by James Urbaniak

Created on: September 21, 2009   Last Updated: September 24, 2009

If Americans learned nothing else from the Hurricane Katrina disaster we learned that when a disaster of this magnitude strikes, local emergency resources will be spread too thin to adequately respond to our needs and national relief may come many days later. For some, help may come too late. A disaster, by definition, occurs unexpectedly and overwhelmingly. In a time when we have become so reliant upon technology that a power outage may cause us to miss e-mails, eBay auctions, or - heaven forbid - 'Survivor', many people cannot fathom anything beyond the loss of creature comforts as being distressing. Whether it is an earthquake, hurricane or other occurrence, planning for a disaster means increasing your chance of survival.

Take a look around to figure out where fresh drinking water will come from for at least three days. Remember that you will need one gallon of water per person, per day just for basic survival needs. Do you really want to try to break into your water heater tank to drink that nasty, rusty water? Sure, you have a water filter on your kitchen faucet but the water won't be running. Forget driving down to the grocery store to stock up on bottled water. If you manage to buy some after waiting hours in line, you likely won't be able to buy enough. How many days can you get by with the food in your house right now? Ketchup soup and freezer burnt tortillas will sound pretty good after a few days with nothing else to eat. Hopefully no one in the house has been injured by falling debris or toppled furniture and is in need of treatment. Gas line breaks often result from earthquake activity, so lighting matches and turning on flashlights, which can spark, may not be a great idea. Do you have a supply of glow sticks? These are things everyone must think about right now in preparing for an earthquake or other disaster.

Today, not next month is the time to prepare for getting through an earthquake. FEMA, the Red Cross and other local and national emergency services are in agreement that during a major disaster, individual households will not be their first priority and will probably not receive attention within the first 72-hours after a catastrophe. It is up to you to get your family through the first three days after a disaster.

Preparing your home for an earthquake and assembling a 72-hour emergency kit is very easy, inexpensive and painless. If you prefer to bottle your own water for emergency storage, either purchase containers meant for water storage

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