Earthquake Preparedness in Nepal: Drop-Cover-Hold, Go Bag & Home Safety

Nepal sits on one of the most seismically active zones on Earth, where the Indian tectonic plate pushes beneath the Eurasian plate to build the Himalaya. This ongoing collision stores enormous strain that is periodically released as large earthquakes. Historically, damaging shocks have struck roughly every few decades, and seismologists warn that a major earthquake in the Kathmandu Valley and across the mid-hills is not a question of if but when.

The two events that shape Nepal's earthquake memory are the Great Bihar-Nepal earthquake of 15 January 1934 (2 Magh 1990 Bikram Sambat, BS), which killed more than 8,000 people, and the Gorkha earthquake of 25 April 2015, a magnitude 7.8 (Mw) event centred at Barpak in Gorkha District that killed roughly 8,900 people and destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes. Both showed that most casualties come not from the shaking itself but from collapsing buildings, falling masonry, and objects toppling onto people.

The good news is that most earthquake injuries and deaths are preventable with simple, low-cost preparation done before the ground moves. Knowing the correct action for the first ten seconds of shaking, keeping an emergency Go Bag ready, and fastening the heavy furniture in your home dramatically improves your family's odds. This page sets out the practical bhukampa bata bachne upaya (measures to survive an earthquake) recommended by the National Society for Earthquake Technology-Nepal (NSET) and international ShakeOut guidance.

The single most important action to memorise is Drop, Cover and Hold On. The moment you feel shaking, do not try to run: most injuries happen when people fall or are struck while moving during violent ground motion. Instead, get low immediately and protect your head and torso where you are. Practising this until it becomes automatic builds the 'muscle memory' that takes over when there is no time to think.

DROP: drop down onto your hands and knees before the earthquake knocks you down. This position keeps you low, protects you from being thrown, and lets you crawl to shelter. COVER: cover your head and neck with one arm and hand. If a sturdy table or desk is within a metre or two, crawl underneath it; if there is no shelter, crawl to an interior wall away from windows, and stay on your knees bent over to protect your vital organs. HOLD ON: hold on until the shaking stops. If you are under a table, grip one leg with one hand and be ready to move with it if it shifts; if you have no shelter, hold your head and neck with both arms and hands.

Adapt the technique to your situation. If you use a wheelchair or walker, lock the wheels, bend forward and cover your head and neck with your arms, a book, or a pillow, then hold on. If you are in bed, stay there, roll face down and cover your head and neck with a pillow, because moving across a dark, shaking room risks stepping on broken glass. If you are outdoors, move to a clear area away from buildings, walls, power lines and trees, then drop and cover your head. If you are driving, pull over away from bridges, flyovers and buildings, stop, and stay inside the vehicle until the shaking ends.

A Go Bag is a pre-packed emergency kit that lets your household survive independently for at least the first 72 hours, when roads may be blocked and outside help has not yet arrived. NSET-Nepal advises keeping one easy-to-carry bag ready at all times, and ideally separate kits for your home, your vehicle and your workplace, since a strong earthquake can strike while you are anywhere. Store the bag near an exit where you can grab it quickly on the way out after the shaking stops.

Pack enough drinking water in sealed 1-2 litre bottles and non-perishable food that needs no cooking — biscuits, dry cereals, beaten rice (chiura), roasted nuts, dried fruit, and durable local snacks such as lakhamari or dalmoth. Include any regular medicines your family members take, plus a basic first-aid kit. Add tools and light: a torch with spare bulbs and batteries, a battery or hand-crank radio to receive official information, water-purification tablets, and a whistle to signal rescuers if you are trapped.

Keep copies of essential documents in a waterproof pouch: citizenship certificates, birth and marriage certificates, passports, land and insurance papers, and bank details, along with a written list of emergency phone numbers. A copy of your house floor plan helps search-and-rescue teams locate people. Also include some cash in small notes (ATMs and card machines may not work), a duplicate set of house and vehicle keys, sturdy shoes and gloves, a dust mask, and a tarpaulin or plastic sheet for emergency shelter. Check and refresh the kit every six months, replacing expired food, water, medicine and batteries.

Most people who survive the shaking are still at risk from what falls around them. Before an earthquake, walk through your home and imagine everything sliding, toppling or swinging. Tall bookcases, wardrobes, cabinets and display shelves should be bolted or strapped to wall studs so they cannot fall onto people or block your exit route. Fasten the top-heavy items first: refrigerators, water tanks on stands, and heavy electronics such as televisions.

Kitchens and heating equipment deserve special attention. Fit latches on cabinet doors so plates and glass do not fly out, and store heavy or breakable items on lower shelves. Gas cylinders should be secured upright with a chain or strap and kept away from the sleeping area, and you should know how to shut the valve quickly, because ruptured gas lines and toppled heaters are a leading cause of post-earthquake fires. Move electric and gas heaters, lamps and candles away from curtains and bedding, and never leave them burning unattended.

Look up as well as around. Avoid hanging heavy mirrors, framed pictures, clocks or shelves above beds, sofas and desks where people sit or sleep; use closed hooks or move them elsewhere. Secure hanging light fixtures and ceiling fans. If your house is older brick-and-mud (unreinforced masonry) or has heavy stone or slate roofing, consult a NSET-trained mason or engineer about retrofitting, since building collapse — not the shaking itself — causes the majority of earthquake deaths in Nepal.

An earthquake can separate a family in seconds, so agree on a plan before one happens and make sure children know it too. Identify the safe spots in each room — under a sturdy table, against an interior wall — and the danger zones near windows, mirrors and tall furniture. Practise Drop, Cover and Hold On together, and run a short household drill at least once a year, ideally around National Earthquake Safety Day so it becomes a family habit.

Choose two meeting points: one just outside your home (for example, a nearby open field, chowk or school ground clear of buildings and power lines) and one farther away in case your neighbourhood is inaccessible. Because local phone networks are often jammed or down after a large quake, pick an out-of-town or overseas relative as a common contact whom everyone can message once networks return. Teach every family member key phone numbers by heart and keep a written copy in each Go Bag.

Assign responsibilities so nobody is forgotten: who collects the children or elderly relatives, who grabs the Go Bag, who shuts off the gas and main electricity. Keep torches and shoes beside each bed, since many earthquakes strike at night. Learn basic first aid and how to use a fire extinguisher, and note where your ward's designated open spaces and health posts are. Store the national emergency number 112, the Nepal Police number 100, and the ambulance number 102 in every phone.

When the shaking stops, expect aftershocks, which can be nearly as strong as the main shock and may bring down already-weakened buildings. Stay calm, check yourself and those nearby for injuries, and give first aid before moving anyone who is seriously hurt. Put on sturdy shoes to protect your feet from broken glass and debris, then evacuate the building carefully by the stairs — never use lifts — and move to your agreed open space away from walls, glass and power lines.

Watch for secondary hazards. If you smell gas or hear hissing, shut the cylinder or main valve, open windows and leave; do not light matches, lighters or gas stoves, and avoid switching electrical appliances on or off, as a spark can ignite leaked gas. If you see damaged wiring or fires, turn off the main electricity if it is safe to reach. Be cautious of cracked walls, leaning structures, landslides on hill slopes, and, near rivers or lakes, the risk of flooding from damaged embankments.

Use your battery radio or official channels for information, and keep phone calls short so networks stay open for emergencies — send text messages instead where possible. Help neighbours, especially children, the elderly, people with disabilities and those trapped, and use your whistle rather than shouting if you are stuck, to save energy. Do not spread or act on rumours; follow guidance from the Nepal Police, the Nepal Army and local authorities, and only re-enter a building once it has been checked and declared safe.

Nepal observes National Earthquake Safety Day (Bhukampa Surakshya Diwas) every year on the 2nd of Magh in the Bikram Sambat calendar, which usually falls on 15 or 16 January. The date marks the anniversary of the Great Bihar-Nepal earthquake of 2 Magh 1990 BS (15 January 1934), Nepal's deadliest recorded quake before 2015. The Government of Nepal, on the initiative of NSET, began the observance, and the first National Earthquake Safety Day was held on 16 January 1999. Each year the Ministry of Home Affairs and partners mark the day with drills, exhibitions, school programmes and public-awareness campaigns.

The National Society for Earthquake Technology-Nepal (NSET) is the country's leading non-governmental organisation working on earthquake risk reduction. It was founded by a group of engineers and professionals on 18 June 1993 and registered in 1994, with the long-standing vision of 'Earthquake Safe Communities in Nepal'. NSET pioneered practical programmes such as training local masons in earthquake-resistant construction, retrofitting schools and hospitals, promoting the Go Bag, and running the Drop-Cover-Hold drills that are now standard practice.

For households, National Earthquake Safety Day is a useful annual reminder to act rather than just observe. Use the day to test your Go Bag and replace expired items, re-check that furniture and gas cylinders are still secured, review your family emergency plan and meeting points, and practise Drop, Cover and Hold On with your children. Preparedness is not a one-time task but a habit renewed each Magh, so that when the ground next moves, your family already knows exactly what to do.