SFist Cares ... About Being Prepared

SFist Rita is kind of right - it should be easier to find an emergency kit. Target does sell them, if your politics allow you to pick one up there. If not, maybe it'll be helped by knowing that $10 from each purchase (they sell for $29.99) goes to the Red Cross. That's not a bad place to start, but you're probably better off spending some time really putting together something that works for you, and you can probably do it more cheaply assembling all of the items yourself.

September is supposed to be "National Preparedness Month". We've been out of school now for something like ten years but we still miss buying school supplies and figure this is a great place to transfer our fall shopping urges. Instead of pencil cases and TrapperKeepers, we're going to stock up on bottled water and batteries while we wait for bigtime disaster number three to hit. Or, more likely, a simple apartment fire. The kind of preparing you do for a major earthquake will also come in handy when your stoner friend drops the roach and your underwear goes up in flames.

SF's Office of Emergency Services does have a very good resource for you in 72hours.org where they explain the different kinds of disasters that can befall you here and how to prepare for them. Plus, they each have adorable little icons! We aren't going to re-iterate all the details here - they provide handy checklists, but we want to point out some things you might not immediately think about in preparing for a major disaster.

Link: 72hours.org

More below and jump into the comments and let us know how you've prepared - what are your tips?

First, have a plan and include in that plan where you'll go and where your family will meet up when disaster hits. It's very unlikely you'll all be in the same place so everyone needs to know where they can go to meet up with each other. You should have a place in your neighbourhood as well as a place outside the region (SFist is going to Vegas because we think we'll need a few free drinks if it gets that bad).

If you have pets, you need to account for them in your plan. We've seen the utter heartbreak of starving animals in New Orleans and it shouldn't have to be that way but the fact is that shelters will not take your animals. So you need to find a place for them to stay if you can't be at home. Many disaster plans suggest you find a neighbour who may be able to take charge of your animals if you aren't at home so you aren't forced to come back home before you can evacuate, if you even can get back home. It goes without saying that you should have your animal micro-chipped so you can be reunited most easily.

Link: SF ACC Pet Disaster Plan

Heck, talking to your neighbours about what they've got planned and how you might work together is probably not a bad idea even if you don't have pets. Better yet, join up with them and get some NERT training.

You should also be aware of what the planned response would be in your area - what can you expect (though maybe the word might be "hope") the various levels of government might do in a disaster. What resources are available to you and how should you go about accessing them? Talk to your workplace - are you considered essential personnel? Will you have to stay at work, or go to the office if an emergency happens? What plans do they have to provide for you if you have to stay, or in the immediate aftermath of an earthquake. Information is power, but be aware that what you think should happen probably won't happen in exactly that way.

Link: City of SF Emergency Plan

Take a look around your home and your office. If the ground starts to move what's going to conk you on the head (SFist is going to be crippled by dozens of art books foolishly stored on high bookcases) and where is the safest place in each room for you to stand? Tip: It is probably not in the doorway. Under a table is a better choice. Your homeowner's or renter's insurance policy will most likely not cover you in the event of an earthquake (you'll need a separate policy) so re-consider where you store your valuables and how they're secured.

Next, you need to assemble your kit. Again, plenty of great checklists exist for this but please also consider these tips:

Your kit is supposed to allow you to survive on your own for 72 hours, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to have it work for longer than that. Emergency response just ain't what it used to be.

Link:
Ready.gov checklists

You need a kit for your home, your work and your car, if you use one. Your work kit should include comfortable walking shoes. Public transportation is often disrupted in an emergency and it would suck to have to walk from the Financial District to your apartment in the Outer Sunset in your work-appropriate heels. At home you should have shoes in a bag under your bed with the bag handles tied around the bed's leg so it can be easily reached in the middle of the night. That's a great tip and we never would have throught of it! See how peacefully you'll sleep knowing you have shoes at the ready?

Your kit should have two elements - the emergency provisions themselves which will include food and water as well as a go-bag that you can take with you if you need to evacuate. Maybe we just have a fetish but everything should be packed away in ziplocks to keep them watertight (sprinkers might go on or a water main might break). A flashlight is an essential item, but we think that a camping headlight could be even more handy as it'll keep your hands free. And putting your go-bag contents in a rolling dufflebag, or backpack, seems like a smart idea. We can't imagine walking any distance hauling a suitcase.

If you do have to evacuate, you should have maps of your planned routes with you but realize that you may have to find an alternate route depending on the destruction in your way. If you have a car, keep at least half a tank of gas in it at all times; if you don't have a car, plan for how you will evacuate. Leave a note saying where you plan to go and how to contact you there in case people come looking for you at home.

Your kit should include copies of all your important documents as well as enough cash to get you through the first few days as banking services may be disrupted and, if things are serious enough, you won't be picking up a paycheque for a while. You should also consider sending a copy of all the documents to a trusted relative or friend out of state, in an area unlikely to be affected. If you lose your originals or your own copies (think: fire) you'll want them to be able to get you that information quickly. You need essential medication as well - and remember that you'll need to replace it periodically as it expires. Finally, include a recent photo of you and your family - it'll help identify people if you get separated. This out-of-state contact should be someone that all your family members know about and know how to contact - when you each get safe you should check in with them. They probably have a clear phone line and access to news and other information they can relay to you.

So now you're prepared. The last thing you need to do is wait. When it hits, drop, take cover and hold on. And then follow your plan! SFist really hopes you'll be safe.

SFist Cares ... About Being Prepared

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