Financial Planner

Checklist: Earthquake Preparedness

Things to do this weekend with your money

A small investment of time and money could prevent injuries, death or thousands of dollars of losses in an earthquake.

* Today: Get educated. Several Web sites include advice about securing your furnishings. One to try is the California Earthquake Authority’s site at https://www.earthquakeauthority .com and the California Office of Emergency Services at https://www.oes.ca.gov.

* Saturday: Take a room-by-room inventory to determine what needs to be done. Some changes might be simple ones, such as removing glass and glass-covered pictures from sleeping areas and putting heavy objects on lower shelves. Others will require a greater investment of time, such as bolting or strapping bookcases or other furniture to the walls.

* Sunday: Now you’re ready for a trip to the hardware store. Pick up cabinet latches, furniture straps, earthquake hangers for pictures and straps for your water heater, if it’s not already secured. You can install these devices yourself in a couple of hours, or have a handyman do the work for a small fee. Pick up some florist’s clay or Quakehold, which can be used to secure small objects to shelves.