Preparedness.com can supply your home and business with the strongest earthquake fastening devices available today.

We stock items such as QuakeSaver earthquake safe cabinet latches, decor matching furniture safety straps, waterheater strapping kits, automatic gas shut off valves, TV, appliance and electronics safety straps, picture hangers as well as artwork and mirror hangers. All products are suited for residential, commercial and industrial applications.

You will also find QuakeSaver gel, wax and putty to secure vases, collectables and valuable crystal pieces. Also see our VCR, stereo, computer and other electronics strapping and fastening kits. Our line of earthquake safe products will safely secure tall and heavy furniture like china cabinets and dresser draws.

These products are essential for securing furniture and electronics to wall studs and entertainment centers so in the event of an major earthquake they don't become flying objects that can cause personal harm and property damage that could block emergency exits. Our user friendly fasteners offer easy installation to help you securely fasten any type of furniture, electronics and equipment to walls and structures.

Evaluate your home or office today for potential earthquake hazards and take the necessary steps to protect your safety and security and decrease your potential for loss of life and property in the event of an major earthquake.

Preparedness.com sells products that are essential for securing furniture and electronics to wall studs and entertainment centers so in the event of an major earthquake they don't become flying objects that can cause personal harm and property damage and could block emergency exits. Our user friendly fasteners offer easy installation to help you securely fasten any type of furniture, electronics and equipment to walls and structures.

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How do I identify and fix potential hazards within my building?

Earthquake safety is more than minimizing damage to buildings. We must also secure the contents of our buildings to reduce the risk to our lives and our pocketbooks. You should secure anything 1) heavy enough to hurt you if it falls on you, or 2) fragile and/or expensive enough to be a significant loss if it falls. In addition to contents within your living space, also secure items in other areas, such as your garage,to reduce damage to vehicles or hazardous material spills.

There may be simple actions you can do right now that will protect you if an earthquake happens tomorrow. START NOW by moving furniture such as bookcases away from beds, sofas, or other places where people sit or sleep. Move heavy objects to lower shelves. Then begin to look for other items in your home that may be hazardous in an earthquake.

Secure Your Furniture
You must secure the contents of your home or office to reduce hazards. You should secure anything heavy enough to hurt you if it falls on you. Here are steps you should take to secure your possessions.

TVs, stereos, computers, lamps and chinaware can be secured with buckles and safety straps attached to the tabletop (which allows for easy movement of the units when needed) or with hook and loop fasteners to both the table and the unit. Use child-proof latches, hook and eye latches or positive catch latches, designed for boats, to secure your cabinet doors.

Secure the tops of all top-heavy furniture such as bookcases and file cabinets to the wall. Be sure to anchor to the stud, not just to the plasterboard. Flexible fasteners such as nylon straps allow tall objects to sway without falling over, reducing the strain on the studs. Ceiling lights and fans should be additionally supported with a cable bolted to the ceiling joist. The cable should have enough slack to allow it to sway.

Replace your windows with ones made from safety glass or cover them with a strong shatter-resistant film. Be sure you use safety film and not just a solar filter.

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If you strap your water heater and fit it with a flexible gas supply line, you will reduce the risk of a fire or explosion from a gas leak after an earthquake. If your water heater does not have a flexible gas supply line, contact a licensed plumber to install one.

Secure the contents of your home or office to reduce hazards. You should secure anything heavy enough to hurt you if it falls. Here are some steps you can take to secure your possessions.

Secure Tabletop Objects
VCRs, stereos, computers, lamps and chinaware can be secured with buckles and safety straps attached to the tabletop (which allows for easy movement of the units when needed) or with hook and loop fasteners glued to both the table and the unit. Glass and pottery objects can be secured with non-drying putty or microcrystalline wax.

Secure Items in Your Kitchen
Use child-proof latches, hook and eye latches or positive catch latches, designed for boats, to secure your cabinet doors. Make sure your gas appliances have flexible connectors to reduce the risk of fire. Secure your refrigerator to prevent movement.

Anchor Your Furniture
Secure the tops of all top-heavy furniture such as bookcases and file cabinets to the wall. Be sure to anchor to the stud, not just to the plasterboard. Flexible fasteners such as nylon straps allow tall objects to sway without falling over, reducing the strain on the studs.

Protect Yourself from Broken Glass
Replace your windows with ones made from safety glass or cover them with a strong shatter-resistant film. Be sure you use safety film and not just a solar filter.

Secure Overhead Objects
Ceiling lights and fans should be additionally supported with a cable bolted to the ceiling joist. The cable should have enough slack to allow it to sway. Framed pictures, especially glass-covered, should be hung from closed hooks so that they can't bounce off. Only soft art such as tapestries should be placed over beds and sofas.

EARTHQUAKE HOLD FURNITURE STRAP. in box. Use this to strap down your cabinets or bookcases so they don't fall over in an earthquake. Beige, black antique, white gray color, peel and stick, anchors to wall stud, all hardware included. Works on Finished wood.

Inspecting for Possible Home Hazards
An important step in earthquake preparedness is to inspect your home and its surroundings for possible hazards and then take action to lessen those hazards. Remember: anything can move, fall, or break during an earthquake or its aftershocks.

The following is a basic checklist to help you identify and correct possible home hazards.

Rooms in the Home
Look for the following hazards in each room: Windows and other glass that might shatter
Unanchored bookcases, cabinets, refrigerators, water heaters, and other furniture that might topple. Heating units, fireplaces, chimneys, and stoves that could move or fall. Areas that could be blocked by falling debris. Securing Appliances. Secure your large appliances with flexible cable, braided wire, or metal strapping. Install flexible gas and water connections on all gas appliances. This will significantly reduce your chances of having a major fire after an earthquake. Brace and support air conditioners, particularly those on rooftops.

The typical water heater weighs about 450 pounds when full. In an earthquake, the floor on which it is standing tends to move out from under the heater, often causing it to topple. The movement can also break the gas, electric, and water-line connectors, posing fire or electric shock hazards, and can shatter the glass lining within the water heater.

Here are two suggestions on how to secure your water heater:

Wrap at least a 1 /2-inch wide metal strap around the top of the water heater and attach it to wall studs with 3-inch lag screws. Attach another strap about 2/3 of the way down from the top of the water heater. OR...

Wrap steel plumber's tape around the entire water heater at least twice. Then secure the tape to two different wall studs with 3-inch lag screws.

Securing Items in the Bathroom
Replace glass bottles from your medicine cabinet and around the bathtub with plastic containers.

Hanging and Overhead Items
Inspect and anchor overhead light fixtures, such as chandeliers.

Move heavy mirrors and pictures hanging above beds, chairs, and other places where you sit or sleep. Otherwise, anchor these items with wire through eyescrews bolted into wall studs. Or place screws on both sides, top, and bottom of the frame and screw these into the studs.

Determine whether the full swing of your hanging lamps or plants will strike a window. If so, move them.

Secure hanging objects by closing the opening of the hook.

Replace heavy ceramic or glass hanging planters with light-weight plastic or wicker baskets.

Shelves, Cabinets, and Furniture
Identify top-heavy, free-standing furniture, such as bookcases and china cabinets, that could topple in an earthquake.

Secure your furniture by using:

"L" brackets, corner brackets, or aluminum molding to attach tall or top-heavy furniture to the wall. Eyebolts to secure items located a short distance from the wall. Attach a wooden or metal guardrail on open shelves to keep items from sliding or falling off. Fishing line can also be used as a less-visible means of securing an item.

Place heavy or large objects on lower shelves. Use Velcro®-type fastenings to secure some items to their shelves. Secure your cabinet doors by installing sliding bolts or childproof latches.

Hazardous Materials
Identify poisons, solvents, or toxic materials in breakable containers and move these containers to a safe, well-ventilated storage area. Keep them away from your water storage and out of reach of children and pets.

Inspecting and Securing Your Home's Structure
Examine the structural safety of your house. If your house is of conventional wood construction, it will probably be relatively resistant to earthquake damage, particularly if it is a single-story structure.

For information on structural safety standards and qualified contractors in your area, contact your city or county government office on community development or building code enforcement.

The following suggestions will take an investment of time and money but will add stability to your home. If you want to do the work yourself, many hardware or home-improvement stores will assist you with information and instructions.

Foundation
Check to see if your house or garage is securely fastened to the foundation. (If your house was built before 1950, it probably does not have bolts securing the wood structure to the concrete foundation.) If your house is not secured to the foundation, take the following steps:

Using a hammer drill and carbide bit, drill a hole through the sill plate into the foundation. Holes should be approximately 6 feet apart. Drop a 1/2- x 7-inch expansion bolt into each hole and finish by tightening the nut and washer.

Beams, Posts, Joists, and Plates
Strengthen the areas of connection between beams, posts, joists, and plates using the following hardware:

"T" and "L" straps
Mending plates
Joist hangers
Twin post caps
Nails and lag screws
Pay particular attention to exposed framing in garages, basements, porches, and patio covers.

Roof and Chimney
Check your chimney or roof for loose tiles and bricks that could fall in an earthquake. Repair loose tiles or bricks, as needed.

Protect yourself from falling chimney bricks that might penetrate the roof, by reinforcing the ceiling immediately surrounding the chimney with 3/4-inch plywood nailed to ceiling joists.

Learning to Shut Off Utilities
Know where and how to shut off utilities at the main switches or valves. Check with your local utility companies for instructions. Teach all family members how and when to shut off utilities.

Gas
An automatic valve (Earthquake Command System) is commercially available that will turn the gas off for you in the event of an earthquake.

After an earthquake, DO NOT USE matches, lighters, or appliances, and do not operate light switches until you are sure there are no gas leaks. Sparks from electrical switches could ignite gas, causing an explosion.

If you smell the odor of gas, or if you notice a large consumption of gas being registered on the gas meter, shut off the gas immediately. First, find the main shut-off valve, located on a pipe next to the gas meter. Use an adjustable wrench to turn the valve to the off position.

Electricity
After a major disaster, shut off the electricity. Sparks from electrical switches could pose a shock or fire hazard. Carefully turn off the electricity at the main electrical breaker in your home.

Water
Water may be turned off at either of two locations: At the main meter, which controls the water flow to the entire property; or at the water main leading into the home. (Shutting off the water here retains the water supply in your water heater, which may be useful in an emergency.) attach a valve wrench to the water line. (This tool can be purchased at most hardware stores.) Also, label the water mains for quick identification.

Do you have furniture in YOUR home putting your child at risk of injury or death? Take this quiz to find out. 1. Do you have children under the age of 10 living in or frequently visiting your home? 2. Do you have any furniture with drawers, shelves, or doors in any room of your home that is not secured to the walls? 3. Do you have any TV sets, including large or big screen TV’s, that are not secured to the walls or anchored directly to the table or entertainment center on which it sits? 4. Do your children get or put away their own clothes, walk, run, play, climb, rough house, play video games, watch TV, sing, dance, play hide and seek, jump, throw things,change VCR tapes or DVD’s or use remote controls in the house? 5.

Do you have items a child might want out of their reach but that they can see or that they know where it is kept anywhere in your home such as toys, books, music, video or DVD’s, remote controls, etc? 6. Do you think that if you told your child under 10 not to do something because of the dangers of getting hurt of dying it would really prevent them from doing it? 7. Do you believe that because your child is never alone in the house, you would be able to save them from injury or death should something fall on them because you would hear it fall or hear their cry and be able to respond quickly? 8. Speaking honestly, do you believe that the actual risk of YOUR child being injured or killed by falling furniture, TV’s, or appliances is so small that it won’thappen to you? 9. Do you recognize the dangers of furniture tip overs and intend to secure Your furniture, but just have not had the time to properly secure all your at risk furniture and TV’s yet? 10. Speaking honestly, are you/your spouse hesitant to secure furniture/TV’s because you don’t want to “ruin” your furniture or walls with holes/screws? Scoring: Give yourself one point for every yes answer. If you answered no to the question 1, please share this quiz and our Web site with your friends and family with children under 10.If you answered yes to any question 2-10, your furniture is at risk of falling on and injuring or killing your child or someone else’s. The more yes answers you had, the greater your risk. Many of these statements were made by parents whose children died from falling furniture. These questions were compiled to educate the reader about common myths about furniture safety. Furnituretip overs can happen to anyone, anywhere, anytime, and in the blink of an eye. You can be right in thesame room as your child, and be powerless to save them from a falling piece of furniture. Your child’s bestprotection is the action YOU take RIGHT NOW to properly secure all the furniture and TV’s in your home.

How to Make Your Home Furniture Safe Secure ALL furniture with shelves, drawers, and doors to the walls (into a stud if possible) withan appropriate device. It doesn’t matter how tall or short, heavy, stable, or well made it is. Besure that what you use can hold the weight of a fully loaded piece of furniture. You can use any of the following: Safety First Furniture Wall Strap so Mommy’s Helper Furniture Safety Bracket so Kidco’s Anti-tip furniture strap so Quake Hold TV strap, computer strap, big screen TV strap, and appliance strapo Parent Unit’s Safety straps, topple stops (great for TV’s/computer monitors) “L” bracketso Earthquake cables Secure ALL TV’s to the wall and/or to the table/entertainment center on which it sits. Alsosecure computer monitors. (see above list) Place TV sets and computer monitors on low, stable units as far back as possible, then securethem to the wall and/or to the surface on which it sits Do not place anything on top of the TV Place heavy items on the lowest shelf and in the lowest drawer, putting progressively lighteritems in drawers from the bottom up.

Place any items that may be of interest to a child within easy reach so they are not enticed toclimb for it or reach for it. Do not place items you do not want your child to have within their sight but out of their reach (oreven out of sight but out of their reach if they know where you put it) as they are likely to try to climb or reach for it. Remote controls and toys/games/videos/DVD’s are items kids frequentlyreach for on top of TV’s. Don’t assume simply telling your child not to climb/reach is enough, it isn’t Don’t assume your child will remember the dangers even if you’ve told them to be careful. Playis the work of children. Don’t assume it can’t happen to you, it can, and in a heartbeat. Don’t assume your child is too old. Every child under 10 needs to be protected. Do it right, do it now. The next child saved could be yours. Even if your furniture and TV’s are secured, check the safety straps frequently to be sure they arestill secure. They can come loose or plastic cable ties and parts can break over time, especially if exposed to sunlight or increased pressure.

You will also find Crystal Gel, Glass Gel, Wax and putty to secure vases, collectables and valuable crystal pieces. Also see our VCR, stereo, computer and other electronics strapping and fastening kits. Our line of earthquake safe products will even safely secure tall and heavy furniture like china cabinets and dresser draws.

These products are essential for securing furniture and electronics to wall studs and entertainment centers so in the event of an major earthquake they don't become flying objects that can cause personal harm and property damage and could block emergency exits. Our user friendly fasteners offer easy installation to help you securely fasten any type of furniture, electronics and equipment to walls and structures.

The forces of nature are great and unpredictable. Our fasteners are engineered and tested in laboratories and actual conditions. Using these products will greatly increase the chances of surviving earthquakes and protecting furniture, appliances and equipment. Under these circumstances, the performance of these products can not be unconditionally guaranteed. Neither seller nor manufacturer shall be liable for any injury, loss or damage, direct or consequential, arising out of the use or misuse of, or inability to use these product. Our only obligation shall be to replace its defective product in materials and workmanship PRIOR to installation. Before, using, user shall determine the suitability of these product for its intended use and shall only use these products after following instructions for use. It is our goal to provide reliable affordable fasteners that help protect your home and office against earthquake damage.

You must take the necessary steps to protect your families safety and security and decrease your potential for loss of life and property in the event of an major earthquake. Evaluate your home or office today for potential earthquake hazards.