This post is courtesy of guest author Cheryl Eng. Cheryl is a co-worker of mine and believes strongly in being prepared for emergency situations. She recently completed the NERT training and certification process and is here to share her learnings with our readers. Cheryl is a USC alumni and graduated from the University of Chicago MBA program in 2008. Feel free to ask any questions in the comments.
In the wake of the recent earthquakes in Haiti and Chile and the threat of the tsunami in Hawaii we have been confronted with the devastation of natural disasters. While it is impossible to accurately predict the date and time of the next earthquake we can all take action to prepare. Being prepared does not mitigate all of the risks of an earthquake but it can certainly improve our chances of survival and reduce the potential damage that an earthquake can create. For those of us who live in the Bay Area, here are some concerning statistics:
- 8: faults in the Bay Area capable of producing an earthquake with a 6.7 or higher magnitude
- 99.7%: chance that an earthquake with a magnitude greater than 6.7 will occur before 2040
- <10%: householders that have disaster plans
- <50%: households that have disaster supply kits
Earthquake Kits
The first step that you can take is to prepare an emergency earthquake kit. It is recommended that you have 3 kits: one for your home, one for your office and one for your car. Your home kit should have enough supplies to provide for your household for at least 72 hours after an earthquake:
Home Kit:
- Water: 1 gallon / person / day for at least 3 days
- Food: enough to last your household for at least 1 week
- make sure you have food that is easy to prepare and store
- food should not require a lot of water to cook
- if you food needs to be heated, consider how you will prepare it (i.e. if there is no electricity could you use a camping stove?)
- don’t forget utensils (i.e. can opener)
- keep food that you would actually want to eat
- Bleach: 1 gallon (to be used to purify your water supply)
- First Aid Kit (details listed below)
- Heavy clothes and spare comfortable shoes (gloves, socks, warm clothes)
- Flashlight, portable radio and extra batteries
- Cash
- Foil, plastic wrap, ziplock bags
- Fire extinguisher
- Prescription medicines, eyeglasses
- Camp supplies (i.e. sleeping bag, camp stove, extra fuel)
- Waterproof matches
- Rope
- Small hand tools & Shutoff wrench
Make sure you check your emergency kit once a year to ensure that any perishable items are replaced!
Car & Work Kits (sometimes known as Go-Kit’s):
- Comfortable walking shoes
- Flashlight
- Food & water
- Basic first aid
- Medication
- Eye glasses
- Cash
These kits should be small and their purpose is to help you survive until you can get to safety.
First Aid Kit:
- 4 rolls of roller bandages
- 10-20 4×4 gauze pads
- adhesive tape
- band-aids
- chemical ice packs
- sterile water
- antiseptic solution
- triangular bandages
- scissors, tweezers, sterile needles
- ace bandages
- pain relief tablets
- aluminum space blanket
- flashlight
- latex gloves
Don’t forget you can improvise! For example, duct tape is very handy: you can use it to secure cracked windows to keep out the elements, it can be used to bind together blankets and clothes or it can be used as first aid tape.
Pet Disaster Kit:
- sturdy crate / pet carrier
- id tags / collars
- leashes
- food & water (7 day supply)
- non spill bowls
- litter box / litter
- any special medications
- copy of your pet’s vaccination history
- recent photos of your pet(s)
- pet first aid kit
- phone number of the local emergency veterinarian hospital
- phone number of local animal shelters
- plastic bags for pet cleanup
Home Preparedness
The second step is to do a safety survey of your home. Walk through each room and fix any hazards that would cause injury in the event of an earthquake:
- Fire extinguisher & smoke detectors: check extinguishers and smoke detectors at least once a year. It is recommended that you get a 3A40BC fire extinguisher which can combat most fires.
- Kitchen: possibly the most hazardous room in the house
- separate your chemicals according to the manufacturers’ recommendation; they should be stored at the floor level in a secure cabinet
- gas appliances must be installed with a flexible gas line
- store the heaviest items on lower shelves to avoid injury
- you could get very serious and put latches on your cabinets but in reality it is just safer to put all heavy breakable items lower down in the event that they will fall
- Bedroom:
- pay attention to anything that might fall and injure you while you’re in bed
- beds should be far away from windows to avoid falling glass
- if your bed is on wheels, make sure that the wheels are locked
- put heavy objects near the floor or on low shelves
- make sure you have a flashlight, whistle and a pair of shoes in a zipped bag (I keep my emergency kit under my bed near the bedpost
- Bathroom:
- broken glass is the biggest hazard
- store heavy items lower to the ground
- Living areas:
- tall and heavy furniture should be secured to the wall studs
- secure heavy items so they don’t fall
- Garage, basement , laundry room:
- secure your water heater to the wall studs
- the water heater should be attached to the gas supply by a flexible gas line with a shutoff valve
- remove heavy objects from the upper storage shelves
- segregate hazardous materials in low cabinets
What to do during and after an earthquake
Try to stay calm and find a safe place
If you’re inside:
- DUCK, COVER, HOLD
- get under something that will protect you from falling objects (desk, table)
- stay there until the shaking stops
- try to be at least 15 feet away from any windows so you can avoid flying glass
- NEVER run outside – most people are injured by falling objects
- if you’re in a hallway or open area, sit down next to a wall and cover your head and neck with your hands
- Do not take an elevator after an earthquake until it has been cleared
If you’re outside:
- move away from buildings in an open area if one is available
- stay away from power lines
If you’re driving:
- put on emergency flashers and slow to a stop
- watch for traffic, remain in your car until the shaking stops
- do not stop on overpasses, underpasses or bridges
- be aware of overhead hazards
If you need to evacuate after an earthquake:
- wear appropriate clothing and sturdy shoes
- try to carpool
- take emergency supplies
- tune into the local emergency stations to be informed about conditions
- if you have been instructed to do so, and know how:
- shut off the water, gas and electricity
- let others know where you are going
- make arrangements for your pets
- The Red Cross shelters do not accept pets; it is generally not recommended that you leave your pet behind.
- If you must leave your pet, post a highly visible sign to let rescue teams know how many pets you have left behind, leave plenty of water in an open container that cannot be tipped over, leave plenty of food (consider timed feeders) and do not tie or cage your pet
Get involved
I recently completed the NERT (Neighborhood Emergency Response Team) training in San Francisco and there are similar programs available throughout the US. The training I completed was 6 weeks long (3 hours each class) and we learned everything from basic first aid to the proper way to shut off gas and water to conducting triage on a room of over 70 victims. There’s no obligation to join the neighborhood team and the knowledge that they distill is invaluable and relevant for any disaster.