Are you Prepared?

I thought I was. But as it turns out, I wasn't. Not even close.

I've lived in California my whole life and I suppose that has something to do with my very nonchalant attitude about earthquake preparedness. I've had sort of a "Earthquakes happen...we will be fine..." kind of laziness. That sounds so wrong - I live here - shouldn't I be more concerned? You would think so, but I've been fortunate to live here 43 years and never be affected by an earthquake...physically or emotionally. However, I have friends who were devastated by the Northridge quake back in 1994 - so much so they they sought counseling for months after. But for me, for my family...lucky...really lucky.

So when I was asked "Are you Prepared?" I decided I'd better take time for a serious look at my answer. At the California Governor's Conference on Women I was introduced to the "We..." concept. As women, we empower, we honor, we lead, we communicate, we prepare...and we postpone. Well ok, I postponed. Until now.

I downloaded the Family Disaster Plan from the California Volunteers website and got started. The form itself is easy to fill out - you probably know the information my heart if you have any kids! I know I've filled out emergency forms en masse for years now! But I started to scratch my head when I was asked to fill out the section on resources. Resources? Where? Who? I've never had to call anyone for help. Wow. How lucky am I? So a few clicks around the internet and I've located my local Office of Emergency Services and my local Red Cross.

Then I began the task of itemizing emergency supplies. I browsed the list and was dismayed to discover that while I have a lot of these items, they are ALL OVER my house and garage! In an emergency, wouldn't I want to have access to my daughter's daily medication and some fresh water for her to take it with? And wouldn't I want to have a pair of glasses for her to wear instead of contacts? These items only scratch the surface! So I purchased a large plastic container and began to fill it.

One week later I have managed to consolidate all of my supplies and put them in one central location. And I filled a backpack with supply essentials for my car as well. I emailed the Family Disaster Plan to my sister-in-law in Texas and printed one for us. And the key here people: I TOLD my family where they could find all of it. Because as moms we very often assume that we don't need to tell everyone everything. We assume we'll be there to take care of things as we planned. Unfortunately in an emergency you may not have that luxury and you must prepare for that as well.

So I talked to the kids about what to do in an emergency - where to go - who to call. I talked to my hubby about the possibilities of us being separated during an emergency and how we should communicate via our out of state contact. While we take for granted the many sunny beautiful days here in California we often forget the very real possibility of a large and devastating earthquake. I am glad that I can now answer the question "Are you prepared?" with a resounding "YES!"

There are so many resources out there. We need to use them. And while you may not live in California and earthquakes are the last thing on your mind, you should consider where you live and the potential for an emergency of your own. Be smart, be responsible and be prepared!

**Edited to add: Wow. There is a scary irony that I posted my thoughts and experience of earthquake preparedness on the day THIS happened. I have the chills.