What a crazy year we’ve had with man-made and natural disasters seemingly non-stop from around the world! We’ve seen fires destroy homes and acres of land in South Ogden, Idaho, Montana, California, and Oregon. We’ve seen earthquakes crumble cities in Mexico and hurricanes that laid waste to everything in their path leaving people without shelter, food and water in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and surrounding islands. Would you be prepared if a disaster hit our town? Do you have a family plan?
Over Labor Day weekend our family camped near Preston, ID. It was beautiful and we had a ton of fun. One night as we sat around the campfire we discussed earthquakes and what our plan would be if one hit near our home. When we got home, though we hadn’t felt it, there had been an earthquake in Idaho over the weekend. What a crazy coincidence!
How can you prepare? You can start by asking these questions to your family… If an earthquake happened during work or school where should your meeting place be? Would you want your children to stay at school and wait for you to come get them? Do you know how to recognize possible downed power lines? Safe places to be during an earthquake (under tables and beds, open fields with no power lines or trees). If you experienced a house fire, do you have a designated meeting place? A plan on how to get out of the house? A list of things to grab if there is time, such as pictures, 72-hour kits, important documents, etc?