When staying in the house, simple precautions should be used:
1. Large/heavy items should be fastened, so that they don’t fall-off, during earthquakes.
2. Hanging items (like: fan, chandeliers, decorations etc.) should be fastened, rather than just left hanging through a hook
3. 
4. You should be adequately prepared to live without utilities for several days. As earthquake causes severe damages over large areas, most of the utilities that we might take for granted, might not be available for several days. These are anyways generic precautions against disasters of any kind.