• Ensure that any new construction complies with earthquake-resistant building standards, and have a structural assessment carried out before making any changes to the building’s structure
• Locate the gas, water and electricity shut-off points
• Secure heavy appliances and furniture
• Identify a place where you can take shelter (near load-bearing walls, etc.)
• Prepare your emergency kit: a radio and fresh batteries, a powerful torch, a first-aid kit, some food supplies and drinking water

If you are inside a building:

• Take shelter near the corner of a wall, beside a load-bearing column or under sturdy furniture
• Keep away from windows and glass panels

If you are in the street:

• Move away from buildings and bridges that could collapse. If this is not possible, take shelter under a porch
• Move towards an open area, watching out for falling objects
• Keep away from power lines

If you are in a car:

• Stop, if possible, away from buildings and power lines
• Stay inside the vehicle until the shaking stops

• Turn off the water, gas and electricity supplies
• If there is a gas leak, open windows and doors and notify the authorities
• Do not light any flames or smoke
• Evacuate the building using the stairs, not the lift
• Your children are being looked after at school: do not go to collect them
• Move away from the coast, even long after the shaking has stopped (tsunami risk)
• Keep listening to local and national radio stations
• Report any damage to your insurer and find out about compensation procedures

• Report your claim to your insurer without waiting for the official natural disaster declaration to be published
• Report the damage to the Mairie de Cannes, which will ask the Préfet des Alpes-Maritimes to seek official recognition of a natural disaster
• Wait for the interministerial order recognising the natural disaster to be published in the Journal officiel (available at www.legifrance.gouv.fr)
• Within 30 days of the order’s publication in the Journal officiel, submit your final claim to your insurance company. Supporting documents should include your contact details and insurance policy number, the date and exact nature of the incident, a detailed description of the damage, an initial estimate of losses, photographs of the damage, invoices, repair quotations, etc.
• Wait for an approved loss adjuster to visit and assess the cost of the damage

If the conditions of cover are met, compensation is paid within 3 months of the submission of the estimated statement of losses and the publication of the interministerial natural disaster order.

Property covered by insurance:

• Buildings and fixed property: walls, floors, ceilings, fixed installations, fences, gates and outbuildings
• Vehicles: covered under a policy that includes damage cover or comprehensive cover, or a specific policy extension