Being “ready” is more than just having gear or backpacks or water put aside. “Ready” is a state of mind – and it’s something that everyone, regardless of location or income or family situation, can be.
My goal with this site is to help anybody who seeks to be just slightly more prepared for whatever may be. Whether it’s earthquakes, or fires, or economic distress/societal meltdowns, we can all do something to be ready. For me, being ready means that I have done whatever I can do in order to help protect my family in times of stress. It’s nothing more than that. And nothing less.
I’ll build this site to hold all manner of information but will start with some basics.
A few days ago, California experienced a series of large earthquakes culminating, so far, in the 7.1 magnitude temblor originating near Ridgecrest. In the days since, a few people have contacted me asking for information I had sent a while ago on “ready bags” and I imagine more people are thinking about the same things. It never hurts to be ready.
Here are a few basic tips:
- Have a plan. Having a plan means that you have talked with your family, the people that live in your house (ALL of them) about what to do in an earthquake or other emergency situation. We never know when an earthquake might happen – but we can know what we do when it does. Communicate the basic “Drop, Cover & Hold On” mantra for earthquakes to all of your family members.
- Gather. Have a plan on who/how/where/when gathers children, grandparents, etc., in the event of an earthquake. Also, include checking on elderly neighbors.
- Prepare your house. Keep a pair of shoes by or under your bed (& make sure all your family members have the same.) Earthquakes break things and getting up in the middle of the night to walk on broken glass is no one’s idea of a good time. In the past, the recommended number of days to be prepared for (without electricity, running water, etc.) was 3 days. Recently, most models updated that length to 14 days. This is a BIG difference. Do what you can.
- Prepare your vehicles. In the event of a large disruption, you may not be able to drive home. Have supplies in your vehicle, or in your office at work, that will give you the means to get home, without a car. You’ll need walking shoes, a backpack, some food and water, maybe a map, flashlight, some cash, etc. Think about what it would really take for you to walk home from somewhere you usually drive to. And if you often have kids with you, you need to think about them as well. Shoes, water, etc.
Preparing doesn’t necessarily mean you need a bunch of gear or a year’s worth of food. But here’s what we do know will help you feel better about facing the inevitable disruption than an earthquake will bring.
How long? How much? As I stated above, we used to teach that 3 days worth of supplies was enough. Recently, after running some real world scenario drills in Washington State and other places, it became very clear that 3 days was not nearly enough for some situations. The bottom line is: we don’t know. But, if you’re thinking about being prepared for 2 weeks without any support from any outside resources, we’re in the ballpark. Think of it this way: I’d probably live through 3 days of not having refills on my blood pressure meds. I would not make it through 2 weeks. It’s a different mindset to plan for a longer term deficit than scraping through a few days.
Water, Water, Water. We will never be able to store enough water to slake our thirst when “the big one” hits. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do what you can. Lucy Jones, the venerable seismologist in SoCal, believes that The Big One will sever all of Southern California’s aqueduct feeds and we will be without reliable running water for at least six months. It’s impossible to store six months worth of water needed by a family. But the more we all have on hand, the easier it will be to make it through those six months. Purchase a Life Straw for each of your family members. Or study up on other water purification/desalination techniques.
Food. Two weeks. And possibly without electricity or natural gas. Keep a camping stove on hand (also essential to boil water for drinking) and gas to power it. Purchase non-perishable, but edible, resources for your family. There’s no point in getting MRE’s for your toddler, or picky 6 yo, who would probably rather starve. Stock up on canned good and, importantly, rotate them into your regular food stock. Even canned goods go bad.
And, hi, I’m Keren. Feel free to get in touch here: