CA Moms! Are you worried about the big earthquake prediction?

[mom2one]

There was quiet a buzz after school yesterday about the chance of a huge CA earthquake in the next 7-9 days. Some scientist (who also predicted a the large san fran one) has made this prediction. With what is happening in the world, the large full moon tonight, the fish and other animals that have been dead in the last week or so, he says it is coming our way.

I can not get this out of my mind. I did go out and buy water today. Anybody else worried?

[ha98ed14]

Anybody else worried?

I wasn't, but now I am!!! And I think I am the WORST person to respond to this thread!

One thing I did do after the Japan quake was go buy water and some canned goods. We typically have no canned goods saved, no stocked pantry. We just don't eat that way, but I went out and got some. Now I need to go get more, just to make myself feel better. Crap.

ETA: I get the dead animals, but what would a full moon have to do with it? That sounds like superstition to me.

[Tondi G]

I didn't hear about that. Interesting. We are always DUE for a big earthquake here in CA and considering the fact that all the other areas of the ring of fire have been popping off it wouldn't surprise me. We have 2 flats of bottled water.... I bought this week... but not because of any worry about an earthquake, they happened to be on sale. With the "radioactive plume" and the "big one" headed our way.... there is nothing we can do about it really, but try our best to be prepared for ANY emergency. If an earthquake hits quickly fill your bathtub with fresh water if possible.... have batteries and flashlights ready... have your car full of gas.

My neighbor scares easily and actually hopped a plane for NY with her 2 young children cause she was worried about potential radiation.... she is probably feeling good about the decision she made if we do end up having a large earthquake. We'll see!!!!

[bubbaray]

Noooo, don't tell me this. la la la la la, I can't hear you. I had a dream that this happened last night.

Wonder if we'll feel it while on Space Mountain???

[justlearning]

Can you post a link to an article about this prediction?

[wellyes]

I got nervous when you said scientist, but relieved when you said he factored dead animals into his equation. Because that's just voodoo.

[Tondi G]

I got nervous when you said scientist, but relieved when you said he factored dead animals into his equation. Because that's just voodoo.

Last I heard the reason for all the dead fish was because the high winds pushed them into the harbor and there was a lack of oxygen.

[crl]

No. I worry in general about earthquakes. And we are only partially prepared. But I do not worry about predictions. When I was in college someone or other (who had supposedly predicted other major quakes) predicted the big one for the New Madrid fault (southern Missouri). That was, umm, 20 years ago. Still hasn't hit.

Catherine

[Tondi G]

Can you post a link to an article about this prediction?

try this

http://deathby1000papercuts.com/2011/03/super-moon-to-cause-california-quake-jim-berkland-prediction/

[artvandalay]

Can you post a link to an article about this prediction?


I'm assuming the scientist that was mentioned by the OP was Jim Berkland

I just googled CA earthquake march 2011 and found this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQXDt4VdS0E

[daisymommy]

I hate to tell you this, but there is a link between full moons (especially super-moons, which we have tonight) and earth quakes. Not because of voodoo, but because the moon controls the rise and fall of both the ocean's tides and the tides in the Earth's crust (magnetic pull). It's a scientific fact. Usually the shift is so tiny it's minuscule, but scientists are theorizing that due to the super-moon it could cause the plates to shift, triggering an earth quake.

Fwiw,, some people originally wondered if the earthquake in Japan was caused by the in-coming super-moon, but it was determined that it had happened too far ahead of time, and the moons pull was strong enough yet.

Be safe and prepared my friends!

[Melanie]

Nah, there's always a threat of a big one here. We just try to be as prepared as possible and go on with our lives.

[mom2one]

I am not sure where the moms at the playground got there info, but the link Toni G provided is the same one I found. Also the scientist behind this is JIm Berkland.

Not trying to scare anyone, I am new to CA and earthquakes and all, but I am scared. I did look up where we live today and I am relieved a little that we are not on the san andreas fault, but was shocked at how huge it is.

I know I need to spend time tomorrow just getting a little more prepared for all of this. And should it not happen this week, spending more time just be prepared in general. I loved the thread about being prepared and have printed things off and hope to get to work on all of that in weeks to come.

[Laurel]

Nah, there's always a threat of a big one here. We just try to be as prepared as possible and go on with our lives.

Yeah that.

Here is info about earthquakes and supermoons via wikipedia entry "Supermoon":

Speculations of a link between the occurrence of supermoons and natural disasters such as earthquakes and tsunami are extremely tenuous. Arguments have been made that natural disasters coinciding with years in which supermoons occurred were influenced by the Moon's increased gravitational strength, though because of the monthly alternation between lunar apogee and perigee such an argument cannot be supported unless the disaster in question falls on the actual date of the supermoon.[1]

While some studies have reported a weak correlation between shallow, very low intensity earthquakes and lunar activity, there is no empirical evidence of any correlation with major earthquakes.

It is important to keep in mind that CA is a big state. I have lived here my entire life and have only felt a few of the several "big" earthquakes that have occurred.

I won't live in fear for a week because of what one controversial scientist has said. Being prepared is a great idea, though.

[arivecchi]

I just googled that guy and he does not seem to be a renowned geologist.

Here is some factual information regarding the rumor that the super moon causes earthquakes.

http://news.discovery.com/earth/super-moon-earthquake-no-link-110318.html

HTH.

[geochick]

Geologist checking in...

Moon or no moon, anyone living in an active seismic belt should be prepared for seismic activity (food, water, shelter for 72+ hours). Have a family plan. Have a work plan. Have a car plan. Earthquakes can happen at any time, during the summer, during the night, during a hurricane, in the dead of winter, or even when the moon is full. Just be prepared.

I'm no more worried about the Monster Moon that's out now than any other day or night, but I'm pretty prepared for the Big One that's way overdue in my area. I say bring it on so we can get it over with.

[ahrimie]

I got nervous when you said scientist, but relieved when you said he factored dead animals into his equation. Because that's just voodoo.

I don't live in CA. I've never been in an earthquake. But reading your reply just made me crack up out loud :P

[bubbaray]

Geologist checking in...

Moon or no moon, anyone living in an active seismic belt should be prepared for seismic activity (food, water, shelter for 72+ hours). Have a family plan. Have a work plan. Have a car plan. Earthquakes can happen at any time, during the summer, during the night, during a hurricane, in the dead of winter, or even when the moon is full. Just be prepared.

I'm no more worried about the Monster Moon that's out now than any other day or night, but I'm pretty prepared for the Big One that's way overdue in my area. I say bring it on so we can get it over with.


So, what is the suggested 72 hr plan for tourists? Not being snarky, but by far the majority of our vacations are on the US westcoast. We have supplies at our house and when we RV we're probably safer than at home. But when we fly (like, um, to Disneyland or Hawaii), we definitely don't have 72 hrs of food and water with us and have no clue about evacuation plans/routes.

[rlu]

There was quiet a buzz after school yesterday about the chance of a huge CA earthquake in the next 7-9 days. Anybody else worried?

Nah, it's just a fact of life here. Of course we have plans and supplies, but I'm not overly concerned about a killer quake. The radiation - yeah, a little concerned on that front. Not enough to fly to NY (or ask for a trip to our company's headquarters in MA as DH joked).

[eh613c]

Geologist checking in...

Moon or no moon, anyone living in an active seismic belt should be prepared for seismic activity (food, water, shelter for 72+ hours). Have a family plan. Have a work plan. Have a car plan. Earthquakes can happen at any time, during the summer, during the night, during a hurricane, in the dead of winter, or even when the moon is full. Just be prepared.

I'm no more worried about the Monster Moon that's out now than any other day or night, but I'm pretty prepared for the Big One that's way overdue in my area. I say bring it on so we can get it over with.

:yeahthat: Plus geologists have been telling the public for the past couple of years that we, in CA, are due for another one.

[Tondi G]

So, what is the suggested 72 hr plan for tourists? Not being snarky, but by far the majority of our vacations are on the US westcoast. We have supplies at our house and when we RV we're probably safer than at home. But when we fly (like, um, to Disneyland or Hawaii), we definitely don't have 72 hrs of food and water with us and have no clue about evacuation plans/routes.

I don't think you should vacation in fear of an earthquake. Chances are if you are at Disneyland they will have things in place to help care for the people staying there. Same with a resort in Hawaii ... you would either stay in the resort or be moved to a shelter if the hotel was deemed unsafe (until you could get a flight home).

[YouAreTheFocus]

We are in SF bay area and honestly a little part of me is worried about earthquakes all the time. It's one of those things my mind goes to when I'm trying to fall asleep at night.

That said, this guy doesn't make me any more concerned than usual.

[brittone2]

Echoing Bubbaray-

DH is traveling to the LA area soon for business and I wonder how you are supposed to be "prepared" while traveling. It just isn't possible other than maybe spending a few mins looking at exit plans at the hotel in his case I guess.

[new_mom_mry]

Ok, this made me freak out a little, so I sent an email to my former grad school adviser at UW-Madison whose husband is a geophysicist, and she asked him about this guy's "prediction," and he said it's unsubstantiated. No longer worried now.

[Sillygirl]

That guy doesn't seem to have very solid credentials. Here's the thing, though. Everyone knows CA is on a fault, and that a big quake is due. Why would having advance notice (if it were accurate) make anyone more nervous?

Excepting vacationers, of course. I wouln't cancel a trip based on this guy.

[geochick]

So, what is the suggested 72 hr plan for tourists? Not being snarky, but by far the majority of our vacations are on the US westcoast. We have supplies at our house and when we RV we're probably safer than at home. But when we fly (like, um, to Disneyland or Hawaii), we definitely don't have 72 hrs of food and water with us and have no clue about evacuation plans/routes.

I don't know what a tourist's emergency kit would look like, and honestly, when we travel to So Cal, I don't worry too much (odds of the big one happening during the one week we're there are low, so I gamble). We're heading there in a few months, and I should probably think about it. Here are some common sense things:

Buy a pack of water bottles when you arrive - keep them in your rental car. They say for any emergency you need 1gal/person/day, but that's when you're sheltering at home.

Bring our buy some granola bars (my family could live on granola bars for 72 hours...find something easy and portable like that for your fam that they'll snack on anyway).

Ask your hotel at check in what their emergency plan is for guests in case of a natural disaster. If they look at you with a blank stare, make your own plan that day.

Little foil emergency blankets would be easy to pack.

Have some cash on you.

Keep the gas tank full.

We also go to Mexico quite a bit. If we were ever going during Hurricane Season, I'd probably think about what I'd need for a few days of a storm in our room or a shelter (playing cards, flashlights, etc.). The resort we go to probably has a lot of that already.

Actually last summer when we were at D-Land LA had a small earthquake. Even after that, I still think it's a reasonable gamble to not get too crazy worried about the risk while on vacation, but it can't hurt to be a bit prepared. Always find two fire exits for your hotel room.

[bubbaray]

Many of our vacations don't involve a rental car. For example, most trips to Disneyland we just take the Disneyland bus to the resort. Same when we go to Mexico or other places with all-inclusives. So, all the stuff with the rental car is out of the question.

[geochick]

Many of our vacations don't involve a rental car. For example, most trips to Disneyland we just take the Disneyland bus to the resort. Same when we go to Mexico or other places with all-inclusives. So, all the stuff with the rental car is out of the question.

Then store stuff in backpacks (water and granola bars) and in your hotel room. Use what you have.

[Globetrotter]

I'm no more worried than usual, but if this gets people to think about earthquake preparedness, at least something good came out of it!

[mackmama]

Oh no... I had not heard this and am now feeling a bit freaked. It makes sense to me that something like this could happen with the plates shifting after Japan, etc. Eek I'm going to go do a little google research.

[wellyes]

Carrying cash is a great idea.

[Globetrotter]

I'm not worried about this prediction, but it DOES freak me out that there have been several HUGE earthquakes over the past year. The plates are shifting, for whatever reason, so there is no reason to believe we will be spared. YIKES.

[Fairy]

I'm not worried about this prediction, but it DOES freak me out that there have been several HUGE earthquakes over the past year. The plates are shifting, for whatever reason, so there is no reason to believe we will be spared. YIKES.

This is more like where's I'm at here. Now, I'm not in Cali, but I am near-ish the New Madrid, and last year we DID have an earthquake in the middle of the night -- my first, and it actually woke me up! That was pretty cool, actually. But overall, my head is going right to the big picture, here, and not the one quake (actual or predicted) at a time.

[geochick]

I'm not worried about this prediction, but it DOES freak me out that there have been several HUGE earthquakes over the past year. The plates are shifting, for whatever reason, so there is no reason to believe we will be spared. YIKES.

All of the earth's plates are always moving (driven by heat inside the earth). The average rate of movement is about the same rate as your fingernails grow (a few centimeters each year). There's nothing unusual about the number of large earthquakes in the last year on earth.

[BayGirl2]

I'm in the Bay Area and this doesn't particularly worry me. We have a solid emergency kit and plan. The Tsunami warning made us reevaluate and come up with a few ways we could perfect it to make evacuation easier. I really can't go through life worried about everything - there are plenty of scary thoughts that keep me up at night (something happening to DS, DH, me), but earthquakes are actually something I can be prepared for.

For those traveling I think its a good idea to be prepared for emergencies no matter where you are going. In the case of an earthquake its likely your hotel or a Disney-type resort will have resources for you. But I travel a lot for business and here are some travel safety tips I have heard. Can't say I follow these every time, but if you are concerned a little preparation may calm your nerves.

- When you get to your hotel room take a look at the exit map, go out into the hall and count the doorways to the nearest exit. You may need to evacuate in the dark so be aware of how to do that by feel.
- Also keep a room key handy on the desk so its easy to grab if you need to go outside. I always get an extra at check-in for this reason.
- In large public places or restaurants it never hurts to check where the exit is.
- When traveling with kids its always a good idea to be prepared with extra food and a couple bottles of water. We keep some extra formula packs stashed in our diaper bag. Even though DS is beyond formula its a backup if we can't get milk in a pinch. I don't worry as much about carrying food for myself when out, but knowing I can get a kid through a skipped meal makes me feel better.
- Its generally a good idea to keep the gas tank at least half full and have some cash handy whether you are home or traveling.

I'm sure people can add to this list. Hope this helps.

[bubbaray]

I'm a pretty experienced traveller and have travelled on many many trips to earthquake (and other disaster) prone areas where I do not have a rental car at my destination nor access to stores. Expecting tourists to have 72 hrs worth of water (and food) per person with them when they arrive at their resort via bus or taxi is simply not viable.

Using Disneyland as an example, the majority of people who fly there do not rent cars, but take the Disneyland express bus from either LAX or John Wayne airports. There are virtually no grocery or big box stores within feasible walking distance of the resort either. It is hit and miss if you can find water at any of the small stores around the resort. I think most people would not purchase 72 hrs of water per person from the Disneyland report itself, at $4/bottle.

[JamiMac]

I don't think you should vacation in fear of an earthquake. Chances are if you are at Disneyland they will have things in place to help care for the people staying there. Same with a resort in Hawaii ... you would either stay in the resort or be moved to a shelter if the hotel was deemed unsafe (until you could get a flight home).

I totally agree! Go and have fun!!!

[ezcc]

I have friends who were staying at a resort in Cancun when a pretty big hurricane came through a few years ago. They were evacuated to another property, but that place still did not have power. They were essentially stuck in their room playing cards by whatever ambient light there was. They were provided candles by the resort and the staff ran through wind and rain to deliver box meals to everyone. It wasn't particularly pleasant, but they were well provided for. I think if you are staying at a resort you can pretty much assume that they will do their best to take care of you. I'm sure all those places (certainly Disney!) have well thought out emergency plans.

[Globetrotter]

If you are on Disney property, you will be taken care of. I'm sure they have a great emergency plan! If you're on a property nearby, that is a little iffy but really.. the odds are so small. just make sure you know what to do during and immediately after a quake.

We spend a lot of time in national parks, which are generally hazardous areas IRT earthquakes and volcanoes, etc.. (think of Yellowstone!). You can't let that stop you from going.

[geochick]

I'm a pretty experienced traveller and have travelled on many many trips to earthquake (and other disaster) prone areas where I do not have a rental car at my destination nor access to stores. Expecting tourists to have 72 hrs worth of water (and food) per person with them when they arrive at their resort via bus or taxi is simply not viable.

Using Disneyland as an example, the majority of people who fly there do not rent cars, but take the Disneyland express bus from either LAX or John Wayne airports. There are virtually no grocery or big box stores within feasible walking distance of the resort either. It is hit and miss if you can find water at any of the small stores around the resort. I think most people would not purchase 72 hrs of water per person from the Disneyland report itself, at $4/bottle.


The majority of people who fly to DLand may not rent cars, but the majority of people at DLand drive there. Most live in So Cal. The majority could walk home within a day. When we're there with our car, we've found that Target isn't far away at all. There are also all sorts of little 7-11-type stores right across the street from Dland, and their water prices are MUCH cheaper than those at DLand. We pass several on our walk between the HoJo and the main gate.

When you travel, it's a risk you take. You can stay home with you full supply closet, or you can live life, and do your best with what you have. If you're really concerned, you could pack a suitcase full of juice boxes and granola bars. Check it. I don't do that because I decide what risk I'm willing to live with, and go with it. When we travel to places I'm unfamiliar with, or where we'll be at an all-inclusive without a car, I probably should pack a bit better, but again, it's a risk I'm willing to live with, so I don't.

You might even consider renting a car next time. We've gotten some great rates in So Cal before.

It never hurts to do a bit of research ahead of time, though. It couldn't hurt to contact your hotel ahead of time, and ask for the names of convenience stores nearby, or ask what emergency provisions they have available.

[twindad]

- In large public places or restaurants it never hurts to check where the exit is.


Always a good idea! My friend and his 5 y.o. son were recently in an ice cream shop when a man walked in, pointed a gun at the employee behind the counter, and robbed the place. The robber left quickly, and didn't say anything to the few patrons in the store, but my friend had his eye on the exit trying to decide whether or not they should run for it. The police officer that interviewed him immediately after the robbery said you have to go with your gut on whether to stay put (silent and still) or try to leave... both pose potential risks. My friend is now in the habit of looking for exits in restaurants/public places, and chooses to sit near the exit whenever possible.

[gatorsmom]

I'm in the Bay Area and this doesn't particularly worry me. We have a solid emergency kit and plan. The Tsunami warning made us reevaluate and come up with a few ways we could perfect it to make evacuation easier. I really can't go through life worried about everything - there are plenty of scary thoughts that keep me up at night (something happening to DS, DH, me), but earthquakes are actually something I can be prepared for.

For those traveling I think its a good idea to be prepared for emergencies no matter where you are going. In the case of an earthquake its likely your hotel or a Disney-type resort will have resources for you. But I travel a lot for business and here are some travel safety tips I have heard. Can't say I follow these every time, but if you are concerned a little preparation may calm your nerves.

- When you get to your hotel room take a look at the exit map, go out into the hall and count the doorways to the nearest exit. You may need to evacuate in the dark so be aware of how to do that by feel.
- Also keep a room key handy on the desk so its easy to grab if you need to go outside. I always get an extra at check-in for this reason.
- In large public places or restaurants it never hurts to check where the exit is.
- When traveling with kids its always a good idea to be prepared with extra food and a couple bottles of water. We keep some extra formula packs stashed in our diaper bag. Even though DS is beyond formula its a backup if we can't get milk in a pinch. I don't worry as much about carrying food for myself when out, but knowing I can get a kid through a skipped meal makes me feel better.
- Its generally a good idea to keep the gas tank at least half full and have some cash handy whether you are home or traveling.

I'm sure people can add to this list. Hope this helps.

I wanted to add to this list. For those parents with small children that you use a stroller for, you may want to get a room on the main floor in case the power goes out and the elevators are turned off. Before we had twins, I'd travel with DH to Las Vegas for his annual convention and while DH worked during the day, I'd tour stuff on the strip with our older boys, who were 1 and 3yo. To have a nice view, we usually requested a higher floor. The one year I didn't go with the kids, the Monte Carlo Hotel caught fire and everyone was evacuated. I had considered bringing the twins because they were at an easy phase of their development but then thought against it. DH was staying on the 26th floor that time and the fire department turned the elevators off which meant anyone relying on a stroller is SOL. I can't imagine trying to climb down 26 flights of stairs with 2 toddlers and carrying twin babies. Yikes!

[citymama]

I have to say the original post (and subsequent goggling) pretty much freaked me out when I read it last night. Just the whole "next 10 days" aspect of the so-called prediction. As geochick and others have said, this isn't exactly a credible source, nor is an earthquake something that can be predicted with this level of accuracy. It did make me realize that we are long overdue for restocking our earthquake supplies, in particular, our water supplies.


Everyone knows CA is on a fault, and that a big quake is due. Why would having advance notice (if it were accurate) make anyone more nervous?



In the Bay Area, we're actually between two major fault lines, the San Andreas and the Hayward. Pretty scary, really.

Re tourists, think of all the places we go to at risk for something or other. I didn't even think earthquake or tsunami when traveling to Indonesia and Thailand, for eg. That's because the risk of something striking during the 7 days I spent there were pretty small. However, for those of us living day in and day out in a place we know the next Big One is due to hit, our odds of being affected are much greater. You absolutely want to be prepared.

That BART ride under the Bay or drive across the Bay Bridge are going to be that much more white knuckled this next week despite my better judgement. Gulp.

[rlu]

In the Bay Area, we're actually between two major fault lines, the San Andreas and the Hayward. Pretty scary, really.

That BART ride under the Bay or drive across the Bay Bridge are going to be that much more white knuckled this next week despite my better judgement. Gulp.

It's been over 20 years since the Embarcadero pancaked but I still get antsy whenever I get stuck in traffic on or under an overpass. Which is stupid since they are probably built quite differently, but you can't always rationalize away anxiety.

[AnnieW625]

Honestly I had no clue, but it now makes sense because I saw a few people with multiple cases of bottled water when I was at Costco yesterday.

Overall I can't get myself worked up about earthquakes. I drive on the freeway daily and three or four portions of it are elevated and every so often the image of the cars being on the bay bridge from the 89 quake jumps in my head or seeing the collapsed 980 freeway (my uncle was suppose to be on that freeway going home from work in downtown Oakland, but he decided to leave later that day) kind of freaks me out, but overall I am not overly scared. I will be in Sacramento over the weekend so pretty far from the Hayward and San Andreas fault. Here at home I have felt a few of them, including the 5.0 that was centered on the Inglewood fault a few years ago.


So, what is the suggested 72 hr plan for tourists? Not being snarky, but by far the majority of our vacations are on the US westcoast. We have supplies at our house and when we RV we're probably safer than at home. But when we fly (like, um, to Disneyland or Hawaii), we definitely don't have 72 hrs of food and water with us and have no clue about evacuation plans/routes.

You are more than welcome to come to my house. We are 13 miles from Disneyland. I can't guarantee that we have 72 hours of food, but I am pretty thrifty when it comes to food and cooking! When is your trip?

[catroddick]

I still get a little freaky on bridges, even though I had my feet on the ground for the '89 quake.
I spazzed out last week over the nuclear meltdown possibility, so we're well stocked with water and non-perishables. Around June, I'll have you all over for soup. Lots and lots of soup.
BTW, I used to be very level-headed. Having a daughter to worry about has turned me into a complete crack-pot.

[essnce629]

It's been a week since the last post and no earthquake! I still need to get an emergency kit going though since we have nothing so far and I'm in Los Angeles.

[niccig]

It's been a week since the last post and no earthquake! I still need to get an emergency kit going though since we have nothing so far and I'm in Los Angeles.

I was in the same position the other year, I had been meaning for YEARS to get a kit together. I ended up buying kits - it was just easier to buy something all done up in a backpack. I got 2 backpacks, each one is for 2 people for 3 days, and there's 3 of us. I need to pick one up for each of our cars.

[Melanie]

Dh found some extensive ones on costco.com (unfortunately online only, at least around here) but I'm not sure if they have the backpacks. My mom and I used to just have those with the theory that our car is always with us so we kept them in the car. I think now we do not travel as far from home so we will likely get the backpacks for the car but also have a big kit at home. We did order the water barrel. It comes today, can't wait to see the look on the UPS man's face. LOL.

Don't forget kits for your pets, too! We made our own last time, but I'm sure someone sells them.

[geochick]

Don't forget, if you store food and water in your car, it won't last as long as if you store it in a cool, dark place. If you use your car for storage, you'll have to replace these items more frequently.

[BayGirl2]

We get MRE's (Meals Ready to Eat) similar to what they use in the military. Each one is a single packaged meal that is waterproof and lasts for longer than a lot of the other options. When they do expire we let our teenage niece and nephew help eat them, its quite the novelty for them!

DH gets them online, I can check where if anyone is interested.

[Melanie]

We get MRE's (Meals Ready to Eat) similar to what they use in the military. Each one is a single packaged meal that is waterproof and lasts for longer than a lot of the other options. When they do expire we let our teenage niece and nephew help eat them, its quite the novelty for them!

DH gets them online, I can check where if anyone is interested.

It is important to check which your kit has, too. I didn't realize until reading the really informative comments on one of the costco ones, that they require water and a heat source which is different than the backpack ones which had MREs. I am going to try to get a mix of both.


California moms, where do you store your supplies? I specify California b/c thinking most of us store in case of an earthquake.

[arivecchi]

Another interesting article on California quakes.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20110321/sc_livescience/bogusclaimjapanearthquakewonttriggeracaliforniaqua ke

[Melanie]

Another interesting article on California quakes.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20110321/sc_livescience/bogusclaimjapanearthquakewonttriggeracaliforniaqua ke

Interesting article. I like the discussion about plate tectonics. I really never understood about that until I took an astronomy (of all things! We spent more time on planets than on stars.) course in college.

Don't you love the part where they consider a magnitude 7 a small one?
I lived about 20 miles from the Northridge 6.8. That was plenty big!

[niccig]

California moms, where do you store your supplies? I specify California b/c thinking most of us store in case of an earthquake.

I've been thinking about this too.
Currently the emergency backpacks are in the hallway closet in a rubbermaid container with a few extra things thrown on top - but the floor to the closet opens up to access a ladder for a small basement area - so maybe not the best place.

I don't think the garage is a good idea as might not be able to get to it. I'm thinking it needs to be in the house, but we don't have a lot of closet space.

[Melanie]

One of my thoughts with a garage, if it's just a single story without rooms above it, should something catastrophic happen to your house it's probably easier to get through a mess of the garage (having open rafters/no plaster ceiling/insulation/etc.) than it would be a house.

Having said that, we have rooms above our garage so it's not so great. Where we used to live we had a very shady spot in our yard without vegetation that literally never ever got any sun, and that was where we were going to keep our water barrel.

Our garage is packed, but for now that is where I think everything will have to find a spot anyway. Though I'm hoping to move soon and wondering where some good indoor places might be. I will have to check on what the upper temperature limit is of storage as well. Currently our garage stays quite cool, but where we used to live it was like an oven.

[citymama]

One of my thoughts with a garage, if it's just a single story without rooms above it, should something catastrophic happen to your house it's probably easier to get through a mess of the garage (having open rafters/no plaster ceiling/insulation/etc.) than it would be a house.

Having said that, we have rooms above our garage so it's not so great. Where we used to live we had a very shady spot in our yard without vegetation that literally never ever got any sun, and that was where we were going to keep our water barrel.

Our garage is packed, but for now that is where I think everything will have to find a spot anyway. Though I'm hoping to move soon and wondering where some good indoor places might be. I will have to check on what the upper temperature limit is of storage as well. Currently our garage stays quite cool, but where we used to live it was like an oven.

If you have rooms over your garage, make sure your home has been seismically retrofitted. A garage is considered a "soft-story" structure and if you're living over one (as we are) you need to have sheerwalls and potentially Hardy cages put it to strengthen it in case of a large quake.

Also, please everyone, make sure your house has been bolted to its foundation. Ours isn't and we're getting our seismic retrofitting done in the next few weeks.

[BayGirl2]

California moms, where do you store your supplies? I specify California b/c thinking most of us store in case of an earthquake.

This is something we re-evaluated after the Tsunami warning. We have a dog run on the shady side of our house, accessible through the garage and outside gate. The emergency gear was in a small shed out there. That way it is still easy to get to if our 2 story house were inaccessible.

After the Tsunami we started to think more about evacuation vs. shelter in place. We decided to consolidate the emergency stuff into bins that could be easily moved into the car. They are now in weather-resistant rubber-maid bins next to the shed. DH also went through our camping stuff to add in more camping-type things that we would want on hand, but hadn't previously consolidated. Now I feel like if I were home alone and needed to make a quick exit plan I could figure it out on my own.