Updates & Announcements

New! Earthquake Mitigation Planning Guide for Communities

Cover of Earthquake Mitigation Planning Guide for Communities with photo of a road deeply cracked and offset as a result of an earthquake.

Despite their relative infrequency, earthquakes cause major damage and loss of life when they do strike. 

Studies show that hazard mitigation planning and taking action to reduce risk can greatly reduce the physical, financial, and emotional losses caused by disasters like earthquakes. On average, earthquake hazard mitigation saves at least $3 for each $1 spent.

With FEMA’s new Earthquake Mitigation Planning Guide for Communities, you can plan for and create strategies to reduce earthquake risks. 

The new guide can help you:

  • Understand earthquake hazards. – Learn about seismic risks and cascading hazards.
  • Prioritize assets. – Focus on what matters the most to your community.
  • Strategize and fund. – Create strategies for mitigation and funding to go from planning to action.

Next Steps After ShakeOut

Insure Against Earthquakes graphic: parents and two small children play on the floor in front of a couch; 3 message bubbles appear on the right of the scene

International ShakeOut Day was October 17 — over 58.2 million participants registered to take part. 

Participating in the ShakeOut Earthquake Drill is an excellent step toward building greater resilience. Keep up the momentum by sharing preparedness information with your network and encouraging everyone to take at least one more resilience-building action this month, such as doing a home hazard hunt, securing their space, developing a business continuity plan, organizing disaster kits, and asking an insurance agent about their earthquake insurance options.

For ideas and information, check out: