Hi All. As most of you already know Petra and I are avid believers in earthquake preparedness. You can never start to soon, but you can always start to late.

What you do before the quake can have a great affect on how well you will do during and most especially after a major quake.

Take a look around your house. Look for the strong points to huddle in during the quake. These areas are hallways and inside corners away from windows.

Stay inside. The most dangerous thing to do during the shaking of an earthquake is to try to leave the building because objects can fall on you.

Every time you go to the store buy a little extra in the way of canned goods. Be sure to rotate these in according to the expiration date on the cans.

You should have a good supply of water to last you for at least 5 days. If you don’t do anything else water is an absolute must have. You can go for a long time without food, but not for very long without water.

You should have a pair of shoes next to your bed along with a flashlight. You sure don’t want to go walking around a dark house in the night while barefooted. You could do more then just stub your toe. Have a whistle near your bed. Use a long shoestring, or a strong piece of cord to tie in around your wrist. If you use a strong cord of some kind don’t tie it around you neck as you could strangle yourself. A small chain such as those used with keys is okay to wear around the neck.

Lithium batteries are not a must as they are kind of expensive, but do have an advantage of having a shelf life of 10 years with 90% remaining power left. Some are rated at having 70% left after 10 years.

A first aid kit is a must. There are those can be bought, but I have found that it is better to buy a small metal or plastic box that can be carried and build your own for your family. This way you can put the material in that you think you will need the most. Not only that, but the scissors they put in those store bought first kits wouldn’t let you cut wet tissue paper.

I could go on, but by now you have gotten some ideas of your own. It’s never too early to start preparing for the next major quake. I don’t mean to scare anyone, but to impress upon you to be prepared and to time to start is now. Take Care…Don in creepy town