Natural Disaster Preparedness

With the various natural disasters we have in our nation there are those who are left with nothing but the clothes on their backs and thankful their still alive.

Shelters and emergency services become overwhelmed as the hours and days pass by. We as a nation rush to their aid providing their basic needs.

Those of us who live in these areas that have suffered through natural disasters have learned to be prepared as best we can and hope we survive the ordeal.

Living in California one must be prepared for an earthquake at all times for our earthquakes follow no season.

I have all the regular essentials such as a first aid kit, radio, flashlight and such but after the 1989 earthquake and what happened to my own home I decided I needed to make some changes.

We were lucky in that our home was still standing and had no major structural damages however; every item in my home that could possibly break was broken. We had shattered glass and debris everywhere. Unable to go back into our home until the aftershocks subsided and the many hours of clean up we decided to stay in our motorcycle trailer in the back of our lot.

3 days we stayed in the trailer trying to clean up the mess. It was in those 3 days I realized that my family really was not prepared. After giving it thought and all the loss on the news I began my new earthquake list.

I have listed below what my new kit entails.

· 3 large sturdy plastic bins (used to protect our supplies).

· 1 30 gallon new garbage can used for our water (3 tablespoons bleach added) Rotate no more than 6 months with fresh water.

· Camping gear complete with tent/sleeping bags and cooking utensils (paper plates/plastic silverware included).

· Baby wipes and items needed for personal hygiene.

· Food supplies (enough for 1 week) rotate canned goods when re-furbishing water.

· Several Items of clothing (warm and cold weather).

· Tools complete with small shovel and hammer.

· Weber or some means of cooking.

· Any necessary copies of papers that you may need.

· Portable potty.

I keep all our kit items in our bins and have them placed safely away from any structures. In the event we have another earthquake like that of 89 we now will have the bare necessities.

I knew I had to do my part to try and provide for my family but more than that it allows those who may need the shelters a place for them and their family.