Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
• What natural hazards are there in my area? Have I taken precautions to protect my
home?
• What is my potential for being caught in a significant earthquake, flood, hurricane,
tornado, or wildfire?
Note:
See the appropriate chapters in part 3 for specific inform-
ation pertaining to each of these hazards.
• How long do I anticipate that I might be without access to utilities and supplies?
• If the electricity goes out for an extended period of time, how will I cook, and how
will I heat and light my home? How will I keep the food in my refrigerator and freez-
er from rotting?
• Do I have supplies and training to deal with medical emergencies if medical help is
unavailable?
• If I must evacuate my home, do I have portable emergency supplies readily available
to bring with me?
• In case I need to evacuate on foot, do I have a large backpack, lightweight compact
camping gear, and sturdy hiking boots?
• How many people do I wish to store supplies for? What about my friends, neighbors,
or relatives?
• Do I have pets that I wish to feed and care for?
• Do I have small children or infants with special needs?
• Do I require prescription medications or are there any addictions I wish to provide for
in case distribution systems go down for a period of time?
Planning for the Short Term
The following information on short-term planning is designed to help you to prepare for emer-
gencies when services are disrupted for periods of up to one week. Everyone should have
enough food, water, and other emergency supplies to last for at least three days (72-hour emer-
gency kits), and preferably two or more weeks.
I suggest making these preparations as soon as possible. It is hard to focus on this task
when skies are blue and nothing is threatening, but it is usually too late once a disaster strikes
or is close at hand. When the tourists come to our town in the High Sierras, just the threat of a
major winter storm is enough to send swarms of people to the local supermarkets, where they
stock up on food. Once the highway over Donner Summit closes to trucks for a day or two, loc-
al market shelves are quickly stripped bare (my wife and I like to refer to this as “the Donner
Party syndrome”).
Short-Term Preparedness Checklist
