Earthquake Shake Out: Lessons Learned

Doctrine and Covenants 38:30
"I tell you these things because of your prayers; wherefore, treasure up wisdom in your bosoms, lest the wickedness of men reveal these things unto you by their wickedness, in a manner which shall speak in your ears with a voice louder than that which shall shake the earth; but if ye are prepared ye shall not fear."

This "Shake Up" was an excellent, though ridiculous experience for me today. Here are the lessons I learned, just for starters:

1.) We have really tried to prepare for emergencies where we might lose electricity, but the preparations we have made would be pretty useless in an earthquake scenario. This is bad news considering this is the most likely catastrophic event in our area.

2.) We have several kerosene lamps and lanterns throughout the house. These are great in case of a loss of electricity, but would be pretty useless in the case of an emergency due to their very breakable/flammable nature.

3.) We have lots of food storage (though not as much as we'd like). The problem is location. We live in a pretty small home, so really the only space we have for storing these items is below decks in "the dungeon." If our old, rickety home came crashing down, it would take at least several days to dig them out.

4.) We have some excellent equipment for food preparation, but this equipment is also located in places which would be inaccessible or could potentially be damaged beyond repair.

5.) We have a latrine setup... which is located in the same lame place.

6.) Our 72 hour kits are well equipped with non-perishable items, but the food is out of date and needs to be replaced. This is bad because if our food supplies got buried in rubble, we wouldn't have a backup food supply until we could dig them out.

7.) If we had to make a quick exit from the house, we don't really have supplies (like long, protective clothing, boots, work gloves, etc.) in a good place to use to dig out important items.

8.) Our water barrels are located near an exterior brick wall and could easily be damaged, resulting in the loss of all our emergency water.

9.) We have never gotten around to taking inventory and pictures of our valuable items to submit to the insurance company should a disaster arise.

10.) Most of us run around the house barefoot all day. Shoes belong in a certain place, but rarely find their way there. This could be a huge problem when trying to exit a crumbling building, or even just getting through a room with broken glass.

11.) We have not secured any heavy furniture to the walls, and our water heater is not anchored or fitted with flexible piping.

12.) We have no real plan for communicating when individual members of the family might be separated during a disaster.

13.) A lot of the "safest" places in the house are actually occupied by furniture and would be hard to get to for a person in a panic.

14.) The pre-emergency communication in our neighborhood is lacking in planning and leaves some to be desired.

15.) Our gas tanks in our vehicles are generally filled to less than half full - a problem if a need arises to "bug out."

Basically, we have a lot of work to do to be more prepared, and it made me a little fearful, due to our lack of preparation. But we will pick and work on one thing at a time, as time and finances allow. For example, we can update (and upgrade) our 72 hour kits and make sure they are in areas that are not as likely to be buried so that we have a few days' food supply while trying to dig out the rest of the food. We hope to adjust our budget to accommodate better preparation. Our list is a little overwhelming, but again, if we eat the elephant one bite at a time, it is progress.

I also learned and experienced a lot of positives.

1.) I have amazing kids who watch out for each other! During one of our drills, my 13-year-old was really angry with his 4-year-old brother and was attempting to escort him to his room. But although he was so angry, when the "earthquake" hit, his first response was to drag him to a safe place and shield him with his own body! No way!

2.) Most of the kids were quick to remember the plan and drop what they were doing and go directly to the closest, safest spot. (Not the 4-year-old. We decided that in this drill, he would not be killed, but definitely seriously maimed. I guess that's an improvement?)

3.) Many of the things that we need to do to be more prepared will be super easy to do, free, and great Family Home Evening activities.

4.) I want to be more involved in our home preparations, as well as our neighborhood planning for emergencies, which will take effort but will be well worth the rewards of seeing my loved ones and friends as safe as possible.

6.) Preparation goes beyond having "stuff" and includes attitudes, skills, and work.

5.) My "stuff" is nowhere near as important as my people.

6.) I'm grateful for my 4-wheel-drive vehicles in case there are problems with the roads.

7.) We do have quite a bit of equipment (including emergency shelter, cooking equipment, etc.) stored in more accessible places, which will be a huge benefit if a disaster arises.

8.) We have amazing friends and neighbors who will band together to help each other in emergencies.

Hopefully this has been an opportunity for all of us to take stock of our preparations and decide to do a little more - whatever we have the capacity to do. Although I feel a little overwhelmed by what has yet to be done around here, I can remember to do my best to prepare (whatever my best may be), and take comfort in my efforts and have faith that the Lord will magnify my efforts. I am still a beginner, but all that the Lord expects of me is my best.

- Katie