[lzuber]

[ezzpete]

i was hoping that if i didn't think about it, it won't happen.

[WWDREAMN]

Nope, not even a little bit prepared, never experianced a quake, not quite sure what to expect or how to prepare.

[Hillbillies]

We've got that number for nine one one posted on that thar fridge, so we's ready.

[KW]

We have EQ insurance, but that's about it. I had all of our supplies in easy to haul trash cans at one point, but when we moved and I checked them out, they were all out of date and had to be tossed.

I DO plan to get my stuff together again within the next few weeks - was hoping the big one doesn't come prior to summer when I had more time!

It is important to have an out-of-state number everyone can carry with them. Local lines may be down, and it's nice to call someone (relative, friends) out of state and share where you are and how you are with your family. It's very easy to get separated and not be able to catch up with each other without that call.

[LasPulgas]

EARTHQUAKE TRUE STORY  

January 17, 1994 4:17 A.M. Northridge, California  

As a native Californian I have managed to experience some big 'uns....

Most notably, we found out that the house we were living in was on top of the (until then unknown) NORTHRIDGE FAULT LINE.  This was NOT a nice surprise at 4:17 a.m., nor would it be at ANY time!  

Our pool dumped the top 3 feet of water out... now that is an amazing thing to see happen (of course we did not see that until a later earthquake that occurred during daylight hours).  

The house sounded like a train rushing headlong into a glass factory... You can not imagine how much glass you have in your house until you experience one of these events!  

KEEP SHOES AT YOUR BEDSIDE THAT YOU CAN FIND IN THE DARK!!!

We had a 20 gallon fishtank crash over onto the TV.  

The TV in the bedroom joined us IN BED and would have broken our legs EXCEPT we had been spun completely sideways in a waterbed with satin sheets.  But we did clonk our heads pretty good on the sideboards and we couldn't get out of the bed with the slippery sheets.  

DON'T KEEP ANYTHING HEAVY OVER THE HEAD OF YOUR BED!!

Our stove marched across the kitchen where it crashed into the fridge.  All the cupboards emptied themselves onto the floor.

Our one ton 1977 Dodge van jumped up on top of our 12 inch curb out front of the house and dropped it's drive shaft.  

The electrical transformers blew so there was no electricity and no street lights.

Telephone service was shut down at daybreak for some reason.

We tried to sleep on the lawn but it was like a herd of buffalo kept running under us and throwing us up into the air.  

Packs of dogs ran screaming up and down the street, lost, because the walls that had always kept them in their yards had gone down and they did not know where they lived.

We turned our gas off at the meter.... and then couldn't get it turned back on for a month because everyone else had done the same thing and the gas company just didn't have enough employees to get the job done.

The Northridge Quake was initially given a 7.2 rating.

When area homeowners began their exodus out of the area the Richter rating was mysteriously lowered to 6.8.  I think they did this in an attempt to maintain the property values.  No luck.... Northridge was perhaps as much as 30% vacant with condemned and abandoned  houses for a year or two...

Some damaged properties are STILL tied up in litigation with insurance companies that went bankrupt or defaulted on payments due.

Until the banks finally dropped the prices enough to sell them, the empty houses were attracting squatters and gangs.

OH WHAT FUN THESE SHAKERS ARE!!!!   Fun.  Right.  

Earlier this year I found out that my house here in WW is practically on top of the San Andreas Fault Line in the San Gabriel Mountains.  

Yeehaw....      I'M STILL NOT LEAVIN' WRIGHTWOOD.

[lzuber]

I'm in the process of getting us ready again.  It seems you get ready, then time goes by and your stored things become outdated.  Eventually you use all the bandaids in your kit for a summer's worth of scraped knees, you scavenge the blankets, clothes and other things, and then finally trash gets thrown in the earthquake bin.

So I'm officially adding getting prepared as another summer project.

Here's what I'm doing.....

Getting a new trashcan and filling it with the holey blankets that I am about to throw out, bandaids, a change of clothes for each of us, first aid supplies, general medicines like Advil, and some long storing food supplies AND a can opener.

I'll get the flashlights back near each bed and in specific parts of the house....with working batteries.

The bedside drawers will also get a crowbar.  (I remember in Northridge reading that many people got trapped in their bedrooms for a time because their doors were just tweaked enough not to open.)

I'll  pack a small bag for each vehicle with a blanket, some water packs and a few cheapy granola bars, a crowbar and some first aid supplies.  

I'll get some gallon water bottles to have on hand.

I'll also clear a path to the camping gear and get the lantern where I can reach it and tape the matches onto the base.

And I'll make sure that there's a clear path to every exit each night free of shoes, laundry baskets, and clutter.  This is a good thing anyway due to fire, but I'll redouble my efforts on this.

And I'll try to remember the shoe thing.  I had heard that was a problem for a lot of people in Northridge.

I found the water main switch, and will find the gas shut off, but I'll try and remember NOT to turn it off unless I have to.  That was a HUGE problem in Northridge.

I'll keep the cell phone charged so that if there's a tower working I will be able to use it for emergency calls.  And I think I'll spend 20 minutes loading more phone numbers onto the cell so that I'll have them if I need them.

Still can't decide about earthquake insurance.  It seems so expensive and I just can't imagine that they would actually be solvent should the big one hit.

Oh, and here's a funny idea I heard once....put a Bible and a bottle of booze in your earthquake kit.  In case of the Big One, you may want one or both.  

Laura

[WWDREAMN]

Well, it sounds like you will be really ready, how about just adding enough for five more and we will just come to your place .

Thanks for the list, it gives me a place to start, and a reason to wonder if I wouldn't rather have stayed in tornado country at least you usually get a warning about those.

[lzuber]

I'll help you if you need more ideas.  If I'm prepared, it's off my mind.  It's getting caught without being ready that freaks me out!

Let me know if you need more ideas.

Laura

[TableMtn]

We had a discussion about earthquake safety at work just last week!  One of our empoyees stated he had purchased pre-prepared kits (someone else said you can buy them at Sports Chalet or Big 5 Sporting goods) that has all the supplies needed like a crank radio, flashlights, emergency food rations, etc. You can get individual or for 4 people packs.  You do need to keep a fresh water supply.  We are thinking of going to costco and getting some flats of drinking water.  Does anyone know how long bottled water lasts?  

We are also in the process of using the "quakehold" products to secure our NUMEROUS bookshelves to the wall, and we have already used their picture hanging products to hang all of our pictures.  They won't come off the wall in a minor shaker....

[clint]

Most important home preparedness tasks:

1.  Be sure your water heater is strapped to the wall at the studs.
2.  Attach all large, tall, or heavy furniture to the walls. Securely.
3.  Your bed should not be directly under a window. If it has to be, coat the window in  
    clear film that is designed to make it shatter proof.
4.  Install baby safety locks on cabinet doors that contain heavy items or breakable
    items.
5.  Attach a wrench, with a light chain to your gas meter. Know how to turn it off. Know
    when to turn to it off. Only if you smell gas. Don't just shut it off because of a little  
    temblor.
6.  All fire departments now strongly advise against the use of candles, and Propane or
   gas lanterns after an earthquake. Have flashlights on hand. Stash lot's of Cyulume
   chemical light sticks around the house. You can even tape one to your gas meter and
   one inside your circuit breaker panel.


I'll post some more info on different preparedness topics in the future.

[Wrightwood]

[Chesslike]

.

I'm not able to find an expiration date on a new case of Costco (Kirkland) water  

But there is a best by date that is printed toward the bottom of the bottle in white ink. It is two years from the date it was bottled.

[Wrightwood]

BostonBob,
I agree that a best by date would normally be printed but I just checked another bottle out of the same case and it does not have that statement. There is a couple series of numbers in white but they are not a date  

[AntiFltLndrs]

I just rotate my water bottles from Sparklettes.That way I am never concerned that they will expire.  I always try to have two 5 gallon water jugs available just in case of an emergency in addition to the Kirkland water I buy from Costco.

[Wrightwood]

We keep 2 - 55 gallon plastic drums outside filled with water for emergencies. Once a year the drums are emptied and used to water trees. When refilled we place 1-2 oz of chlorine bleach and then add water.

[Nolena]

We also have a 55 gallon drum outside. We keep a wrench where we can get to it for turning off the gas line.
Last big earthquake, we checked the weekender house next door, discovered a gas leak, and were able to turn it off.
We also keep our motor home stocked and gassed up incase we need to live in it.

[Wrightwood]

Time to shake this topic a little.

[clint]

Okay. How about a little pet prep.

Do you have a container for your pet/s? One for each pet. Not just small enough to take to the vet, but one with a little room for the pet to move around?

Shelters do not accept pets! You may have to manage your animals for a few days on your own, then they may have to go a friends home or a pet shelter. Take advantage of the opportunity at Wildfire/Disaster Awareness day to have your pet "chipped". They inject a tiny little RFID chip under your pets skin and all shelters can read the chip and return your pet to you if you're separated.

Have your pets carrier ready with a blanket and a water and food bowl, any pet medications they may need, even if your pet dos not normally need tranquilizers, having some in the pet disaster box could be a good idea. Trying to manage a stressed out, frightened animal when you're stressed out and frightened is just one more issue to deal with. And obviously have a rotated back stock of pet food.

And of course WATER! When you are planning water for the family, don't forget to increase the amount enough to water your pets. You may find that a large dog, in summer, drinks more than you do in a day!

If you have horses you should have a spare halter for each horse with a brass tag attached to the halter, with your name and address and cell phone number stamped in it. And this should hang on the stall gate.
If a fire is approaching rapidly and they must be let out they can be identified.

[BikingBrian]

Wrightwood posted this in another topic:

5.25 gallons of water per person - per day is needed for basic needs.
That's 73 gallons per person for 14 days.

During a major quake the water service in this community will be completely down for an extended period of time. What water might be available will be needed for fire fighting due to the number of anticipated structure fires.

Every household should be properly storing enough water for at least 7-10 days. You can get by with a shortage of food but you can't fake your way through a shortage of water.

When I first read this, I was wondering how the heck you can store that much water!  I was thinking the water heater at first, but that's only a drop in the bucket at 40 gallons.  I noticed the 55 gallon drum idea above.  Where can you get those?  I'm concerned that in a quake, the 55 gallon drums will start rolling!  Also, could the drums get ruptured during a quake?

I assume the scenario is that all access in and out of town is cut off and we have to survive on our own without outside assistance?