The Earthquake and subsuquent tsunamai show us once again the awesome power of Mother Nature…
The videos of walls of water sweeping ships, cars, houses and people away in such an unstoppable manner puts us in our place. What can we learn from such an event?
1. Natural disasters strike suddenly and can be deadly. There is no way to escape their wrath but you can have all possible warning systems in place and you need to heed these warnings. Things like Weather Alert radios could save your life. (Some natural disasters like hurricanes are slow moving and subject to lots of forecasting, if you get hit in your house by a Cat 4 or 5 Hurricane then you are plain stupid to be there)
2. If you live in a Coastal area, this is one of the chances you are always taking so you might want to consider moving to somewhere that is not going to be swept away by a Earthquake triggered tsunamai… or destroyed hy a Hurricane. And if you regularly hear about Wildfires and Mudslides near where you live, you might want to move to Nevada or Arizona– it is a better climate for business anyway.
3. These disasters often cause water, electricity and gas to be shut down for long periods, so you should have planned ahead to survive for a time without utilities to your home.
4. Food and water are in short supply in the aftermath of a disaster. If you can store even two weeks worth of food and water for your family, and some to share with friends and family who didn’t prepare then you can be part of the solution rather than part of the problem.
5. The government can NEVER respond as fast or efficiently to our needs as we can respond to our own needs. We know our exact situation and what we could need. When the items we need are in ready supply that is the time to store and prepare, not waiting until the event happens and then hoarding what we can find on the stripped shelves.
Please do what you can to help the survivors, I am not going to recommend any particular charity but in most cases I feel the more local and the smaller ones are best. And take action TODAY to make sure you are a little better prepared for such an awful event.
Regards
Survival Rob
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Your advice is as timely as ever during this terrible tragedy in Japan.
If anything good can come out of such horrific events, my hope is it helps people reconsider how prepared they are for when a disaster might strike.
Michael
I think most of us simply aren’t prepared for the quickness and fury of a natural disaster. These events are so rare and unexpected that most people simply assume that they will never happen and, if they do, it won’t happen to them.
Everyone needs to be prepared to support themselves without outside assistance or resources for a set period of time. I would recommend having food, water and power sufficient for at least a week.
You’re right on target with this one rob.
Steve C
Just came across your blog. Looks like some good info presented that I need to sift through and review.
A few things that come to my mind when thinking about preparedness that I rarely see listed.
- Have several/lots? of simple hand powered can openers around the house in different locations. Would not be fun to have an emergency happen that moved/scattered items in your home and your one can opener in the kitchen drawer couldn’t be found or reached.
- extra pair/s of prescription glasses or contacts available if what you normally wear is broken or lost.
This one you hear a lot, but the canned food in glass jars photo made me remember it
- especially in earthquake prone areas, keep stored dry goods in non-glass air tight containers when possible. If glass is required (as in canning) then do not stack and keep secure as possible with protective dividers/padding/cushion as needed to protect from breaking into each other.
Just a few ideas
I look forward to reading through your earlier posts!
Best Regards,
Stu