Hi Canie & Dennis,

I have a top quality company that offers a full earthquake program and a mini plan, like the CEA if anyone wants it. Honestly it isn't that much of a difference between the two in cost. I'm sorry to say this, but its highly unlikely you could save enough money before the time arrives when you'll need it. There's not enough yeild these days from any investment portfolio to get ready that soon.

There are a couple of fine gentlemen out working on the mitigation effort and picking up the pieces when mitigation hasn't taken place yet. Dr. Roger Bilham of the University of Colorado has spent much of his life trying to encourage hazard mitigation to foreign leaders, but you can only do so much encouraging. The man who helps to put lives back together is Dr. Brian Tucker of Geohazards in Palo Alto. His foundation has been helping people for many years. There are a few bright lights out there trying to help.

Sometimes the hard reality is that there is little we can do to help those people. But we can do something right here, and right now. Start talking to everyone you know and turn the wheel on preparedness issues. I created some stationary in my computer with some sizeways tall buildings and there are two lines below my name and address that say: "It takes 3 droplets of bleach to purify one gallon of water." "Save a gallon today, and work on the rest of your earthquake kit tomorrow." Now everyone I write to is being encouraged.

On statistical odds,it takes the same message to reach a person 3 times before the person acts on the message. So don't give, dig in and weigh in on the side of safety and perservere, its for their own good afterall. Right?

Petra