#13,592
The lessons of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria and Michael - is that disasters can and do happen - only the timing is up for grabs. The United States went more than 11 years without a land falling CAT 3 storm (2005-2017), but has now been pummeled by 4 Major hurricanes within the span of 14 months.
Similarly, the United States has been in a prolonged major earthquake drought (see California’s other drought: A major earthquake is overdue). One that will surely end some day.While the `big one' in California (see Dr. Lucy Jones: `Imagine America Without Los Angeles’) is the best known threat, half of all Americans live in seismically active zones (see #NatlPrep: Half Of All Americans Need An Earthquake Plan).
- Two years ago FEMA and the U.S. government conducted a huge drill (see FEMA: Cascadia Rising 2016) involving 20,000 people from both the United States and Canada, in order to prepare for a catastrophic M9.0 quake & tsunami off the Pacific coast.
- And in 2011 – during the bicentennial of the four great New Madrid earthquakes of 1811-12 – FEMA and other federal agencies mounted the largest National Level Exercise (NLE) to that date, revolving around a catastrophic earthquake occurring in the New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ) that would involve eight Central U.S. States.
All of which makes it imperative that families and businesses have not only a plan and the supplies on hand to withstand the aftermath of a large earthquake, but also know what to do while the earthquake is happening.Starting 11 years ago with a fairly modest Great Southern California Shakeout Drill, ShakeOut.org has promoted earthquake awareness, preparedness, and safety in scores of regions across the country and around the world, and will do so again next week (on October 18th) in 2018's Great Shakeout Earthquake Drill.
While tens of millions take part each year, far too many do not. I would urge you to take part, even if you don’t live in a high-risk seismic region.
The reason?You might just find yourself visiting an earthquake susceptible area someday, and need to know what to do during a quake (see Earthquake Safety Video Series).
No matter where you live, FEMA, Ready.gov, and other agencies urge that everyone have - at a bare minimum - a well thought out disaster and family communications plan, along with a good first aid kit, a `bug-out bag’, and sufficient emergency supplies to last at least 72 hours.
But in a major disaster, you may very well wish you’d done more.Frankly, having supplies for you and your family to last 10 days to 2 weeks isn't unreasonable. If your region were struck today by an earthquake or some other disaster, do you already have?
- A battery operated NWS Emergency Radio to find out what was going on, and to get vital instructions from emergency officials
- A decent first-aid kit, so that you can treat injuries
- Enough non-perishable food and water on hand to feed and hydrate your family (including pets) for the duration
- A way to provide light when the grid is down.
- A way to cook safely without electricity
- A way to purify or filter water
- A way to stay cool (fans) or warm when the power is out.
- A small supply of cash to use in case credit/debit machines are not working
- An emergency plan, including meeting places, emergency out-of-state contact numbers, a disaster buddy, and in case you must evacuate, a bug-out bag
- Spare supply of essential prescription medicines that you or your family may need
- A way to entertain yourself, or your kids, during a prolonged blackout
According to FEMA: 60% Of Americans Are Not Practicing For Disasters. My heartfelt advice: Don't be one of them.
As you work to better prepare your home, business, and family to deal with an earthquake (or any other major disaster), I would If I would strongly encourage you to visit ShakeOut.org and to take part in next week’s drill.For more on earthquakes, and earthquake preparedness, you may wish to revisit:
California Quakes : Concrete Concerns
Estimating The Economic Impact Of A San Andreas Quake
