Be Prepared

Emergency essentials and supplies

'Forewarned, forearmed; to be prepared is half the victory.' Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

There you are at work, on the freeway, shopping, at a restaurant, or maybe just at home. And the Big One hits. The lights go out as electrical power fails. No internet, no phone or cellular signal, no utilities. Many buildings and homes have crumbled and are on fire. Roads are impassable and people are hysterical. Maybe it's raining. Are you prepared?

Start with the essentials: it's dark half the time, so always have a flashlight, shoes and eye glasses within easy reach, especially near your bed. If you can't see or make your way to safety, you're in trouble.

There is much more to preparedness than flashlights and shoes. The most important is water: drinking, boiling for food preparation, washing, wound cleansing, etc.

Next comes survival gear: dried or dehydrated food, pots for boiling water, clothing, shelter (tents and sleeping bags), rain gear, medicine, battery or solar powered radio, etc. Remember, in any disaster you are likely to be on your own for a few days, maybe more. Hospitals will be overwhelmed, help from outside will be scarce because roads and airports will be out of commission.

Think two weeks of camping. Can you do it? Try it. Turn off all your utilities and see how you manage for 24 hours. You will learn a lot.

The following links will help you to be ready to survive an earthquake, and many other natural disasters as well.

USGS preparedness guidelines
EarthquakeCounty preparedness guidelines
DisasterCenter preparedness guidelines
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) preparedness guidelines
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) preparedness guidelines
Red Cross preparedness guidelines
DareToPrepare preparedness guidelines
Special needs and vulnerable populations preparedness guidelines

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