Earthquake: Before, During, After

most UK homes aren't at significant earthquake risk. the country sits well away from any major plate boundary. but the UK does shake, 200 to 300 times a year, and knowing what to do costs nothing. most of the kit below you already own.

the British Geological Survey monitors seismic activity across the UK and records between 200 and 300 earthquakes a year. most are below magnitude 2.0, imperceptible without instruments. a small number are felt. fewer still cause any damage.

the UK isn't on a major tectonic plate boundary, which is why it isn't Japan or California. it does, however, have ancient fault systems (in Wales, the Scottish Highlands, the Midlands, and the North Sea) that produce occasional significant tremors. the largest in historical record was the 1931 Dogger Bank earthquake (M6.1), felt across much of England and into Scandinavia. it remains the benchmark for what UK seismicity looks like at its most extreme.

magnitude (the Richter scale) measures energy released at the source. intensity (Modified Mercalli) measures what people on the ground actually experience. for preparedness, intensity is what matters.

the scale runs from I (imperceptible, detected only by instruments) through IV (felt indoors, sensation like a heavy lorry passing, where most UK earthquakes land) to VII (slight structural damage to well-built buildings, considerable damage to older masonry, approximately where the 2008 Market Rasen earthquake fell in some areas). Levels X through XII represent near-total destruction. they are not relevant to UK risk.

modern UK construction (cavity wall, timber floors) handles seismic forces reasonably well. risk concentrates in specific places: unreinforced brick chimneys (which can topple at relatively low intensity), older stone or unreinforced masonry buildings, and structures already compromised by subsidence or damp. liquefaction, where saturated, loosely packed soil temporarily behaves like liquid, is possible near rivers or on reclaimed land.

the single most common injury in UK-scale earthquakes is not structural collapse. it's falling objects, broken glass, and people running outside during the shaking.

Drop-Cover-Hold On is the internationally recommended response during an earthquake. it replaced older guidance (stand in a doorway; run outside) that evidence showed produced more injuries, not fewer.

drop to your hands and knees. get under a sturdy table or desk if one is within reach; it protects you from falling objects and debris. grip it and hold on. if there's no table, get against an interior wall and cover your head and neck with both arms. stay there until shaking stops. most earthquakes last under 60 seconds.

doorways are no longer recommended. they offer no structural advantage in modern buildings and leave you exposed to swinging doors and debris. the table, or the floor with your arms over your head, is the correct position.

the techniques in this course take an hour to absorb and cost nothing to practise. the kit additions are under £50. the five stages below cover everything from understanding the basics to being genuinely prepared.