What if you knew? California earthquake

If you knew something was coming which would disrupt your life, put your family in danger and you knew it was coming what would you do? Recently the news had a story of NASA predicting an 5.0 earthquake would strike the Southern California area in the next three years with a 99.9% chance of being correct. Of course other people are coming out saying they can not make this prediction but what if they are right? What if you knew with a 99.9% chance something was coming?

For this post let's say the NASA folks are right. Let's say there will be an earthquake of 5.0 or higher in the next three years. What would that mean to those of us in Southern California? "We have earthquakes all the time and nothing really happens? They keep saying the big one is coming and nothing ever happens, why is this different and why should we care?" Odds are a 5.0 would not do much other than give you something to talk about at dinner. Here is a chart of what can be expected for different earthquakes

Earthquake Magnitude Scale

Magnitude Earthquake Effects Estimated Number
Each Year
2.5 or less Usually not felt, but can be recorded by seismograph. 900,000
2.5 to 5.4 Often felt, but only causes minor damage. 30,000
5.5 to 6.0 Slight damage to buildings and other structures. 500
6.1 to 6.9 May cause a lot of damage in very populated areas. 100
7.0 to 7.9 Major earthquake. Serious damage. 20
8.0 or greater Great earthquake. Can totally destroy communities near the epicenter. One every 5 to 10 years

Earthquake Magnitude Classes

Earthquakes are also classified in categories ranging from minor to great, depending on their magnitude.

Class Magnitude
Great 8 or more
Major 7 - 7.9
Strong 6 - 6.9
Moderate 5 - 5.9
Light 4 - 4.9
Minor 3 -3.9


Does not sound like much to worry about, 5.0 won't be the end of the world for L.A. or Southern California! Odds are it won't be but the question to start this post was what would you do if you knew it was coming? Would you take an hour of your day to make sure you have a spare pair of shoes in the car? Would you make sure you have some extra cash on you in case the stores can't use cards? Would you make sure your loved ones knew where you are and when to expect you home? Would you take an hour out of your day to make sure a minor quake is just a minor issue to you?

Even a minor quake can have a large effect on people. Sure it might not affect you but what if the aftermath does? What if the power is off at your house, even just for a day or two? What if your car is struck by failing objects, do you have insurance? What if the route you go home everyday on is blocked?

What if your house is the one on the block which is deemed uninhabitable? What if, what if, what if? Even a minor quake can have larger affects on your life than might have happened before or than what is predicted. What if you knew something could happen? Would you take a few minutes or even an hour to prepare?

News story like this one should serve as reminders. Little knocks upside the head to remind us to take a moment and do what we can to prepare ourselves for what will come. Sooner or later we are all touched by an emergency, be it a flat on the side of the road or some major natural disaster. We all need to take a moment or two to plan and utilize a few resources now to help ourselves and loved ones when something does happen. You in the future will thank the past you when the time comes.

As Always,

Stay Safe!

Mud Slide, While your driving!

Mother nature does not care what man thinks something should be. You can be driving home from Grandma's house and what you thought was a road.... Mother Nature decided was a streambed and you are now surrounded by water, mud and debris!!

No matter what your daily drive is like you should keep in the back of your mind that road you are on is temporary. Nothing we humans have made is permanent and in some cases we forget Mother Nature has the final say on what is going on. This is especially important for those of us living in the city. We tend to forget there are more powerful forces out there than what we can build. We also forget our buildings and changes in the environment might make things worst when Mother Nature shows up in force.

All it takes is one drain to be clogged. One inch of rain coming down faster than the drain system can handle. For those of us in California the drought, along with fires we have had the last few years is only going to make the coming El Nino worst. Hill sides will come down from the rain, drains will be clogged and areas will be flooded. Not to mention, people in California can not drive with rain. Imagine days of rain and flooded roads!!!! Ok everyone in places with seasons go ahead and laugh!!!

The idea here is to remind people to plan ahead, let people know where you are going, how you are getting there and when you should arrive. Have some basic items with you to help if something happens. Do not plan on the authorities being there immediately to help you, you are responsible for you!

As Always,

Stay Safe

The Great California Shake Out 2015

It's that time again!!! This year I remembered it was today! For those of us in California did you participate?

Of course this is not just an issue for those of us in California. All across the globe folks have to deal with earthquakes. Here's a link to the program in New Zealand.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-a7T9Uf-JB4

Today let's take a moment and do something proactive. We all got a old pair of shoes somewhere around the house. Find the old pair of shoes and put them under your bed. Why? Because the day of the earthquake will not be during the day. The earthquake will catch you in the middle of the night and next thing you know your walking barefooted through glass and debris. Which will just make you a casualty instead of being able to help.

Even if you do not have an old pair of shoes get in the habit of leaving your shoes near your bed. That way in the middle of the night you can find them. Might not be a earthquake could just be any of a thousand other reasons you get up and for almost any emergency you do not want to be caught barefooted. Also find a flashlight, any flashlight, make sure the flashlight works and put it near your bed. The light can be in the nightstand, dresser or even in the old shoes under the bed. Just put it somewhere you can find easily. Now if something comes up you have some shoes on to protect your feet and a flashlight to see in the dark.

If you live anywhere on the above photo you should get up right now and go put a flashlight and shoes somewhere near the bed! Go do it we will wait.................................... Good now you have done something proactive and can pat yourself on the back.

Remember it is the little things in life which make the biggest difference. Stay calm realize you are along for the ride if the ground starts moving! Protect yourself the best you can during the event. Be ready to deal with the situation afterward.

As Always,

Stay Safe!

South Carolina - Thousand year storm

Thousand year storm, how do you prepare for a thousand year storm? You don't! None of us were around a thousand years ago to have a clue what one of these storms looks like. What we can do is take a bit of time and cover what we can before the storm comes and try to be ready for the aftermath.

Seeing people 'stranded' in there homes should be a reminder of why we put some prior planning into our lives. People found themselves without electricity, running water, access to stores and living on what was now an island. Could you and your family cope with your home suddenly becoming an island? Hopefully you can at the very least for a day or two????

If you plan on just leaving if the flood waters rise what do you do if the water rises before you can go? Remember Nature was not at the kitchen table with you when you made the plan and Nature does not care what you planned on doing. Roads, bridges and other infrastructure you might not think about on a daily basis are no match for Nature. Storm drains clog up, roads get washed away and your Prius is worthless. Your Prius is worthless everyday and should not be allowed on the freeway any day but when the water rises your Prius and most cars are not made to drive through the water.

Think about all the ditches you drive over. The bridges both large and small you drive over. What is under all the roadways you take for granted? how many of these need to be washed out for you to be stuck at home? Sure you could have a small boat you can use or you can walk through the water to get out.

If you decide to just walk through the water to get to where you want to be please think of a few things before you do. One water moving quickly is much more powerful than you might think. The water will quickly knock you down and now you have become a victim of the storm. The second thing, what is in the water you want to walk through? Sure there could be wild life in the water. What is not really ever discussed is the germs floating around in the flood water. Remember the smallest scrap or cut can let germs into your system which could make you sick or worst. Just think about your cities water treatment facility. Is it flooded and where did all the waste go? Yep, good chance all that human waste is floating around in the water you want to walk through in your shorts....... Besides where are you going to go? The store, what if the store is not there any more? Remember things are not normal after something like this and assuming you can just wade through the water to the grocery store might not be something you can or should do.

All of us should plan not only to leave if need be but also to stay if we need to. This means being able to sustain yourself for a day or two at home without any help from the rest of the world. We need to have options and we need to plan ahead to give us the ability to utilize these options.

As Always,

Stay Safe.

Communications (do not need to)

Being able to communicate with others is an ability most of us take for granted. We talk to others every day. Some of us spend too much time using our phones and computers to communicate with others via social media. Some of us are tethered to our phones due to work. Most of us take this ability to reach out and communicate with others for granted. We really do not think about all the things which have to work right to allow us to communicate as easily with each other as we do.

This ability to call someone around the globe is new. Some of us just might be “experienced” enough to remember when communicating with others around the globe or across town was not as simple as now. Not that long ago, people did not walk around with portable phones in their purse or pocket. Everyone did not stare at their phone while walking, driving and when you sat down to eat you might have even spoken to the people around you. What can we remember from the “old days” to help us should something happen to interfere with our ability to instantly communicate with family or friends?

Picture a situation in which your phone and internet does not work. Ok, some of you might have to take a deep breath and calm down after thinking about this. Heck your phone battery could just run out of juice and you are not able to charge your phone!!!! Welcome to the world 20 years or so ago.

A few simple habits can cover this emergency and others:
1) Let people know where you are going
2) Set a time you are going to return
3) Go home

If you’re leaving the house let folks you live with know. In most cases should something come up this lets them know where you should be or at the very least where you might be at. Knowing where you are at can help calm people down during an emergency. Gives people one less thing to worry about. If your loved ones can think “She’s at the mall.” Instead of “I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE SHE IS! OH MY GOD WHERE IS SHE?” their ability to deal with whatever the situation improves.

Having a time for your return works the same way. If you’re supposed to be home at five o’clock and something comes up at three o’clock your loved ones are less likely to get really worried until after five o’clock. This is especially true if you are home at the same time every night. Even if you are just going to the mall let folks know when you plan on being home. Say maybe an hour or two. Something happens they won’t get really worried until after the time frame passes.

Making these two ideas a habit is really easy and can aid your family in mentally dealing with a situation when one arises. Putting off an overwhelming sense of panic for even an hour or two can make the difference in what your loved ones can do during an emergency. If they are not worried about you they can take proactive steps to improve their own situation.

This last one is a simple one and can be the answer to most situations you and your loved ones might face. Go home, something happens, GO HOME! Phone not working, go home. Car breaks down, go home. With the exception of a few emergencies the answer of what to do is GO HOME! If we tell all of our loved ones this is the standard answer to an emergency than no matter what happens we know our family is doing one thing. Everyone is trying to get home!

If we practice these ideas of letting people know where we are going, when we are planning on being back and agree to come home as our initial rally point we can separate ourselves from having to rely on electronic devices to communicate during an emergency. Having these ideas in place also allows us to "communicate" with our loved ones without actually having to.

As Always,

Stay Safe!!!