Earthquake Preparedness

Earthquakes happen every day somewhere in the world.  Some are big and some are small.  Sometimes an earthquake occurs in an unusual place, a place that isn't prone to earthquakes.

I am embarrassed to admit this, but on the last flight from Paris to LA I watched the film, "Ice Age 4, Continental Drift".  It's enough to scare anyone.  The ground opens up, the seas swell, the animals are separated.  Even though it was a really dumb movie, it hit home.

We live in an area that is due for "a big one".  I hate to say "THE" big one since it implies that it will be the last one. 

We haven't reviewed our earthquake preparations in several years.  I've started a list of supplies.   I also need to figure out how to shut off the water and the gas to the house.  This is important but also hard to do because it requires a special tool.

We have flashlights and a radio.  If the electricity is out, we need batteries for all of these. Off to the store I went and loaded up on batteries.  I put new batteries in everything and checked them all.  Our other supplies include face masks, gloves, tape and some drop cloths.  We have a supply of food in our pantry that should last for awhile, although it will not be very tasty.

Now we need water.  They say we will need 1 gallon per person per day for at least 4 days = 8 gallons.  I have to get to the store to get water and then figure out a rotation scheme to drink and replace so that it stays fresh.

What's left?  All the glass.  I've used some museum putty on some vases but I can't use it on every glass, plate and bowl.  The good stuff is in quilted holders but a lot of the other stuff will probably not survive the big one.

So, I'm on my way to preparedness, but not there yet.