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Earthquake Preparedness?

I am not sure where to post this question, but I will ask it here anyway:

Preparing for an earthquake depends on where you live. The LA fault region is not very active at present. But the mountains to the North were pushed up foot by foot during earthquakes!

What to do changes if you are in an apartment complex, a high rise, or a single family residence.

In all cases:
Prepare an off-site location with copies of all your important papers and contact information. This site should be selected because it will be accessible no matter how bad an earthquake is.

Agree on a method by which family members can contact or find each other if the home location is destroyed. Don’t depend on the telephone to do this.

Prepare an Emergency Get Away Kit, such as a large duffel or sport bag.
1. The local ATM machine won’t work. Depending on the number of people you need to care for, keep enough cash to feed, house and clothe everyone for a week.
2. Phones won’t work. Put is as many walkie talkies as you need to, depending on the number of people who need to be separated during the evacuation. They are at Radio Shack. If you get separated, it will be very difficult to find each other again.
3. Water won’t work. Figure out how much water you need for 3 days. Keep handy size bottles with that amount in or near the EGAK. You will NOT want to lug 1 gallon containers around as things get sorted out.
4. You won’t have time to pack your bags. Include some plastic bags, both trash type and garbage type, and a ball of string to tie things together, and some personal use items such a toothbrush and shaver. Put is some nylon sports outfits for each family member. They are light weight and fold into small packs. It is much better to be walking around in your cool Nike running clothes than in your pajamas.
5. Food might be in short supply. Include 3 days worth of hiking food at the local sport’s supplier. This is typically granola and nuts and raisins. Get what you like, or make it yourself.

Preparing the home:
In a large quake in – I think it was Missouri – the pictures on the wall were turned around to face the wall. Can you imagine a wall moving so far that a picture hanging there would be flipped over? Visualize this movement where you live… What would fall? What would break? What would be dangerous if you were hit it by it?

So, what can you do? Use nylon safety straps to hold things to where you want them to be. They don’t have to be visible. The connections need to be strong enough to lift the object though. The main things in this category include the water heater and the refrigerator, and large wooden pieces of furniture such as the china cabinet. Look around and figure out what you don’t want to fall over, both to protect it and yourself. One trick for valuable and breakable pieces such as porcelain figurines is to use a dab of silicone cement and a clear fishing line to make a safety line which will catch the object before it can fall and break. Or you can make a doll holder with a base than can be stuck to the shelf with children’s modeling clay. It will hold the figurine while the house is shaking, but allow you to easily pry it up for cleaning. If the house collapses, all bets are off!

Evacuation?
In New Orleans, there was no effective evacuation plan. There were about 2,000 school buses sitting there – under the water – that could have taken a lot of people out of danger. Does your area have an evacuation plan? Do you know what it is? If they don’t have one, why not? Who is in charge and why have they not done their job? Get on their case!

;-D If you are well prepared, an earthquake will probably never bother you. If you are not prepared, even a moderate earthquake can cause you a lot of aggravation.

Oh! Was that your new 24 inch iMac that I just heard crash to the floor in that little magnitude 5 quake? Shame on you for thinking that its little stand would hold it safely! I don’t think that breakage is covered by Apple Care!