# Emergency Preparedness



## imamurph (Apr 15, 2008)

Since earthquakes and tornadoes seem to be on the rise, I have been giving
Emergency Preparedness more thought...

What if we had to leave our house in the middle of the night due to a bad quake or other natural disaster? Would we know what to do? What is our city's emergency plan ? Would we be prepared..."NOT!"

The thought has moved front and center for me...

I mean how many people even have enough cash on hand if (God forbid) they could not access their bank account due to computer systems going down. How many have food, water and supplies stashed in an emergency bin...???
Who thinks about having spare meds..even eye glasses stashed? (not to mention dog food!)

I know alot of Americans sit and watch the news..watch as someone in another part of the country (or world) is suddenly homeless..walking down the road (in the rain I might add) with just the shirt on thier back and kids in tow..


Do YOU think about this?? Are YOU prepared?


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

Oh yes, this is a topic that hits close to home for me. Living in earthquake country, I try to keep my disaster preparation items ready at all times. (At some points, a few items are stale and should be rotated out of the kit, but they are there.) I posted on this topic a year and a half ago when we had our Bay Area Disaster Prep week (an annual event) where topics are discussed on the radio and television to keep people mindful of where they live: Disaster Prep for your Hav.

Megan brought up this topic last May and made a really good point about having leashes ready in an emergency need.

To go hand in hand with Megan's topic, I like to remind people to make up "Lost Dog" posters ahead of time so you will have it handy if you are in need. They are good to take with you when you travel too. Here is a topic on the posters with some tips: Do you have a LOST DOG flyer for your Hav?

Thank you for the reminder, Diane!


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## imamurph (Apr 15, 2008)

Thanks, Kimberly..that puts it all in a nutshell!! :clap2:

I need to stop procrastinating!!


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## Lo01 (Jul 22, 2007)

Thanks again Kimberly,

Having grown up in San Francisco - I still remember the 6.9 Loma Prieta earthquake when I was in high school. I was also stationed at Keesler Air Force Base (Biloxi, MS) during Hurricane Katrina. Needless to say, I've always had a disaster preparedness in mind. We have three fully stocked emergency kits (both capable of handling simple first aid to advanced trauma, rations, survival equipment, and cash on hand) at home, work and in one of our vehicles. We also have two 50 gallon drums of potable water at home. My wife at times makes fun of me for preparing for some kind of apocalypse, but given my history...I'm thinking the boy-scout motto.  Since Hank has been our first dog, it is definitely a great reminder that we cannot forget the needs of our furry friends. It was heart breaking seeing the number of family pets being left behind when I was in Biloxi during the evacuation.

All the best,
*'Lo*


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## trueblue (Jan 22, 2008)

Hurricane season is about a month away...after Katrina, having an emergency evacuation kit became key. We keep a large rubbermaid container with photo albums, birth certificates, immunization records, etc. ready to go at a moment's notice.


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## imamurph (Apr 15, 2008)

Kim..you must live in a dry climate! Here in Oregon, things like that would have to be stored differently..


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