emergency kit

Earthquakes? Be Prepared!

Little Kid Mom KENDALL says:  We live in southern California, which means (in addition to year-round fresh produce and lots of sunshine) we get frequent natural disasters like fires and earthquakes. Every autumn we have to prepare a new "disaster kit" at elementary school, and we try to get our emergency bags at home refreshed as well. Now that even states like Maryland and Virginia have earthquakes (who knew?!), it’s a good time to share the tools we SoCal residents have relied on for years.

My husband and I keep a bag prepared for each of us, and one for each kid. (Which reminds me, our four month-old is definitely NOT ready for a crisis. Note to self: Get on that.) The bags live under everybody’s bed, and can be carried by each of us -- that is, the boys' bags are not heavy. You can buy pre-prepared kits for kids and adults online at QuakeKare or Essential Packs, but you might want to make your own, so you can really get the stuff that’s important to you and your family. The LA Times has checklists for home, car and office, and the FEMA site has tons of helpful information. Ready.gov also has a handy list of emergency supplies to keep on-hand in case of a disaster. 

Personal tip for all of these lists: We rotate in the emergency water supply when we get new bottles for the house, so that the back-up bottles don’t get all gross and old.

I've also heard that pancake mix, like Bisquick or Krusteaz, has all the nutrition you need to keep going. Stash some in the garage -- all the cool survivalists are doing it.

My six year-old’s elementary school requests a heart-breaking list of items in case of a crisis. The assumption is that the teachers will be carrying the kits for younger children, so it all has to fit into a one-gallon Ziploc bag. In addition to a garbage bag or space blanket, a bottle of water, a non-perishable snack and a lightstick, we’re asked to include a note to our son (ours says we love him and will see him soon, and to listen to his teachers), a family photograph, and a personal item he is fond of (in our case, a tiny soft rabbit). Can you imagine?? Putting that kit together was so emotionally draining -- I wanted to hug him and never let go. I’m going to stop thinking about it now.

I have a few items in my own emergency bag that aren’t on these lists:

  • Advil
  • Strong sunscreen
  • Baseball hat
  • Running shoes (right before I would normally retire my exercise shoes, I rotate them in to the bag)
  • Tank top (doesn’t take a lot of room, but great for adding warmth underneath other layers)
  • Important paperwork on a Flash drive

In addition to having your emergency bag packed, it’s important to know what to do in an earthquake. Times change, and those protective moves you learned back in the day are probably not what they’re teaching kids to do now. Take it from someone who drove their child to tears during his first earthquake by yelling the now totally outdated "Get in the doorway!" while he was trying to get the family to "drop, cover and hold on" like he had been taught at preschool. That was a fun one. I am happy to report we are all now up-to-date on the current emergency responses and we’re feeling prepared. Bring on earthquake season!

 

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Are You Prepared for Disaster?

Recent events across the globe, including the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, tornadoes ravaging the midwest and Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana, have made us more hyper-aware of how sudden our comfortable lives can be devastated.  Whether we take that awareness and act on it, or just sit back and hope that it never happens to us, well that is up to the individual.  Face it, natural disasters can strike anywhere, and at any time, so it is incredibly important to have a plan, and be prepared.  It can seem overwhelming, but there are some great resources that provide tips, advice and ideas that you can implement in your family.

How To Prepare

Getting your kids involved early in discussion and planning can go a long way in relieving their anxiety over potential disaster, and forces the family to discuss their plans.  In the article Children and Emergencies: Preparing Your Family on iVillage, the author suggests ways in which you can start the conversation, as well as the crucial information kids need to know, such as phone numbers and how to deal with strangers. 

Also, Huffington Post has partnered with Laurie David on Family Dinner Downloads, which encourages families to sit down to dinner together and engage in discussion.  A new download comes every Friday, and a recent discussion prompt asked, Are You Prepared for a Natural Disaster?  It is a great conversation starter to begin your family’s plans for if disaster strikes, as well as how to help others in need. 

On NPR’s Talk of the Nation broadcast, a panel of experts shared their opinions about disaster preparedness, and The Most Effective Ways to Prepare for Disaster.  It is an audio recording of the broadcast, but also includes a written transcription.  In the discussion, they talk a lot about community readiness, and how communities can best prepare for the worst.  On April 28th, for example, is the Great Central U.S. Shakeout for states in the Midwest and South, while West Coast earthquake drills happen in October. 

Checklists, tools and supplies

One of the best resources out there to plan and prepare for natural disaster is FEMA.  You can read up based on various disasters, such as fire, earthquake, tornado, hurricane, terrorism and more.  Tips include planning, assembling supplies, seeking shelter and getting your children involved at the FEMA kids site. 

Another fantastic, and easy to use site is 72Hours.org, prepared by the city of San Francisco.  Clickable buttons on the website allow you to work through various categories, such as planning with your family and children, building a “go bag” and how to deal with pets.  One of the terrific resources is a printable PDF that you can use to map your neighborhood, come up with a community plan, and put together a neighborhood contact list with numbers as well as relevant skills each person has. 

Once you get a handle on how to plan, and what you need, you can start preparing your emergency kit.  There are many sites that sell prepared kits for families of 4 or more.   Amazon.com has several choices, including this Deluxe Backpack Kit, and Essential Packs specializes in emergency packs for home and auto.  Also, we really like REI’s selection of Emergency Kits that you can tailor to fit your needs. 

Ultimately, the key is to have a plan and the supplies to implement it.  Hopefully we've provided you with starting points for both.