please help me with my earthquake survival guide

L

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I am a writer for my high school's newspaper. After the events of hurrican Katrina, I decided it is best to write an article about disaster preparation because the majority of my classmates do not have an emergency disaster plan. My school is located around the SF bay area, so the focus of my article will be on earthquake preparation. After doing some research, I came up with this guide and I want you guys' input on it. Make sure to include helpful suggestions. This is only a rough draft, so please don't mind the formatt/grammer mistakes, just focus on content please. I know alot of your guys probably want to include guns and "big knives" in there, but my school is very anti gun (banned a paintball club because paintball involves "guns") so lets not go there.

Preparation for Disaster

Preparation for a natural disaster is a necessity, not a gamble. Having the right supplies and evacuation plan may be the difference between being a victim and a survivor. This general guide can be used in most natural disasters in an urban area, especially in earthquakes.
To formulate an emergency plan during an emergency is bad news. So discuss an emergency plan with your family, because when the going gets tough, you sure as hell want to know where you’re heading. Make sure your briefing includes:
*Fire escape routes, utility (gas, electric, etc) cutoff locations, and storage areas in your house.
*Choosing a contact person outside of the disaster area. The contact person will be responsible for keeping track of your family if your family becomes separated. Make sure each member of your family knows the contact’s name, address, and phone number.
*Picking a rendezvous point that is accessible to all members of your family for unification after an evacuation or disaster.
*Making sure your parents know your school’s emergency procedures.
*Formulating emergency plans with your neighbors. Find out if any of your neighbors have a special skill, a doctor, plumber, or electrician may save the day during a crucial moment. Also, come up with plans to assist any elderly or handicapped neighbors if necessary.
During a disaster, the key to survival is to stay calm and head for a safe location. Movement will be difficult during an earthquake, so it is best to plan “safe havens” (areas away from hazardous objects like glass, unstable objects, etc) in each room and dive for one immediately once the ground starts shaking. Do not try to catch falling objects or grab animals, because animals may bite you out of confusion. As a live person, you can rebuild your lost possessions, if you are dead, you cannot do anything. So place more value in life than materials.
After a disaster, remain where you are until it is safe to leave unless you are in danger. Expect no access to phone (including cell phones), electricity, water, sewage, and gas for days or weeks. Do not go surveying the damages, you will expose yourself to dangers and interfere with rescue efforts. Downed power lines and leaking gas are dangerous threats, so keep an eye out for them. If you sense a leaking gas, turn off the gas pump immediately. If you are returning to your house after a disaster, check your house’s structural integrity before stepping in.
Having a good emergency plan and calm mind are essential to surviving a natural disaster. However, without the right resources, all your planning and calmness will be just thoughts in your heard. So having the right equipment and supplies are just as important as having the perfect plan. Aid workers will be focused on rescuing crucial victims and clearing the road after a disaster, so prepare to live up to 3 days (generally) without any help. A well-equipped survival kit might transform your disaster experience from hell on earth to a one star motel. If you are forced to evacuate, bring your survival kit along with you.
Your survival kit should be stored at a cool dry place that could be easily reached in a damaged building. Check time to time for the expiration of your items. The objects inside the kit should reflect the 3Rs of survival, which is “you can only survive 3 minutes without oxygen, 3 hours without warmth, 3 days without water, and 3 weeks without food.” Your survival kit must include:
*Water for the entire family up to 3 days (2 weeks is best). An average adult drinks half a gallon a day and uses another half a gallon for sanitation. Store water in bottles to enable easy mobility. If your water supply is damaged, look inside the toilet bowl and water heater for water, just be sure to check for contamination. Do not drink tap water after a disaster, the pipes may be broken and the water contaminated. The water in your swimming pool or hot tub is safe for washing, but not drinking.
*One square meal per day for 3 days (2 weeks is best). Humans can actually live off our body fat for quite a long time, but it is best to keep our body nourished during the aftermath of a disaster. Store food that do not require cooking, have a long shelf life, and your family enjoys. Canned foods (include manual can opener), crackers, and nuts are all good choices. Besides storing food, also store paper plates, cups, and plastic utensils so you can eat the food. If the power goes out, eat the food in your freezer before they defrost. In general, only eat food if your water supply is plentiful, because digestion requires water. Don’t forget about your pets, store pet food for your loyal companion.
*First aid kit with instructions and essential medication for at least 2 weeks. Your first aid kit should be able to treat major injuries. You do not want to depend your life on a couple of bandages. If a family member requires essential medication, make sure you have the name of the drug and contact information of the physician who subscribed the drug. If you have prescription glasses or contacts, include an extra pair in your kit just in case your normal one is damaged.
*Portal radio, flashlight, and multi tool. Your portal radio may become your only source of receiving outside information. So store it with extra batteries to listen for federal directions and evacuation plans. You need a reliable flashlight with extra batteries to navigate through the darkness. A L.E.D based flashlight covered by a tough outer casing would be ideal. L.E.D flashlight’s bulbs usually feature longer runtimes and do not burn out as quickly as incandescent flashlights. A good multi tool will help you fix and improvise difficult tasks. Make sure your multi tool features at least a sharp knife, screwdrivers, and pliers. A fire extinguisher will be needed to put out potential fire hazards. Besides just having the right tools, make sure to include sturdy working gloves and boots to make work less painful.
*Personal care items. Deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrush, and soap will keep you clean and smelling nice. Make sure to have toilet paper, diapers (for babies), and tampons for sanitation. Include a blanket or sleeping bag (with a pillow) for each person. A change of clothes, especially underwear, is needed since you won’t be doing any laundry. Make sure your family safeguards its important documents, such as Ids, credit cards, birth certificates, insurance claims, etc.
*Misc. items. Duck tape, rope, and wire will fix almost any broken objects known to man. Candles and matches will provide heat when the temperature drops. Garbage and zip lock bags make handy storage devices and could be improvised for other purposes as well.
With the right plan, attitude, and materials, you can sleep at night without fear of an epidemic earthquake. So initiate an emergency planning session with your family and start shopping for your survival kit, because your life is worth the preparation.
 
Good thinking.

For emergency notification, give everyone in the family a wallet card -- neatly handwritten will do -- with their name/address/phone in case they're found disabled. A doctor's name & number is a good idea, too. On it also, your out-of-area contact person's info.

You can't put the entire family's emergency kit in one bag, but all the small items may go in a medium-sized backpack and the food & water in another, larger bag. It should be packed ready-to-go. Depending on how many large people in your family, one bag each, splitting up emergency material among separate packs, makes them easier to bring along.

If you have dogs, you may want boots for them because some kinds of emergencies may leave the ground hazardous -- spills, broken glass, fire/heat.
 
I'll move this thread to the Wilderness & Survival Skills Forum for you. There's a lot of info on urban survival there already....

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Some scattered thoughts.

1. If not already done, you might research what folks encountered after Northridge and the last San Fran quake.

2. If you speak of evacuation, the place to which you paln to go needs to be safely free of quake risk. That does not leave much of the west coast states. Check fault maps. The "big one" may set off secondary quakes on secondary or other main faults. One story frame houses usually stay up. The evac point may best be home.

3. IF you are going to evac to a distant location, you need fuel ON HAND to get there -- with some diversions. Lots of folks may be there ahead of you. Don't plan on any food/water/shelter/fuel that you have not provided.

4. After Katrina, talking of "3 days" may not be practical.

5. .5 gal/day for "sanitation"? It takes at least 1.6 gal. to flush a toilet.

6. Water lasts longer if 3 drops of bleach per gal. is added and storage is in a tightly-closed container.

7. Doorways are typically more heavily bulit in a frame house. I have seen houses with only the doorways standing.

8. A SUPPLY of essential personal meds. is --- essential.

9. Candles are a fire hazard if left unattended (e.g. you go to sleep) and supply useful amounts of heat only is special curcumstances. Blankets/sleeping bags/LED flash = much better.

10. Roads through mountains are less likely to be there than roads across flats. That is an issue in planning evac routes in Cal./Oregon/Wash.

11. I take you point about PC issues, but a tool to smash through drywall and sgtructural timber is pretty important -- if not for you then for the neighbors screaming from nextdoor as their house burns around them. Would a hand axe survive the faculty advisor/editor-in-chief? (Don't tell them the truth about battle axes.)

12. Cash - credit cards/checks will no longer do it.

13. If plan to evac, you need really easy-to-use maps/directions with landmarks that will still be recognizeable after the area looks like it was bombed flat. (Home is easier to find.)

14. If you work/school in a multi-story building, plan on how you will get out -- or just survive - with no elevators and stairways blocked with debris. (water/light/radio/tools/???)

You have already collected lots of good information and insight. I presume your eventual article will have information sorted into useful categories with bold headings.

Great project. :thumbup:

<ed to correct [at least some] errors missed by lazy proof-readers [who don't deserve credit hours]>
 
Good thoughts. I've got some small dings such as epidemic earthquake versus catastrophic earthquake, federal directions versus emergency information (might not be federal, local and state governments are the first responders) and other stuff including small grammar issues. But for a first/rough draft it's pretty good.
 
15. Emergency radio - "wind-up" if possible. TV and weather bands for sure.

16. Tarp (sun/rain/wind)
 
In September 19 1985 we had a 8.1 Richter scale earthquake in Mexico, I was in one of the more damaged areas of Mexico city, my apartment was damaged and a nearby building collapsed.

Some random comments, perhaps they will give you some ideas:

A flashlight was very useful, the stairs in buildings were often dark and full of debris even in the daytime hours and days later.

Some basic tools were handy, I had to fix up a door that had fallen off to at least make it look like it wasn't bad so as not to invite looters, a metal door was deformed and could not be opened until I hit it all around with a hammer.

Water and means of purification were very important, tap water was coming out dirty brown for days after the event.

Some people acted real crazy, an old lady would not get out of a damaged building until she took some pictures of her living room, we got out her picture collection and the shower head from the bathroom, she was bleeding form parts of the ceiling that fell on her head but she simply refused to go, another lady did not get out until the army came, she insisted that she did not have anywhere to go.

People cooperating was in general great, like if a neighboring building was damaged and yours was fine you could let people from the other one stay for a few days and such.

Some phones were working, in my building I was the only one in which the phone worked so everyone was coming by to call relatives.

People were camping out in a nearby park and I got my tent and sleeping bags ready, luckily after my building was checked out they said the damage was not serious and we stayed in, though I could see the neighbors through the cracks in the walls.

Having proper home insurance was useful, I was buying a new apartment at the time but luckily had not yet moved in, that one was lost. I got together the insurance money plus some savings plus a loan and was able to buy a house in a somewhat safer area.

Luis
 
I hate to be the messenger of bad news here, but I grew up in the Northbay area and worked much of my life in the San Francisco bay area and an earthquake could only be the beginning of the problems the people in your area could ultimately face.

There are chemical plants, oil refinery's, major shipping ports with any number of volatile contaminants coming in or going out, railways that carry the chemicals and other contaminants, Lawrence Livermore National Labratory where nuclear and other types of weapons have been developed, or are being developed isn't far from you. Heavily industrialization is nearby, there is a large segment of the population that could be subject to rioting and looting to take advantage of the situations and unless they closed it down, the Concord Naval Weapons Station isn't too far away and much of the contamination will occur upwind of your possition.

With this in mind, my suggestion is to recommend NBC suits and NBC masks w/extra filters as part of their emergency supplies.
 
dont foprget to enter ICE in their cell phones, the paramedics look for ice+ In Case of Emergency on the cell phone if they find you unconcious. they hit dial and are connected to someone that knows you and your medical history.

alex
 
ICE: Sort of funny story. One day I got a couple emails about ICE (one from my local emergency management guy and one from my state emergency management guy). One person was going to do a big press release to the media encouraging everyone to enter ICE into their phone so the first responders could check. I had to ask... Has anyone talked with the first responders about it? I did. They hadn't heard of it yet. That has been a while back... I think ICE is a good idea and have it in my phone, but one can't assume everyone knows or will have time to look.
 
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