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Ready for the Big One
Oct. 25th, 2008 13:14I tend to think of October as earthquake "season", so I just finished refreshing our earthquake supplies, as it was overdue.
It gives me a renewed sense of just how solidly prepared we are. I'm still missing some clothing for my dad, and we don't have quite enough water (that will be corrected in the next few weeks), but if the absolute worst happens and the house is totaled, we will have everything we need and then some. Lots of food. All sorts of utility stuff, from matches and flashlights to fasteners, first aid, aluminum foil, and gloves. Clothing for summer and winter. Sleeping bags for 4. Between that and the contents of the shop and tool shed, we could not only take care of ourselves for a week or more, but help out the neighbors a bit too.
The reason I have to plan as though the house doesn't exist is that only half the house is bolted to the foundation; the rest is inaccessible from the crawlspace (we talked to a couple of experts about it). It's conceivable that should we sustain a 7.5 or higher, the house would slide off and either split down the middle and collapse, or become so structurally unsound that it was not safe to enter. Therefore, we plan for the worst-case scenario, where we have no access to spare clothing, medicines, or equipment stored in the house.
I think we can handle that. After Katrina, we extended the minimum supply time from 5 days to 7, and that can still be stretched if necessary. Widespread fire is not likely in our irrigated suburb. Evacuation is less likely than shelter-in-place. We still have a go-bag, just in case. All five tubs are mouseproof, raccoon-proof, rainproof, and can be tossed into the back of a pickup.
The refresh supplies cost about $125, and about half of the old ones went into our cupboards for routine use. I'll check it again next year.
It gives me a renewed sense of just how solidly prepared we are. I'm still missing some clothing for my dad, and we don't have quite enough water (that will be corrected in the next few weeks), but if the absolute worst happens and the house is totaled, we will have everything we need and then some. Lots of food. All sorts of utility stuff, from matches and flashlights to fasteners, first aid, aluminum foil, and gloves. Clothing for summer and winter. Sleeping bags for 4. Between that and the contents of the shop and tool shed, we could not only take care of ourselves for a week or more, but help out the neighbors a bit too.
The reason I have to plan as though the house doesn't exist is that only half the house is bolted to the foundation; the rest is inaccessible from the crawlspace (we talked to a couple of experts about it). It's conceivable that should we sustain a 7.5 or higher, the house would slide off and either split down the middle and collapse, or become so structurally unsound that it was not safe to enter. Therefore, we plan for the worst-case scenario, where we have no access to spare clothing, medicines, or equipment stored in the house.
I think we can handle that. After Katrina, we extended the minimum supply time from 5 days to 7, and that can still be stretched if necessary. Widespread fire is not likely in our irrigated suburb. Evacuation is less likely than shelter-in-place. We still have a go-bag, just in case. All five tubs are mouseproof, raccoon-proof, rainproof, and can be tossed into the back of a pickup.
The refresh supplies cost about $125, and about half of the old ones went into our cupboards for routine use. I'll check it again next year.
