Welcome to the first of what will be an ongoing series of articles dedicated to earthquake preparedness and safety in the home. We will be covering all the things you can do to make sure you are prepared.
The first thing to determine is whether you live in an earthquake zone. This might seem a little silly, but contrary to popular belief the West Coast of the United States is not the only part of the country where earthquakes can occur, so if you’re not sure, you can check maps on the US Geological Survey website to find out.
Of course assuming that you do live in earthquake country, which is probably why you’re reading this, the next thing to do is to learn how to be prepared for an earthquake.
Natural disasters, like earthquakes, can happen at any time. Earthquakes are violent, they strike without warning and they can be deadly, so being prepared is your best defense.
Many people are aware that they should do something to be prepared; they’re just not quite sure what that is. Non-structural interior mitigation is one of those things. It’s the methods of securing top-heavy furniture, TVs, electronics, wall hangings and breakables around your home.
All of these things can become potential hazards in an earthquake. They can cause personal injury, and in some cases even death, if they are not secured.Our focus in these articles will be to explain how easy, affordable and reassuring it is to prepare a home for a major earthquake.
Furniture Straps
We specialize in earthquake preparedness and our extensive line of products includes emergency kits, safety lightsticks and furniture safety straps among other things.To get the ball rolling, let’s take a look at furniture straps and what makes them so good.
They are now the recommended method for fastening tall, top-heavy pieces of furniture such as china cabinets, bookcases and entertainment centers. They are flexible nylon straps, each of which has a break strength of 350 lbs.Two straps must be attached to each item of furniture, meaning you can secure things weighing up to 700 lbs in total.
Their big advantage is that they stick to the top of your furniture using Velcro and industrial strength 3M adhesive in what’s called a hook and loop system and that means you don’t have to drill holes in your furniture anymore.
The other end of the strap is secured into the wall stud. This enables the furniture to sway in motion with the shaking of an earthquake without toppling over because it remains attached to the wall.
What makes this the preferred method for securing furniture, as opposed to using rigid metal brackets, is that the straps allow the furniture to stay upright rather than being sheered from the wall and smashing to the floor due to the force of the quake.
Merchandising
Furniture straps come in a variety of colors to match the décor of your home to make sure you have established earthquake preparedness in your home in an effort to secure earthquake safety.
The first thing to determine is whether you live in an earthquake zone. This might seem a little silly, but contrary to popular belief the West Coast of the United States is not the only part of the country where earthquakes can occur, so if you’re not sure, you can check maps on the US Geological Survey website to find out.
Of course assuming that you do live in earthquake country, which is probably why you’re reading this, the next thing to do is to learn how to be prepared for an earthquake.
Natural disasters, like earthquakes, can happen at any time. Earthquakes are violent, they strike without warning and they can be deadly, so being prepared is your best defense.
Many people are aware that they should do something to be prepared; they’re just not quite sure what that is. Non-structural interior mitigation is one of those things. It’s the methods of securing top-heavy furniture, TVs, electronics, wall hangings and breakables around your home.
All of these things can become potential hazards in an earthquake. They can cause personal injury, and in some cases even death, if they are not secured.Our focus in these articles will be to explain how easy, affordable and reassuring it is to prepare a home for a major earthquake.
Furniture Straps
We specialize in earthquake preparedness and our extensive line of products includes emergency kits, safety lightsticks and furniture safety straps among other things.To get the ball rolling, let’s take a look at furniture straps and what makes them so good.
They are now the recommended method for fastening tall, top-heavy pieces of furniture such as china cabinets, bookcases and entertainment centers. They are flexible nylon straps, each of which has a break strength of 350 lbs.Two straps must be attached to each item of furniture, meaning you can secure things weighing up to 700 lbs in total.
Their big advantage is that they stick to the top of your furniture using Velcro and industrial strength 3M adhesive in what’s called a hook and loop system and that means you don’t have to drill holes in your furniture anymore.
The other end of the strap is secured into the wall stud. This enables the furniture to sway in motion with the shaking of an earthquake without toppling over because it remains attached to the wall.
What makes this the preferred method for securing furniture, as opposed to using rigid metal brackets, is that the straps allow the furniture to stay upright rather than being sheered from the wall and smashing to the floor due to the force of the quake.
Merchandising
Furniture straps come in a variety of colors to match the décor of your home to make sure you have established earthquake preparedness in your home in an effort to secure earthquake safety.