Preparedness 101: How to get ready for "The Big One"

by Nancy Overton

With the experts forecasting a likely 6.8 earthquake, it is time to consider the consequences of being unprepared or even being under prepared. The health and safety of your family is in your hands. Resolve to make a plan and take action.

Without the services you take for granted every day, you will be in the dark, probably without a working phone. Your family may be separated. You will be cold, lack a way to prepare food, and soon enough will be thirsty and looking for a way to wash your hands. Now is the time to address these issues. Now is the time to take action and make a family plan for emergencies.

Oakland has a free preparedness course. CORE (City of Oakland Responds to Emergencies) sponsors a three-session program run by the Oakland Fire Department Office of Emergency Services. CORE classes will help you make a plan for your family and a plan for your neighborhood. Call 238-6351, or sign up on line at www.oaklandcore.org.

The Bay Area Red Cross has courses on preparedness, CPR, and First Aid. Call (415) 427-8026, or sign up at www.prepare.org.

There are resources on the Web that can help: www.fema.gov, www.ready.gov, www.72hours.org. Find out why you should prepare for at least 72 hours of self-sufficiency. Reconfirm that fire, wildfire, and earthquake are the most likely disasters in this area. Learn how to turn off utilities and how to keep warm without power.

Have a family meeting to talk about emergencies. Decide on a meeting place outside your home in case of fire. Decide on an out-of-state contact person whom family members could call in case you are separated when an emergency occurs (long-distance phone lines may work when local ones may not). You can put a pair of shoes and a flashlight under each bed. You can have a "treasure hunt" in the house for things likely to fall in a quake and you can secure them. You can identify the safest place in each room to "Drop, Cover, and Hold On." By doing these things and starting a conversation about emergencies, you will have made a good start toward getting your family prepared.

Follow through by taking the CORE classes, and learning CPR and First Aid. Prepare adequate supplies of food and water. Find alternative sources of heat for cooking and keeping warm. Find new ways to light the night. Get acquainted with your neighbors: make a plan to look after children and pets in an emergency. You can turn a New Year's resolution into a practical plan for the safety and security of all your family members.

Nancy Overton's book A Checklist/Making a Family Plan for Emergencies is a Best Book Award Finalist in the USA BookNews contest in the Family and Parenting category. Her Web site is www.preparedness101.com. Buy her book at the Laurel Book Store, or order by title on Amazon.com.