Quick answer: Securing heavy furniture and TVs for an earthquake in Long Beach means anchoring tall pieces like bookcases and dressers into wall studs with L-brackets or anti-tip straps, never into drywall alone, and either wall-mounting TVs into two studs or using a furniture strap kit rated for the TV’s actual weight. These are the items most likely to tip and injure someone when the ground shakes.
Did you know the last major earthquake to hit Long Beach directly killed 120 people and leveled dozens of local schools? The 1933 Long Beach earthquake, a magnitude 6.4 on the Newport-Inglewood fault that runs right under this city, is the reason California rewrote its building codes for schools. Homes never got the same rewrite. If you are looking to secure heavy furniture and TVs for an earthquake in Long Beach, the fault under your street is exactly why it is worth doing this weekend, not after the next one hits.
Why This Matters More in Long Beach Than Most Cities
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the March 1933 Long Beach earthquake measured magnitude 6.4 and claimed 120 lives, nearly all from the collapse of unreinforced masonry buildings. It happened on the Newport-Inglewood fault, which runs directly beneath Long Beach and several neighboring cities. That earthquake led California to pass the Field Act within a month, setting strict construction standards for public schools, and the Riley Act, which required cities and counties to start regulating building construction for the first time.
Seismologists who study the Newport-Inglewood fault say it is capable of producing a significantly larger earthquake than the one in 1933, though exactly when and how large cannot be predicted. Either way, Long Beach sits on active fault ground in a way most cities do not, which is exactly why securing what is inside your home matters here more than it does somewhere without a named fault running under it.
The Real Risk Is Not Just the Shaking
A lot of earthquake injuries do not come from the quake itself, they come from what the quake knocks over. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission counted 459 tip-over deaths of children 17 and younger between 2000 and 2018, and 93 percent of those were children five and younger. In 55 percent of those deaths, the child was crushed by the item’s own weight. TVs alone caused 37 percent of the deaths, TVs combined with furniture caused another 34 percent, and furniture alone caused 24 percent.
That happens every day without an earthquake involved at all. A real earthquake just makes every unanchored television, bookcase, and dresser in your home do at once what otherwise might take one unlucky tug from a toddler or one hard bump.
What to Anchor First
Not everything in your home needs hardware, but this short list does:
- Top-heavy furniture. Bookcases, dressers, china cabinets, and tall file cabinets are the classic tip-over risk, especially anything taller than it is wide.
- TVs. Even a TV sitting on a low stand can walk off the edge during real shaking if it is not anchored or mounted.
- Mirrors and framed art hung over beds, couches, or anywhere someone sits or sleeps.
- Glass and breakables on open shelves, which become falling hazards even when the furniture itself does not tip.
- Kitchen cabinets without latches, which can fly open and dump contents during shaking.
How to Anchor Heavy Furniture the Right Way
The single most common mistake is anchoring into drywall alone. Drywall anchors are not rated to hold a swaying dresser or bookcase during an earthquake, the anchor pulls straight out of the wall under that kind of lateral load. The hardware has to bite into an actual wall stud.
- Find the studs. A stud finder locates the edges, and studs typically run 16 or 24 inches apart, floor to ceiling.
- Anchor at the top, in two places. L-brackets or closed-loop nylon straps at the top two corners of a bookcase or dresser are standard. Two anchor points, not one.
- Flexible straps are fine, loose straps are not. A properly tightened strap lets a piece sway slightly instead of tipping, but there should be no visible slack when you pull on it.
- Add drawer stops. Multiple open drawers shift a dresser’s center of gravity, which makes it easier to tip even with the top anchored.
- Load heavy items low. Keep the heaviest books, dishes, or electronics on the bottom shelves, not the top.
Mounting or Anchoring a TV
A wall mount anchored into two studs, spaced at least 16 inches apart, is the most secure option for a flat-screen TV. If wall-mounting is not possible, a furniture strap kit rated for your TV’s actual weight is the next best thing, check that rating carefully, since many kits max out around 130 pounds. Either way, if a TV is not anchored at all yet, at least push it as far back on its stand as possible in the meantime.
What a Handyman Can Help With vs. When to Call a Specialist
Most of this list is a single visit, but not all of it.
- Handyman-scope work: stud-mounted L-brackets and anti-tip straps on bookcases and dressers, TV wall mounts, securing mirrors and framed art, adding drawer stops and cabinet latches.
- Specialist territory: gas water heater strapping that involves the gas line itself, and any structural retrofit work on the home’s foundation or framing. Those need a licensed plumber or contractor, not a handyman.
If your list is mostly furniture, TVs, and cabinets, we can get it done right the first time in one visit.
Why Long Beach Homeowners Call Us for This
We get calls for exactly this after every earthquake that makes the news, and the honest answer is that the best time to anchor a bookcase is before the ground moves, not after. As a local handyman in Long Beach, we know this fault runs under our own neighborhoods too, and we can walk through your home and anchor everything on your list in one visit.
Want your furniture and TVs secured before the next one hits? Request a free quote, or call 562-235-9534.
FAQ
Will drywall anchors alone hold heavy furniture during an earthquake?
No. Drywall anchors are not rated for the kind of sideways, shaking load an earthquake creates. The anchor needs to bite into an actual wall stud, not just the drywall surface.
How do I know where the studs are in my wall?
A stud finder is the easiest way. Studs typically run 16 or 24 inches apart, floor to ceiling, and most exterior and load-bearing walls follow that spacing.
Is wall-mounting or a furniture strap safer for a TV?
A wall mount anchored into two studs is generally the most secure option. If that is not possible, use a strap kit rated for your TV’s actual weight, not just whatever kit is cheapest.
Does Long Beach actually need this more than other cities?
Yes. Long Beach sits directly on the Newport-Inglewood fault, which caused the magnitude 6.4 earthquake that killed 120 people here in 1933 and led California to rewrite its school building codes. That same fault is still active today.
