# 1065
Although the focus of this blog has been almost exclusively avian flu, the underlying message has always been the need for personal preparedness.
This morning we are just getting some details on the 7.9 magnitude earthquake that struck Peru last night. The situation in Ica, a city of 650,000 very near the epicenter of the quake, is said to be `dramatic'.
The numbers will undoubtedly change as the day progresses, but right now more than 115 are reported dead, and 1000 injured.
Powerful Earthquake in Peru Kills 115
Aug 16 04:14 AM US/Eastern
By MONTE HAYES
Associated Press Writer
LIMA, Peru (AP) - A powerful 7.9-magnitude earthquake shook Peru's coast near the capital, killing at least 115 people and injuring more than 1,000 others, the country's health minister said early Thursday.
Speaking on radio stations Radioprogramas and CPN, Health Minister Carlos Vallejos gave the latest toll of victims and said he was trying to reach the city of Ica, the hardest hit by the quake.
Earlier, Deputy Health Minister Jose Calderon called the situation "dramatic" in Ica, a city of 650,000 people located 165 miles southeast of the capital.
He encouraged Peruvians to donate blood for the injured and said a convoy of doctors and nurses was headed to the Ica area. News reports said dozens of people were crowding hospitals in the city seeking help even though the hospitals had suffered cracks and other structural damage.
Last night it was Peru, but today, or tomorrow it could be Los Angeles or Seattle. How well anyone in a disaster fares can depend upon how well prepared they are. Surprisingly, very few people who live in earthquake zones are adequately prepared.
And this being mid-August, the tropics are once again heating up, and Hurricane Dean is racing towards the Caribbean at breakneck speed. Exactly where this storm will end up is impossible to tell, but it should begin threatening populated areas tomorrow.
The point being, if you were prepared for a pandemic, with at least 2 weeks (and hopefully more) food and water in your home, an emergency radio and lights, and a few other necessities . . . you'd be pretty well prepared for a hurricane, or an earthquake, or for another other disaster that might befall your family.
With a pandemic, and a hurricane, you can expect at least a little warning. Not so with an earthquake, or a tornado, or even a terrorist attack.
Life can change in the blink of an eye.
It pays to be prepared in advance.
