Prepare My Home and Family for an Earthquake, or any other disaster that comes along

Now that I have a home with stairs, we decided to purchase a fire ladder for the home! I want to purchase one more in the very near future so we have one in each bedroom.

• pad of paper
• pen
• bottles of water
• crackers
• cans of tuna
• bandages
• saline solution
• radio
• toothbrush
• candle
• tissues
• matches
• baby wipes

And, uh, the passports when I can find them again. And here I was making fun of Todd…

There is currently a flashlight next to my bed that has lasted in that position for several days now although one day I did find it partially dismantled on the floor next to the bedside table…

Lastly, I did talk to Sophie and Will one afternoon about where to go and what to do in the event of an earthquake. This is definitely a talk that will have to be repeated on a regular basis. I mean, if any of you has or has had a 4 year old boy, you know he’s not really listening to anything you say. I just hope that either repeating it over and over again will have an impact or that something will sink in so that if he does have to use what he’s been told, it all comes rushing to the forefront of memory. Silly kid.

I asked Todd about this. He was kind of dismissive. I mean, I was imagining worst-case scenario such as every building demolished, no electricity/water/cell phone down, just being lucky that everyone is safe. He suggested making sure we get the bank book but I dismissed that b/c what will we need with money in my worst-case scenario?! I don’t know. I still think the passports are the most important thing to have.
I have a box that will have the passports and a flashlight and maybe a bottle of water in it. We’ll put this in the shoe closet by the front door. Also, a flashlight next to my bed. I am trying to imagine every situation that might occur: day or night, weather etc.
The only thing left is to talk to the kids about it, and about what they should do. Reviewing CIAGW’s drills with her kids, I think we’ll practice that this afternoon since Sophie and Will are home for fall break. Should the kids wait inside though? or head out if they can? And what about the schools? I’m sure they have a system worked out…

I was all set to come tackle this goal today but it seems more difficult than I’d thought. I had originally thought that I’d have “important” papers at the end of the file drawer and maybe even a bottle of water and a flashlight back there so that if needed, all those items were together and easily grab-able. Really, here, if I just have our passports together, I think that is most important.
My cell phone is always by the front door b/c that’s the kind of person I am. I keep it in the same place. Todd’s rings and no one can find it.
So anyway, I hope to spend some time today determining what papers we would need for grab-and-go and then report back later…

After this morning, I guess we should really take this seriously.

I have launched into the building of my Emergency Notebook.

Purchased a pretty binder, and dividers and divided into the following sections:

Proof of ID
Property Records
Insurance Policies
Medical Info
Financial Records
Estate Planning
Other (Emergency Contacts, Photos, Emergency Instructions)

I have begun scanning copies of important documents that would be needed in a grab and go or other situation. That way I have everything in one place.

That hot water tank looks pretty tippy in an earthquake. And if it tips, then the gas line goes and so does our shelter. I’ve had trouble finding the proper straps but hubby was at the hardware store and saw they had just stocked a kit ($20) and purchased one, installed it the same night. It took about 15 minutes and the instructions on the box were very clear.

I also reviewed the kids shoes, made sure they were still in place by the beds and reminded the kids of the plan for an earthquake at night.

Next step: buy a new wheelie garbage can and find a place for it. This will be for loading earthquake supplies into so that they will be in one waterproof container that has some portability.

First off, sorry everyone I haven’t done any entries here for a while.

Of course everyone knows that the phones will get jammed after an earthquake. I had a meeting last night with my parents, brother and sisters family. We all got phone numbers for my aunt who lives in another province and are keeping them in our wallets. So are all the spouses. Here’s what I told everyone:

• After an earthquake, check your landline phone to make sure it is “hung-up”. If its off the hook that adds to the stress on the phone system.
• Once you and the people around you are safe, phone the out of town contact. My mum has already talked to her and she knows if there’s something on the news she should be home coordinating people, letting everyone know who has reported in as “ok”.
• Keep a copy of the phone number on you, one in the earthquake kit, and one in each car.
• Give the number to daycare/school/preschool as an emergency number specifically for earthquakes. I’m not really expecting the school to call in, but my daughter’s small daycare will.
• Probably when you pick up the landline there will be no dial tone. Don’t hang up, wait on the line for the dial tone. It might take a couple of minutes.
• cordless phones won’t work in a power outage. Everyone needs an old fashioned phone somewhere in their house.

Thanks for thinking of me, Crazy, with the invite to this goal. I will probably use your entries as guidelines for where to start!

I explained to the kids what they would feel if a quake happened while they were sleeping. Taught them how to recognize that it was a quake and to immediately go into duck and cover with their back as close to the wall as possible. I showed son how to hold onto his mattress (duck, cover and hold), that seems too complicated for my little girl so we just focussed on duck and cover with her. I also told them to expect the nightlights to go out and for there to be glass and debris, also that they would feel confused and scared but it will be ok.

Everyone in the family now has a pair of shoes under the bed with a flashlight in it. Actually, daughter has hers in the shelf in her headboard and son has his stowed actually in his bed, at the side.

Here are my step by step instructions to the kids if they feel an earthquake:

• duck and cover until the shaking stops, arms over head, back against the wall.
• when the shaking stops yell “I’m here” until someone gets to them.
• After about a minute of no shaking, reach up and grab their shoes. Turn on the flashlight, put on shoes and go back to duck and cover. Keep yelling “I’m here”.
• stay put until a grown up gets there, there may be hazards like broken glass all around them.

We practiced a few times. I know there is much more to cover, but I think with the kids being this age, little mini discussions and then practice are the best methods.