Earthquakes are a frequently heard of natural disasters. A high rated earth quake on the scale can cause major disasters. Though certain places are more prone to quakes, the possibility of such a disaster happening anywhere cannot be ruled out. An earthquake preparedness kit is a good precaution we can adopt to safeguard ourselves in times of need. However advanced the city’s infrastructure maybe, nothing can possibly prevent natural disasters from happening. The only remedy would be to be prepared to cope with the worst. An earthquake preparedness kit is a good way to be prepared and handle such adverse circumstances. Read on to get a few basic tips on crucial aspects to be kept in mind.
Why is it a must to have an earthquake preparedness kit?
People often are left totally helpless by a major earthquake and survival in such circumstances becomes very difficult. This would wipe out their homes and destroy everything in sight. The electricity, water, sewage system and the entire infrastructure can be completely destroyed by a huge earthquake. It would be mere foolishness if we expect the government and administration to come to our help immediately. Gear yourselves up and be ready to cope with the worst. It is a must to have a disaster preparedness kit to keep ourselves prepared to defend ourselves till the rescue efforts are implemented successfully.
One of the basic and an absolute must is having an earthquake preparedness kit .There are many aspects to be considered for an earthquake kit. Always be prepared for the worst and don’t count on alternative sources when you are thinking of precautionary steps. A high rated disaster can turn the entire city upside down and the infrastructure won’t come of any use in such cases.
If you have children around, do make them aware of where exactly the earthquake preparedness kit is located. Every household member should be aware of this and its contents. If there are too many people around or if the house is too large, it would be a wise decision to have at least two or more such earthquake preparedness kit. Keep in mind each of your family member and jot down the critical things without which survival would be difficult.
Earthquake Preparedness Checklist
While you plan your earthquake preparedness kit and the checklist, do plan for a minimum of three days. 72 hour kits need to be planned for. Any rescue efforts would take a while and is not possible to always reach you within a day’s time.
Water and food stock
The most important content of a survival kit would be drinking water. A person would normally require a gallon of water a day. Adequate stock of pills to purify the water is a must. Drinking water is one of the basic necessity without which survival chances are impossible. Ensure to keep plenty of iodine for water purification.
Second to water, food is utmost necessary. Do ensure you have sufficient stock of nonperishable food. Having few canned food containers is a great idea. Keep in mind to have adequate stock of food with high energy content. Stuff like dry fruits is a very rich and nutritious food. And in case you have pets around, do keep adequate nutritive food for them as well. It is very important that you keep in mind the expiry dates of long lasting food especially the canned containers and check them once in a while.
Torch and batteries
The next aspect would be to equip ourselves with torches and sufficient batteries. You can’t really expect to have the lighting system of the city to be intact in such circumstances. Matches and flash lights are an absolute must. Staying in an unlit place would certainly be a nightmarish experience. Do ensure that your earthquake preparedness kit has sufficient stock of good torches and batteries.
Other Important Accessories and Emergency Supplies
Stock of medicines is an important thing to be kept in mind. Keep certain whistles or devices which you can reach out for help. The first aid resources and emergency kit would be the next focus of attention. Keep plenty of bandages and basic first aid ointments cleanse your wounds and cuts. A pair of scissors would be very handy. Organizations like the Red Cross give good lessons in first aid treatment. It would be a good idea to attend such a course to have some basic knowledge. Basic treatment to the injured prior to hospitalization can save precious lives!
Having stock of some basic hygienic stuff is very important. Things like soaps, detergents and knives would come in handy. Long lasting and good shoes and clothes have to be kept. Also have stock of sleeping bags, pillows and blankets.
You can also keep some waterproof tarps in stock. They would help to protect your homes. Keeping in hand some material for setting up would be very useful in case the house is destroyed or you are not able to stay indoors due to extensive damage.
If there are children and old people around, you need to take extra precaution while designing your earthquake safety kit. New born children would need adequate milk. Nappies and stock of bottles is a must. Aged people would require their daily stock of medicines.
Training each member of your household is very important. Having many survival kits at home and having no idea as to what to do in case of a calamity would be a pointless exercise. Each family member has to know exactly where to find the earthquake preparedness kit and the first aid kit contents.
The above points would serve as the basic earthquake preparedness kit checklists and very critically important. Any earthquake preparedness kit ought to have these necessary basics. These would come to your rescue until you are rescued and taken to safer hands. Do not take anything for granted as this is a grave matter of life and death. Another point which needs to explicit mention is that the kit has to be timely checked and the contents replaced if necessary. Especially things such as food and water need to be replaced once in a while to ensure there is no old stock. Even the most developed countries having the best of amenities can be struck by natural disasters.