What Else Do I Need?

WHAT DO YOU HAVE RIGHT NOW?

Look around in your garage and see about what you have right now if the earthquake happened in the next 30 minutes. How well would your family fare through it?

We made our home Earthquake Prep Kit years ago, what else could we possibly need?  Recalling the Hurricane Katrina catastrophe, the Christchurch, New Zealand earthquake of February 22, 2011 and the devastating Sendai, Japan Earthquake and Tsunami and Nuclear Reactor breaches at Fukishima Japan March 11, 2011 prompts us to consider what else we must get now, before a catastrophic emergency happens in our own lives.

Here are some suggestions for what to think about when creating or updating your family earthquake preparations:

PLYWOOD

Do you have enough plywood full sheets  on hand already at home to cover your broken windows, missing walls, and the fallen chimney if you had one? The local Home Depot or Lowes store won't have it when you try to get "just a few sheets" .

Everyone will be trying to get a few sheets. 

BATTERIES

How about batteries? The same rule of thumb goes for batteries - AAA - to size D or whatever size you need for a portable transistor type radio,  walkie-talkie use,  flashlights, battery operated lanterns. Find out what sizes you need to run the devices you expect to need to use - and add in some extras of each size you will use. Do it today while you are thinking about it! 

Reminder: Store the batteries in a ziplock bag in your earthquake kit, not installed in the device. The batteries will last longer this way as they are not discharging as much if not "in" the device.

SHELTER

If your car is not big enough to sleep in, in an emergency, do you have any kind of camping tent or shelter to sleep in if your house is so badly damaged that you cannot sleep inside safely ?  Got any spare rain tarps? Rain tarps are always one of the first things to sell out when a storm is predicted. Earthquakes are not reliably predictable, take your cue....

MONEY

Do you have money out of the ATM or bank - in small bills if the electronic money handling systems are out of service for an extended length of time? 

DISABLED?  LET YOUR CLOSEST FIRE DEPT. KNOW

Have you notified your local Fire Department in writing if you have a frail or elderly, or disabled or special-needs person in your family so they know where to look first if they have to assist in an emergency evacuation?

Earthquake Prep For Birdkeepers

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    Updating your Home Eq Preparations - Must Have Items

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