How many people here are prepared for an emergency?

[baymule]

Baymule, I've always wondered about housing construction alternatives in tornado areas -- do you know of anyone who has a bermed or even partially underground residence?

I'd never been in a tornado before I was sent to Kansas City in July one year long ago to start training for a new job, and sirens blared that first week. People headed downstairs to get to safety and I was going, what, you're going to let a little wind get to you?

Found out how uninformed I was when I went outside and looked at the damage after the tornado passed by. It was sobering, to say the least.

We are in a mobile home, that makes me a Doublewide Diva. LOL I would like a storm cellar, maybe that will come in time. We have had some doozies since we moved here. The local TV stations cut in and monitor the tornado activity, I like knowing where it is and if it is coming at us!

 

[TwoCrows]

We heat with wood, have a generator for back up power, an outhouse and a well for water. We used to keep a year or more worth of dried and canned goods in the house, not as much these days however. Several bales of Alfalfa hay in the barn to keep the chickens alive quite a long time should I be unable to buy feed. Guns and lots of ammo should we need to eat the wildlife if times got REALLY bad. I think we would do ok for a while should a disaster strike.

 

[Britesea]

I always wondered what Tornados ate before trailer parks were invented...

 

[Hinotori]

Slow neanderthal

 

[frustratedearthmother]

 

[Calista]

I've always taken for granted that we won't get hit by a natural disaster where we lived. Then the second tornado in S.A. in more than 30 years passed right over our farm. Thankfully it was tiny and the damage minimal. Moved here and had a hurricane hit a few months ago. Unheard off in this country, though we get fierce storms. Bottom line is never say never and be prepared anyway, because you never know!

It was always assumed the Pacific Northwest didn't get tornadoes, either, except for maybe one or two weak ones that caused little damage.

Then the Columbus Day storm happened in 1962. My brothers and I had just gotten off the school bus at the top of our driveway, which headed straight downhill for a mile to our house. Stunned, we looked at the huge Douglas fir trees on either side of us whipping back and forth and got pummeled with grit from the fierce wind. We ran most of the way home and burrowed in like gophers in a burrow, listening to the winds howl and wondering if the yard trees would topple onto our roof. Luckily, we sustained no real damage.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbus_Day_Storm_of_1962

Like you said, NEVER SAY NEVER! I have nothing but admiration for those folks who live in Tornado Alley and face this threat nearly every year.

 

[baymule]

@TwoCrows I haven't seen you on here in a long time. I am happy to see you again and hope you come back often.

 

[TwoCrows]

@TwoCrows I haven't seen you on here in a long time. I am happy to see you again and hope you come back often.

@baymule Aww, you are too kind! For what these excuses are worth not only does BYC keep me busy but I had to go back to work and at my age, I come home so drained I have little time for anything. I will stop by here more frequently.

 

[Calista]

There was a big to-do here in the Pacific Northwest when the N.Y. Times ran an article about the overdue, possibly 9.1 Cascadian Subduction Zone Earthquake. Small wonder people were freaked out when one of the quotes claimed "everything west of I-5 is basically toast." That covers a lot of territory, lots of small towns, and thousands of residents.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/07/20/the-really-big-one

I'd like to get some more feedback from members in other earthquake zones (San Andreas, New Madrid, for example) who have made preparations -- specifically, have you done the following:

1. Attached your home to its foundation (http://www.earthquakesafety.com/earthquake-retrofitting.html)
2. Purchased earthquake insurance (https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/insurance/earthquake-insurance/)
3. Have a plan for "drop, cover, and hold" under a sturdy piece of furniture or interior wall
4. Secured water heaters, heavy appliances, mirrors, shelving, etc. to wall studs
5. Have a bug-out bag, walking shoes or boots, and flashlights next to each bed
6. Stored food, water, sanitation supplies, etc. in more than one location (home, RV, outbuilding)

There's more you can do, but those items aren't too overwhelming to try to achieve for peace of mind.

Personally, I've still got preparations to finish, which I'm fast-tracking to the top of my priorities. At least my location is not west of I-5 or on the coast, so I take some comfort in that, although the map shows my area in the "Very Strong" intensity zone:

Requisite scary photo to leave you with:

 

[Hinotori]

If Cascadia goes, don't be in low lying river valleys with direct access to the ocean. The actual science from them studying sediments in the river beds shows the tsunami will come in a long ways. For example Aberdeen is hosed big time. Because of how the Sound is, Seattle will get a few feet and not much in Tacoma.

Earthquakewise, a 9 on the fault isn't a 9 at Olympia. Oh it will be strong and cause damage, but a lot of structures are built now to withstand quakes. A fault going in any one city is more of a risk to that city. News outlets sensationalize things and "omg we're gonna die" makes money.

A bigger threat is the dumbass developers who put in housing developments on the top or base of denuded hills. Then they are all "we didn't know that this area was mudslide prone in spring".

My house will probably fall off it's foundation and have damage if we get an earthquake. It's one of those small ancient (1900) logger houses that are common around here. You can't get earthquake insurance on houses built before a certain year, I think it was 1980s.

If Rainier starts bulging like St Helens did I'm packing up animals and heading to my great aunts to wait it out. The Hermiston area got very little ash. I just remember the sky getting dark while we were out in the garden.

Do not drive if ash is coming down. It will destroy your vehicle when it's suck in the air intake. I remember the complaining about all the dead vehicles on the news.

I love earth science, always have. I would have loved to go to college for it but our career councilor in school went to great lengths to convince everyone that there was no money and little jobs in any science or technology field.