I've been giving it a lot of thought lately. What if a real emergency happened? Would you be prepared? Do you have the necessary supplies ready to survive a few days or even weeks? What about your home? Is your home ready? Does your family have a plan? I know all these details can be overwhelming, but if you break it down and do a little bit everyday until you are ready, it's not so bad.
All my life, I have always been the prepared type. I've had some people think I'm paranoid, and maybe a bit over prepared, but when it comes to my safety and my family's safety, I'm really not concerned about what people think of me. If something were to happen to my family, I'm as ready as I can be, and I'm not ashamed to say that. It really gives me peace of mind. Before I was really prepared, I was very worried about all the things that could happen to my family. What does this have to do with health, you ask? Peace of mind prevents worry and we all know that worrying does nothing good for your health. To me, health and safety/preparedness go hand in hand. If I'm not prepared for a natural disaster, that risks my health and my safety.
There is a parable that comes to my mind. I know the actual parable isn't about emergency preparedness, but it can definitely be applied. I'm sure many of you are familiar with Matthew 25:1-13. I suggest that you read it in it's entirety on your own, but basically, it's about ten virgins. The wise five were prepared with oil, and the foolish five weren't. The foolish asked for oil from the wise, but the wise said no, there may not be enough for both us and you. The foolish missed out. Had this been an emergency, and the oil was food, they may have died from not being prepared.
Even if we don't see an earthquake or other natural disaster in our lifetime, it doesn't hurt to be ready for it. The reality that strikes when something happens and you aren't ready could be terrifying. It is a very harsh reality to face and I hope you never have to. That is why I'm writing this blog. I can pretty much guarantee that most of my friends are not prepared in the slightest bit. Did Japan scare you at all? What about New Zealand? Chile? If you think we are safe from earthquakes, you are sadly mistaken. It doesn't matter where you live. Disaster can strike anywhere, anytime. Just because you live on the East Coast doesn't mean you are off the hook. Yeah, getting a kit together can take some time and money, but what is your life worth? It is always worth saving!
Here are some ideas to help get you started. Please check out www.Ready.gov. There are some checklists and other things worth considering as you prepare. I went to a class last week on being prepared at my church. It was very informative. The lady who taught the class has a Facebook page dedicated to being prepared. It's http://www.Facebook.com/#!/pages/How-Prepared-Are-You-for-an-emergency/147298235282437. I "liked" her page and suggest you do the same. She has also put together some tips and checklists. She is planning on doing more classes in the future as well. :)
Here are some things I've done to prepare our home. We have gas heat. So I went to Lowes and got an emergency shut off wrench for about $4. I went outside to test it, and guess what? It wouldn't turn. I called our gas company and a guy came out and fixed it for free! That gave me a lot of peace of mind that if I needed to shut it off, I could. While I was at Lowes, I found, right next to the wrench, some museum putty. It's for securing your valuables so they won't fall and break in a quake. Not only is that nice for saving your valuables, but you don't have to worry about things breaking on your head and no glass to step on! Awesome stuff! I also got brackets to hold book shelves in place so they don't land on anyone. You can find them at Lowes, Babies R Us and even Ikea. They are free at Ikea. :)Luckily, our water heater already had a strap on it when we bought the house, so we didn't need to do anything there. If your water heater doesn't have a strap, then it's not to code. It is called an earthquake strap, and you need one. If you are renting and don't have one, it is your landlord's responsibility to install one.
Something you might want to look into is earthquake insurance. I was told when we got home owners insurance that we had earthquake insurance. That was in September. I called back in March, just to make sure, and they didnt cover earthquakes anymore!!!! And they didn't even tell us! I was pretty mad, but the only thing I could do at that point was to find earthquake insurance somewhere else. If you think you are covered, it never hurts to call and double check. I'm glad I did!
So, those are some of the things I've done to prepare our home. I also got a large tub that has food, clothes, etc. for our home. Most of the stuff I found was on www.Ready.gov. I also have a kit, in a backpack, in both our cars, along with extra water and food. I also never let our gas in our car get below half a tank. You might just need to drive somewhere, and the gas stations might not be open after an earthquake. Fire starting supplies are a must if you plan to cook your food or need to warm up. A good quality knife is also a must. We have K-Bars in our kits, and I carry a Cold Steel pocket knife in my purse. You can use it to make shelters, prepare food, and even scare people away who might try to steal your food. ;) Joking. Kind of. Haha!! It is a good idea to have written down in your wallet, a list of emergency contacts in and out of your state. Your cell phone might not work in an emergency so having change on hand is a good idea, if you can find a pay phone. If your phone does work, only text message people. It's easier to get through and won't clog up the very busy phone lines. Well, I think that is about all I have to say on the subject for now. Please feel free to add any tips or suggestions. I'm always open to learning new things. Thanks for reading! Happy planning! :)
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