IMPORTANT changes coming soon to Quaketips e-mail subscriptions; subscribers please read this

MRE shelf life follow-up follow-up: Ever wonder what a 21-year-old MRE tastes like?

Command Strips for picture hanging, 3 years later: A couple of failures to report

Hmm, your plumbing might be out for a while (or, “Quaketips descends into bathroom humor”)

Masks for fires and earthquakes aren't necessarily good for pandemics

The Western United States finally has an earthquake early warning system, but you have to order your own milkshake

Earthquake Safety: What about Hanging Art from Picture Moldings?

A novel solution: bracing floor lamps with plants

Back to back-up lights: An update on currently available power failure back-up lights

More fun with expiration dates: some things really DO expire!

How I braced a monster wardrobe and protected Narnia

Earthquake-resistant cabinet latches revisited: an alternative to push-latches that is worth considering

No Gripes about Gripeez: A way to use clear gripper pads to stick down display objects resting in stands

How to protect fine wine glasses from themselves and their brutish cousins

Special bulletin about Gripeez leaving marks on some painted walls

Command Picture Hanging strips for earthquake resistant picture hanging: A follow-up

So how did Matt react to the largest jolt in 10 years? (1/4/2018 Hayward fault quake)

Moving for reasons other than seismic events: A diary of undoing quake precautions before moving out of a home

Simple ideas for making sure your phone and eyeglasses stay on your nightstand

Special bulletin: potential evidence that push latches can fail during shaking

How to vacuum pack dry supplies without a vacuum (the magic of oxygen absorbers)

Do you have a ticking time bomb in your cupboard? Better check what is supporting your shelves!

The earthquake precaution step nobody told you about: tell visitors about your preparations or else you could have problems!

Grants are available for quake retrofits (California)

New Year’s resolution: put some cash in your emergency kit

Some updates to standard earthquake preparedness and response advice

Are Command Picture Hanging Strips as good as maze picture hooks for quake-proof picture hanging?

Situational awareness: The step BEFORE the first reaction to an earthquake

Further adventures with expiration dates for food and water: Emergency water envelopes and S.O.S. Food Packets

Special challenges: Can you seismically brace floor lamps and house plants? Should you?

For objects that you need to move occasionally, an idea for how to stop them from sliding (or, Silicone: the Anti-Banana Peel)

Know any students moving to the West Coast? Send them this!

Did the movie San Andreas suggest the “Triangle of Life” myth? Just kind of.

Do the collapsed buildings in Nepal mean that you should run out of a building during an earthquake?

An index of topics so far, broken down by category

A burning question: what happens to unattended holiday/memorial candles in an earthquake?

Special note to my readers: An updated video of my presentation is now available

A simple way to keep your flashlight within reach if your bedroom is shaking

Can you use a portable camping water filter to safely drink tap water after an earthquake in case your emergency water is gone? (Spoiler alert: the answer is no.)

Reflections on the San Francisco Bay Area’s largest earthquake since 1989

Most people don’t know about San Francisco’s emergency drinking water hydrants, but it’s probably just as well...

Choosing the right kinds of batteries for your emergency supplies in the 21st Century

The Honey Quake story: Back up your recipes!

20 things you can do with quake putty – and helpful hints for Quakehold Gel

Don’t be left in the dark: which kinds of power failure back-up lights work best in an earthquake?

The ethical dilemma of being prepared when other people aren't

MRE shelf-life follow-up: Ever wonder what a 14-year-old MRE tastes like?

The new Bay Bridge opened today: A Loma Prieta earthquake repair 24 years in the making

Does bottled water really expire? The FDA says no!

Should I turn my gas off after an earthquake? Don't guess about gas...

Big emergency kit for home, little emergency kits for work and car

Earthquake safety at work is good medicine

At last, helpful hints on installing push-latches for cabinets!

Experience an earthquake! And then go see the ostrich chicks and have lunch.

A personal account from the aftermath of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake

Do I really have to stick down EVERYTHING? What about my TV remote?

Double feature Part II: Can I get a fire hose to use after a quake if my house is burning down and the fire department is not coming?

Double feature Part I: If you install a closet organizer system, don’t skimp on that last screw.

Where should I keep that emergency kit?

My earthquake preparedness website is moving!

Small quakes: Good or bad for geology and psychology?

“Be sure to bolt your furniture bracing straps to a wall stud”…ok, now for the other 95% of the population who doesn’t know how to find a wall stud:

Should I stay or should I go?...the inevitable dilemma about staying in the building during an earthquake

This month, we are taking a break from the actual preparedness issues and will instead delve further into this annoyingly counter-intuitive recommendation to not run out of buildings during earthquakes.

Your MREs (emergency rations) are good for up to 10 years--or are they?? An update...

An amazing story from the past, AND more about hanging pictures that won’t come crashing down (the wired and non-wired varieties)

Even though I don’t plan on posting very often so  I don’t add to the e-mail overload of people who subscribe, it just makes sense to post something on April 18th, the anniversary of the great San Francisco earthquake of 1906.  There are two items on today’s plate: first a link to a then-young woman’s amazing description of what she experienced in the 1906 quake, and then I wanted to discuss a bit more about hanging pictures on the walls safely.

Special considerations for pets

Important information about the recurring "Triangle of Life" e-mail spam

Thoughts about the much-publicized North American earthquake prediction for late March 2011

"Why the heck do you live in that place with earthquakes??"

A blog is launched; opening thoughts

This is my first experience authoring a blog, and there will probably be a few technical bumps along the way.  Earthquake safety is an important topic in a place like the San Francisco Bay Area, and I hope that the information and occasional thoughts and tips here will be of interest to people who are trying to maximize their safety in our occasionally moving region.

It's important to remember that even though we live in a place that is subject to earthquakes, which are occasionally pretty big, most of the risks associated with California earthquakes can be minimized by taking some precautions ahead of time.  Just like one knows not to go jogging alone in the middle of the night in a dark park in a dangerous part of town, one should know what to do and not to do in regions subject to natural disasters.

I'm kick-starting this blog with a few entries in a row, first introductory and then a few entries that have already been on my website.  After that, I'll post occasionally; perhaps even relatively rarely so that I don't add to people's e-mail burdens.  I've got no idea about how many people will be signing on to this, but welcome to those that do!

-Matt Springer

>>back to blog