. Check yourself and others for injuries. Put on sturdy shoes before walking, since broken glass is everywhere. Check for gas smells, and if you smell gas, leave and report it from outside.

Do not turn utilities off reflexively. Guidance is to shut off gas only if you smell it, hear it or see damage, because restoring gas service requires a professional and unnecessary shutoffs leave households without heat or cooking for longer than needed.

Want the procedures available in the seconds after shaking stops? Outlast stores them offline.

How do you prepare a home beforehand?

Secure heavy furniture, bookcases and water heaters to wall studs. Move heavy objects off high shelves and away from beds. Fit latches to cabinets so contents do not empty onto the floor. Know where your gas shutoff is and keep a wrench beside it.

The bed point is worth stressing because a substantial share of earthquakes occur at night. Anything above a bed that could fall on a sleeping person, including mirrors and framed pictures, should be relocated or securely fixed.

Key takeaways

Drop, cover and hold on; protect head and neck as the first priority.
The doorway advice is obsolete and applies to construction types no longer common.
Do not move outside during shaking; falling facade material is the main hazard there.
Put on sturdy shoes before walking afterwards, and expect aftershocks.
Shut off gas only if you smell, hear or see evidence of a leak.

Frequently asked questions

Is the triangle of life a real technique?: No. It has been repeatedly rejected by emergency management and seismic safety organisations, which continue to recommend drop, cover and hold on. The claim circulates widely online despite consistent rebuttal from the agencies that study earthquake injuries.
What if you are in bed when it starts?: Stay there, turn face down and cover your head and neck with a pillow. Getting out of bed in the dark during shaking risks injury from broken glass and falling objects, and the bed itself provides a known surface. Move only if something heavy hangs directly above you.
What should you do if driving?: Pull over as soon as it is safe, away from bridges, overpasses, power lines and buildings, and stay in the vehicle with the seatbelt on until shaking stops. Then proceed cautiously, avoiding roads and structures that may have been damaged.
How long do aftershocks continue?: They can continue for days, weeks or longer, generally decreasing in frequency and magnitude but with occasional larger events. Treat every aftershock as a fresh earthquake and repeat drop, cover and hold on rather than assuming the sequence is over.

The Outlast Team
Household Emergency Preparedness, BigBalli. We follow Ready.gov, FEMA, CDC and Red Cross guidance and keep it usable offline. General preparedness information, not emergency advice for a live incident.