I'm writing today about a very important topic: Earthquake preparedness. In every presentation I give around my community, I talk about the importance of practicing your disaster plan. The "Drop, Cover, and Hold On" drill is an excellent place to start when practicing your earthquake plan. Get under a piece of sturdy furniture, cover your head and neck, and hold on to whatever piece of furniture you are under. Now that you've mastered this drill, move on to something more complex. While perusing the internet this weekend, I came across the ultimate earthquake plan. I mean, this family really went all out.
The mother in this family realized that most likely an earthquake will strike at a time of the day when her family members are spread around town. You know, she's at the store with her youngest child, her older children are in school, and her husband is at work. She came up with a scenario including the time of day, and the extent of the earthquake, and she also determined situations like a dam breaking, downed power lines, and a gas leak that would intensify the encounter. She gave each member of her family a sheet of paper with a different scenario written on it. This family had already determined their meeting places, and their plan revolved around them. I won't give you all the details, instead I'm going to give you all the link to this website so that you can read it in detail and mimic the drill with your own families. This is a must read for those of you who have not begun to think about your plan yet. It's always better to be prepared!
Here is the link:
Just a friendly reminder, it's that time of year again when it's time to change our clocks. This means it's also time to check the batteries in our smoke alarms, rotate and check the items in our emergency preparedness kits, and also to practice our emergency plans. It's the perfect time to put this must-read to practice!
Samantha Minks
AmeriCorps NPRC 2013-2014
Preparedness Coordinator
American Red Cross - Kern Chapter
samantha.minks@redcross.org
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