The only thing that can withstand any earthquake is…us

earthquake response montage
Hey neighbor: There are better ways to prepare for an earthquake.

No one knows exactly when the “big one” will hit, but it is definitely on the way. Thankfully, you don’t need to have a fast car/small plane handy for your escape – and you don’t need to “hunker in a bunker”, either.

That’s because you already have the one thing you need to withstand even the largest earthquake: you and your neighbors. With a little preparation on your own, and some advance planning together, you can get through it all: earthquake, winter/wind storm, hazmat spill, you name it.

The newly-formed RBCA Emergency Preparedness Group is now organizing to make sure every household in the RBCA area has the tools to get prepared and get connected with the people on their block, in advance of the neighborhood’s next big emergency.

Here’s how you can protect your family and organize for the inevitable:

1) Get yourself and your family prepared: print your sign, make your plan and create your kit. This is the most important step of all, because you can’t help others if you’re not ready yourself.

Once that’s done, you can:

2) Give the same information to your neighbors on your block so they can get prepared too. Email me (Aaron Keating) at  aaron <dot> p <dot> keating <at> gmail <dot> com. Tell me your address and how many neighbors you’re distributing to – I’ll send you the  information sheets you need. When they arrive, just put one copy of each in a large ziploc bag, and deliver the packets to your neighbors.

And if that goes well, you can:

3) Talk with your neighbors about helping make sure the gas gets shut off and taking other steps to ensure the people around you are safe in the event of an emergency. You can do that informally with the people right around you, or have a larger meeting with more people on your street. The important part is that you make a plan.