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Aerial view of the destruction in the city of L'Aquila, central Italy, Monday, April 6, 2009. A powerful earthquake in mountainous central Italy knocked down whole blocks of buildings early Monday as residents slept, killing more than 90 people in the country's deadliest quake in nearly three decades, officials said. Tens of thousands were homeless and 1,500 were injured. (AP Photo/Guardia Forestale, HO)
A 6.3 earthquake killed more than 150 people in central Italy, making it the deadliest quake to hit the country in nearly three decades. According to reports, 10,000 to 15,000 buildings were either damaged or destroyed and about 100,000 people have been left homeless in the medieval city of L'Aquila.
Italy's misery should remind you to get prepared. Now. Today. After work. Soon.
How? Well, you can start by checking out 72hours.org. They can tell you what you need to do for pre- and post-earthquake preparation. But the simplest way to start getting ready is by making an emergency kit. And would you look at that, 72hours tells you exactly how to do it.
After a major disaster the usual services we take for granted, such as running water, refrigeration, and telephones, may be unavailable. Experts recommend that you should be prepared to be self-sufficient for at least three days. Store your household disaster kit in an easily accessible location. Put contents in a large, watertight container (e.g. a large plastic garbage can with a lid and wheels) that you can move easily.Your basic emergency kit should include:
* Water - one gallon per person per day
* Food - ready to eat or requiring minimal water
* Manual can opener and other cooking supplies
* Plates, utensils and other feeding supplies
* First Aid kit & instructions
* A copy of important documents & phone numbers
* Warm clothes and rain gear for each family member.
* Heavy work gloves
* Disposable camera
* Unscented liquid household bleach and an eyedropper for water purification
* Personal hygiene items including toilet paper, feminine supplies, hand sanitizer and soap
* Plastic sheeting, duct tape and utility knife for covering broken windows
* Tools such as a crowbar, hammer & nails, staple gun, adjustable wrench and bungee cords.
* Blanket or sleeping bag
* Large heavy duty plastic bags and a plastic bucket for waste and sanitation
* Any special-needs items for children, seniors or people with disabilities. Don’t forget water and supplies for your pets.
A component of your disaster kit is your Go-bag. Put the following items together in a backpack or another easy to carry container in case you must evacuate quickly. Prepare one Go-bag for each family member and make sure each has an I.D. tag. You may not be at home when an emergency strikes so keep some additional supplies in your car and at work, considering what you would need for your immediate safety.
* Flashlight
* Radio - battery operated
* Batteries
* Whistle
* Dust mask
* Pocket knife
* Emergency cash in small denominations and quarters for phone calls
* Sturdy shoes, a change of clothes, and a warm hat
* Local map
* Some water and food
* Permanent marker, paper and tape
* Photos of family members and pets for re-identification purposes
* List of emergency point-of -contact phone numbers
* List of allergies to any drug (especially antibiotics) or food
* Copy of health insurance and identification cards
* Extra prescription eye glasses, hearing aid or other vital personal items
* Prescription medications and first aid supplies
* Toothbrush and toothpaste
* Extra keys to your house and vehicle
* Any special-needs items for children, seniors or people with disabilities. Don’t forget to make a Go-bag for your pets.
Oh, and you should also make a plan before the big one hits. Seriously.
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Great advice. I have done absolutely nothing to prepare, and just pure lazy that I have not done so.
Thank you. This is a really good reminder.
Note that water is at the top of the list ... you can do without food for awhile, but water is pretty important. Don't forget the free training provided by the San Francisco Fire Department - http://www.sfgov.org/sffdnert Do I really have to convince you to spend time with firemen besides the whole learn to stay alive after an earthquake stuff? :)
being a nert is awesome! seriously, everyone should take the course, you meet awesome people in your neighborhood and participate in real life saving drills (i was a medic and i fully support what nert will do to help alleviate the emergency responders)
While I have most of this covered, I feel like these suggestions are best tailored for someone in a single family home or at least a large dwelling.
I don't, for example, have room for a "large, watertight container" like a garbage can on wheels. Unless of course I plan to make it a piece of furniture or large obstacle/conversation piece. Does anyone know if the Red Cross or some other organization has specific suggestions for those of us who live in a tight space, either alone or with fellow sardines? Any tips on where I should stow that crowbar?
you can start getting the pieces together without needing too much space. You can probably fit a few gallons of water underneath a sink. Canned food is easy to store, too.
Things such as copies of medical, financial, personal documents take up virtually no space.
Another thing that's good to have is CASH. If there is any interruption in ATM/credit cards, you probably won't be able to get any cash right when you need it.
Oh yeah, I have most of it (4 gallons of water person, for instance), I just don't have every single last bit of it in one place. I already have moolah squirreled away somewhere I've always thought terribly clever.
I was thinking more about the bucket, the fact that my sleeping bag only fits in my closet, the fact that I can't put a garbage can full of supplies in the living room, etc.
Luckily, my building was built in 2004, so I feel pretty safe structurally-speaking.
Actually it would simply be nice to have cash at all. Having even $20 stored away somewhere would imply that I've actually been able to have that much money in my wallet at any point over the past three or four years.
The problem I've always had with these lists is that they seem to be oriented towards all the things it would be nice to have, but tend to overdo it. A list of the essential things you really need to have -- not to mention the additional little "go-bag" -- is really the hardest thing to find.
A lot of this will fit into a storage crate. If you have a closet full of crates of stuff, just make one of them the quake crate.
This list is somewhat ridiculous (a staple gun? really?).
What you really need is water. Everyone needs water. Store a couple of gallons under the kitchen sink and you're good.
Nice thing about living in 'earthquake country', it just happens then you survive or don't and deal with it. At least it's not like waiting for the 'hurricane' to hit in a week.
That said the one thing most people think about but in the wrong way. Have your personal ID in your wallet. ID card, Birth Certificate, Social Security Card, Insurance etc, etc... if they are in a Bank Security Box and that Bank collapses on it. When you need your personal pieces of paper that prove you are who you say you are... and can't get to them. To bad so sad, move to the back of the line till you can prove you are who you say you are.
I think above all else, count on not having any city services for at least a few days. It's not guaranteed there will be PD/FD around, so you need to prepared to survive on your own. It's a way of thinking versus just having a shitload of tools, water and food.
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Have someone outside of the bay area who you and your fam can call so everyone knows that everyone is ok
Extra cell phone batteries
Scan copies of all your important documents and save them on a keychain thumb drive that you can keep on your person and mail them off to some relative you trust
There are tons of simple things you can do, you just need to think about it.
Does having a collection of Jesus candles and gaudy statues of Mary count as preparedness?
Another important thing to remember is that you should have a similar emergency kit at work, particularly if you work on the opposite side of the bay from which you live. Even if the Bay Bridge and the BART tube somehow aren't damaged they will be closed for at least a few days for inspections. If they are damaged (extremely likely) then you are looking at weeks or months or more where the only way to cross the bay is by ferry.
Same thing if you live east of the hills in the East Bay. BART structures and the freeway tunnels will need at least a few days of inspections before anything moves through them again.