Somewhere in my memory bank was a tip that one should crouch down beneath the nearest sturdy doorway frame, cover one’s head with your hands and stay there until the shaking stops.

MINDANAO, Philippines — I have been startled several times these past few months as I felt the ground shake. It has happened three times while I was at home and twice when I was at a hospital.

Aside from making sure everyone I was with would exit the room, home or building we were in, the only item I quickly took with me was my cell phone. It is through one’s mobile phone that government disaster agencies send alerts and warning messages to individuals in affected areas.

My instinct (and feet!) swiftly took me to the front entryway where I opened the door and stood between it and the wall behind me. Earthquake drills in the distant past taught me to “duck, cover and hold.” My memory tells me that one is supposed to duck or drop to the ground, take cover under a sturdy desk or table and hold on tight to a leg of that piece of furniture. As I stood between the front door, which I had opened, and the inner wall behind me, I looked at the nearest table and knew that it was not sturdy enough to withstand crushing weight.

Somewhere in my memory bank was a tip that one should crouch down beneath the nearest sturdy doorway frame, cover one’s head with your hands and stay there until the shaking stops. I proceeded to do just that with my daughter. Thankfully the shaking stopped soon after we were positioning ourselves under the frame of our front door.

I also recall a theory, a so-called “triangle of life,” which I heard had been a lifesaver in earthquakes of previous years. However, a quick online check shows that at least two reputable organizations have debunked this “triangle of life” concept.

I called my friends at the Red Cross and asked to be referred to the one in charge of disaster preparedness, prevention and management. I learnt that my memory did serve me right. Duck or drop, cover and hold continue to be the appropriate action to take when you feel the earth tremble. In the absence of a sturdy desk, taking cover near a load-bearing post or under a doorway frame after opening the door wide open are some of the options on where to drop and take cover.

Remember to avoid being near glass windows, bookshelves and cabinets, or other breakable and heavy objects that are not latched or secured to the wall. I was also advised that only after the shaking has stopped should you go out of your home or the building you are in. If you run while the earthquake is ongoing, you risk injuring yourself in the process, like falling over, tripping or bumping your head onto something.

If there is an open space or huge clearing right outside the structure you are in, then perhaps that can be a safe spot. But if, like me, there are trees, tall buildings, electrical and other utility posts aplenty right outside your front door, then going out there during an earthquake may not be the best move.

It is a good idea to have an earthquake drill with members of your household. I must have had several of these drills growing up and, even after all the many years that have passed since, I instinctively knew what to do during the recent Mindanao earthquakes.

We cannot prevent them from happening but we can surely do our best to prepare for them.