Survival - Being ready For an Earthquake

Until the Northridge Quake, my house and friends understanding I was an earthquake nut. I read everything I read everything I could about them, and demanded that preparations be made. I think my husband strapped the water heater to the studs in the stable just to get me to stop bugging him about it.

All of them rolled their eyes when I would find a flashlight no longer in its designated spot. "If you're going to use it, fine...but put it back where you got it!" As I am not the world's most housekeeper, that seemed to be totally opposite of what I'd regularly say or do.

Earthquake & Tsunami In Japan

January 17, 1994 changed that forever. I promise you, I understanding it was the legendary "Big One." A 6.8 isn't exactly small, mind you. To be truthful, I don't want to be that close when something bigger hits.

My husband and I were able to get working flashlights from our bedside tables as soon as the ground stopped shaking. Clothing and shoes were next to the beds so we could dress and deal with whatever damage had been done. Our daughters followed instructions and pulled their blankets up over their heads to preclude flying debris from hurting them. We were going out the doors as the first aftershock hit.

We each had an assignment. My husband was to turn off the gas and I was to do the water. I can dream the expression on his face when I did that; the flex lines to the water heater had sheared off and until I turned off the water to the house, the stable looked a bit like a petite waterfall.

I did make some mistakes in our preparations. After the first earthquake kit was stolen, I moved it inside. It wasn't all in one place, but scattered throughout the house. It's a good thing the house was still structurally sound. In in the middle of aftershocks, we managed to get it all out.

Here is a list of suggestions based on what we learned. This list doesn't comprise what I wrote above, so you may want to add that to your list.

1) Heavy Furniture: Some pieces of furniture were knocked over by the violence of the quake. If they had been screwed into a stud, they wouldn't have. The same goes for pictures, heavy equipment and whatever else you don't want damaged, destroyed or landing on your head.

2) Food and Water: You'll need a minimum of three days worth for every member of your family, along with pets. It's good to have a two week supply, as it may take that long to restock. Make sure it is stuff that you will genuinely eat. Stocking up on beans and top ramen does no good if you can't stand them.

3) medical Stuff: Prescriptions, eye glasses and a first aid kit are a must. I suggest whether the house emergency kit or a backpacker's kit. Some hospitals were damaged to the point that they had to do everything out in the parking lot...as well as evacuate all the patients. It is possible you will have to deal with many injuries yourself until you can get to medical care. I also suggest you keep a first aid manual. Taking a first aid and/or Cpr class isn't a bad idea, either.

4) Sanitation: Having turned the water off to your house (to preclude dirty water from polluting what's in there), your toilet is going to be out of commission. If you don't have a trip trailer or some other means of disposing of human waste, you'll need at a bare minimum a five gallon pail and some heavy duty kitchen sized trash bags. They do make camping toilets which are a bit easier to use, but you'll still need the liners.

5) Tools: Most gas meters wish a wrench to turn off. If you have to extricate someone, you may need shovels and other tools. A generator is someone else good tool, though don't forget to keep gas for it.

6) Cooking Gear: Once you've made sure there are no gas leaks, you're going to want a hot meal. Many areas that are prone to earthquakes are also prone to fires, so building a campfire is regularly out of the question. A good camp stove is a good answer. So are disposable plates, cups, etc. You'll want to keep the actual dishes used to a minimum to reserve water. A merge of uncostly pans and cooking utensils are also needed.

7) Entertainment: You may think this is silly, but it is a serious concern. All of you will need to do something to take their minds off of what you're going through. It doesn't have to be expensive, but a merge of new coloring books with crayons, a new novel, a deck of cards, you'll want something. This is especially true for kids.

While I'm putting this under entertainment, you're going to want a radio or tv that doesn't depend on electricity to operate. Solar and battery powered editions will help enormously. They can, besides offering entertainment, give you foremost data about what's happening and what you need to do about it.

8) Batteries and Extra Flashlights: We use a lot of battery powered gadgets. It's a good idea to keep extras and check seldom used gadgets regularly. As for extra flashlights, your neighbors may need one. One of our neighbors came out to check her water line with a lit candle. Eek.

Being understanding an earthquake nut is worth it. If your house teases you, rest assured that when one hits, the teasing will stop.

Survival - Being ready For an Earthquake