PREPARE YOURSELF AND FAMILY
FAMILY PLAN
Making a family plan is a great place to start. It's easy to do and in a disaster when communication is down it will be reassuring that you all know the plan.
WATER
Water is essential to human survival and drinking contaminated water is a leading cause of death after a major disaster. Your homes water supply from the city is highly unlikely to survive a major earthquake. The general rule is to prepare for 1 gallon of water per person (or large pet) per day. Unfortunately length of time to prepare for varies greatly based on the severity of the earthquake or disaster.
FOOD
Food is essential to human survival will be a scarce resource after a major earthquake. Grocery stores will be quickly picked over and supplies will have a hard time making it into the region. There are many ways to store food for an emergency.
72-HR PACKS
Prepare a backpack that you can grab at a moments notice that will provide you the basic necessities for 72 hours. This is sometime called a "go bag" or "bug out bag". Whatever it's called, having some essentials to quickly grab on the way out of your house is basic step to becoming "prepared".
SHELTER
Learn about steps to take now to prepare your home to be a safe and reliable shelter after a major earthquake. There are some simple items to have on hand to repair a damaged home on your own.
HEATING AND COOKING
Many foods in your refrigerator, freezer, pantry or food storage are going to require you to cook them. Learn about how to prepare a stove and the necessary fuel source for 30 days of cooking.
FIRST AID
A major earthquake would not only overwhelm the local medical facilities, your access to it might be limited because of roads and bridges being down. Having medical supplies on hand might save your life. You should consider building a first aid kit for your home and possibly one for your neighborhood.
COMMUNICATION
A major earthquake is going to destroy our communication network. Learn how to communicate with the local fire station as well as your neighbors with a simple 2-way radio.
SANITATION
Poor sanitation methods is a major cause of illnesses after a disaster like we would face after a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake. Learn how you should properly handle sanitation to reduce your risks.
ELECTRICITY
A major earthquake in the northwest is going to have a catastrophic affect on our power grid. Do not expect to have electricity after a major earthquake. Learn how to generate electricity yourself especially if you rely on it for life-sustaining equipment.
FINANCIAL
A major earthquake in the northwest is going to have major impacts on the financial market immediately following the earthquake as well as long term damage. Learn how you can take precautions to mitigate this risk.
ADA RESOURCES
This page offers a selection of emergency preparedness and responses resources, including ones for people with disabilities.
ALTERNATIVE OPTION
If you are too busy or just haven’t been able to get to this, Marilyn Bishop from Cascadia Quake Kits sells Two-Week Earthquake Kits based on Oregon/Washington State recommendations.