Saturday's Earthquake?
We did indeed experience an earthquake outside of North Bend on Saturday, September 12, 2015 at 3:22pm. Did you feel it? If you are located near the epicenter then you probably did. It was a 4.0M earthquake and although that is relatively small, it should stand to serve as a reminder that we live in earthquake country.
So, let's do something now to get better prepared. Had this been a bigger event, we wouldn't want to be waiting for this weekly tip. Take this warning and get your kits together today!
Kits? How much? How long? Where Should I Store Them?
Years ago the emergency management field would recommend you store enough emergency supplies to last you and your loved ones for a minimum of 3 days. Nowadays, that minimum is generally applied only to your "To Go" kit, as the common consensus is that 3 days will simply not be enough after a major interruption.
Of course you will find differing opinions on what is enough. Some will say 7-10 days, others will argue 2-3 weeks, while other groups would encourage going beyond 2-3 weeks. About the only thing they can agree upon is that 3 days is not enough. So, how much should you store and where?
I personally aim to have at least 3-4 weeks worth of food and water in my home. We have a small pantry in the kitchen and a storage rack in our basement that we rotate supplies through, so that we are able to have unexpired food available at all times.
But what if you live in an apartment or don't have a basement? We would encourage you to get thrifty! One group I recently worked with lived in an apartment and asked the apartment management if they could establish a preparedness community within the building to assist with shutting off utilities in exchange for a shared storage space to stock up on supplies for those residents willing to participate. What a great idea!
Another group went in on renting a small storage space off-site. While another group shared that their supplies were tucked into storage containers under their beds. Still others store contents in garbage cans in their backyards. My husband and I are in the planning stages of converting our camping trailer into our disaster kit. Wish us luck! Note, if you store water outdoors you run the risk of having the containers burst due to temperature variations. So, make sure to have a secondary barrier to collect the water and protect the other items in your kits.