The Japan quake has hit home for Sue and I. We have an earthquake kit, but neither of us feel like it is enough. We went through it again, updating the kids clothes, and taking stock of what we have. It’s ok, but needs more food and water supplies. I’ve also gotten the kit necessary to secure the hot water tank to the wall, and now that I have the appropriate drill, will get to that this weekend.
Since the Japanese quake, I’ve done more reading than normal on earthquake preparedness. Thankfully Victoria doesn’t have much of a Tsunami threat.
I’ve been on one emergency preparedness seminar already, and learned a lot of interesting things. A few days ago our daycare provider who is also on the Esquimalt town council sent out a powerpoint presentation about the Neighbourhood Emergency Preparedness Program.
It is a series of three courses over 5 sessions. There is a preparedness seminar, a disaster first-aid course, then a light urban search and rescue course. All three courses sound very interesting, and even if it weren’t for the recent quakes, I likely would have wanted to sign up for them.
As if I wasn’t busy enough already. Two young kids, training for the Tour de Victoria, working, looking for a new job, and now disaster training. 🙂 Sometimes it feels good to be busy.
The seminar was about 2 hours long and focused on a few different aspects of what hazards or disaster might happen in Victoria, and how we as individuals should prepare for those scenarios.
So far we are a little prepared, but have a way to go before I would consider us totally prepared. One nice thing is that the house we live in now, we don’t need to worry about a tsunami.
One thing I really took away is that doing something small each week is a great way to get moving on the kit. Being prepared really is a mindset.
The only downside to the seminar was one guy in the crowd. Right at the end he started posing a lot of questions about how the city and province are not instituting the correct policies for building codes. He definitely had an agenda and sounded like a bit of a fanatic. The hosts of the evening were able to shut him down quickly and effectively by reminding him that the purpose of tonight’s seminar was personal preparation, not provincial preparation.
We are not 100% ready, but we have a good start. We have an earthquake kit that includes food and water, shelter, tools, and first aid. We also added some extra clothes, diapers, and dog food. We want to add some more food and water to the kit. A friend of mine is investing in a Life Saver water filter, and some day I’d like to get one, or something like it.
We also want to add a large tarp, some ropes, a sharp knife, and other items. We also need to add contact numbers of family members, stuff for the kids to do, and make up a plan for what to do after the earthquake hits (ie when Sox and I are at work, meeting up with the kids and heading home).
You must be logged in to post a comment.