Securing Furniture and Valuables (Earthquake Prep - Part 1)

During a major earthquake, furniture can fall over and be thrown around the room.  Objects on shelves can become projectiles, and pictures may come off walls.  For the safety of those inside and to protect valuables, large and heavy furniture, pictures and valuables need to be secured.  Here are a few suggestions.

Large and heavy furniture need to be secured to the wall.  The china cabinet shown here, was built in two sections, so the first step is attaching the top and bottom together to reduce the likelihood of separation during an earthquake.  As shown in the second picture, I used three 3" x 3" T plates, screwing them into solid wood on each section.  Different styles of plates and straps can be used, depending on the structure of the cabinet. 

To secure the furniture to the wall, I have found that furniture straps, which may be purchased in the safety section of the local hardware store, work well.  One end of the strap is attached to the wall with a screw going into a stud, as shown by the next picture, on the left.  The number of straps needed is dependent on the size of the piece of furniture and guidelines come with the instructions.  Finally, connect the other end of the strap to the cabinet using screws or a Velcro strap that has one side attached to the surface of the furniture by a sticky backing.  The top of the cabinet is shown in the final picture.  You can also purchase a special kit for securing a TV.

What about keeping pictures on the wall?  My father was an accomplished artist who painted in his leisure time.  We have several of his paintings in our home, which are considered some of our most valuable possessions and I would hate for these to fall off the wall and be damaged during a shaker.  Pictures which hang near a bed can be especially dangerous and need to be secured.  To date, the best way I have found to secure pictures is using a special picture hook made by Quake Hold for this very purpose, which may also be purchased at the hardware store.

For knickknacks, pictures, vases and other breakable items on a shelf or mantel, you can use two sided sticky strips or museum putty.  These work well and can help save precious items, to say nothing about minimizing the mess you will need to clean up after an earthquake.

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