7.0 Alaska Earthquake, November 30, 2018, Part One

Alaska Dept. of Transportation & Public Facilities
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I had just said good bye to the seniors at Rivers Bend Senior Center in northwest Salt Lake City following my presentation about our County’s S.A.F.E. Neighborhoods catastrophic disaster response program.  

The possibility of a severe earthquake along the Salt Lake segment of the Wasatch Fault was a major topic of my presentation. I talked about Drop, Cover and Hold On and several response strategies.   For me, each talk I give is real because I have experienced three southern California earthquakes.  

Water Storage Myths & Facts

Myth: Treat your water, then store it. Fact: If you use regular tap water, it’s already treated. 

Myth: Don’t store your water barrels on cement. Fact:  Don’t store on heated cement, Cement only leaches chemicals when hot. If storing in garage/patio, raise them. 

Myth: Stored water tastes bad. Fact: It is merely lacking oxygen. Restore by pouring back/forth.

Homemade Electrolyte Recipe

32 oz water 
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon Nu Salt or No Salt 
¼ teaspoon baking soda 
2-1/2 teaspoons of sugar   

Makes a quart 

It’s simple and it does the job.  Make up a bottle and keep refrigerated to use as needed.

This is an important item to add to your emergency supplies.  Package each ingredient separately in a small zip lock bag and label.  Include a ¼ and a 1 teaspoon measuring spoon.  

Away From Home When Disaster Strikes

You will not always be in the comfort of your home when disaster hits, but generally, you will be in or near your auto.  How grateful you will be to have a well-stocked emergency kit in the trunk or cargo hold.  

What should you have in that emergency kit?   Enough essential supplies to meet your needs for 96-Hours – that’s four days and four nights.  

It will be difficult enough to be away from home, you don’t want to be caught empty handed, or under-prepared if you have to hunker down in your auto or some other location.

Food Safety During Power Outages

Power can suddenly go out because of severe storms, heat waves causing high or spiked usage, man-caused events.  It is inconvenient and frustrating at best, and brutal at worst.  

Prolonged power outages can be dangerous.  For one thing, when we lose power we lose refrigeration.  Food safety becomes an issue.  

Economic Impact of Earthquakes & Families First

The Salt Lake Valley sits atop geological faults and will be catastrophically impacted by a quake 7.0 or higher. We have been warned by experts who look at the big picture such a major event will have severe economic consequences that will reverberate in and beyond our valley.

There would be direct losses amounting to tens of billions including the losses from the fires it would trigger.  Business disruptions caused by damage to structures, power, water and all forms of transportation would throw the total loss higher...

Disinfecting Water

Store and use bottled water or water you have properly prepared and stored as an emergency water supply.

The household bleach method

Household bleach is a legitimate way to get clean water for drinking, and ideal when you don’t have access to boiling. It is important to use only regular, unscented chlorine bleach labeled for disinfection and sanitation. Avoid scented or color-safe bleach, or those with additional cleaning properties. Bleach must be stored at room temperature for less than a year, and contain 8.25 percent of sodium hypochlorite. To disinfect your water with bleach follow this procedure:

Coping with Power Outages

Electrical Equipment

• Turn off and unplug all unnecessary electrical equipment, including sensitive electronics. 
• Turn off or disconnect any appliances (like stoves), equipment or electronics you were using when the power went out. When power comes back on, surges or spikes can damage equipment. 

96-HOUR Kit - Components and Contents

Below is my personal view of practical components to create a 96-Hour Emergency Kit suitable for On-Foot evacuation. 

A money belt can be worn under your clothing to hold cash (Mostly small bills- $1, 5, 10), personal ID, certifications (such as CERT, Red Cross cards, Ham radio), contact list, vital meds in small plastic zip bags, etc. 

A large fanny pack can be comfortably worn at all times that could hold additional doses of meds, important papers, cell phone, charger, keys, pencil, paper, protein bars (so you have a “food” source at-hand in case you get separated from larger kit components), emergency whistle, lip gloss, lotion, candy, gum etc. From the belt of the fanny pack you can hang such items as a walkie-talkie, light flashlight, light weight water purification filter, face mask, etc.

96-HOUR Kit Suggestions

Below is my personal view of practical components to create a Senior 96-Hour Emergency Kit suitable for On-Foot evacuation.

A money belt (travel stores) can be worn under your clothing to hold cash, personal ID, any certifications (such as CERT, Red Cross, Ham radio), contact list, vital meds in small plastic zip bags, etc.

A fanny pack can be comfortably worn at all times that could hold such things as additional doses of meds, important papers, cell phone, charger, keys, pencil, paper, protein bars (so you have a “food” source at-hand in case you get separated from larger kit components with better food), emergency whistle, lip gloss, lotion, candy, gum, etc. From the belt of the fanny pack you can hang such items as a walkie-talkie, light flashlight, personal water purification filter, face mask, etc.

Tips for Storing Water Long-Term Using 55-Gallon Drums

Water is crucial to your survival in disaster. You want water for the long-term and it is nearly impossible to achieve that with cases of bottled water.  Storing water in 55-gallon drums is a successful strategy.

Who sells e 55-gallon drum?  You can purchase 55-gallon drums online. Get new ones to ensure their cleanliness.  Emergency Essentials often has them, or even grocery stores offer them at various times. 

What you need to accomplish this project:  Before you start this project, gather the following materials:  Black permanent marker, black plastic sheets (at least 3.5 mils thick), bleach, bung wrench, reinforced duct tape (e.g., Gorilla tape), water safe hose (not a garden hose), scissors, siphon hose, dish washing soap, and a teaspoon.

Prepare for the Unexpected

Utah has experienced fires, floods, chemical spills, severe winter storms, extended power outages, major accidents and natural disasters.  

Earthquake engineers and seismologists warned in 2016 that, along the segments of the Wasatch Fault, we have a 43% chance of experiencing a major earthquake in the next 50 years.  This raises the likelihood from the previous scientific prediction of 18%.  

Planning to face and overcome such challenges is important.  Personal, family, community and business preparedness is the foundation of all emergency plans.

Foods That Last "Forever"

Honey
Honey never really goes bad.  The consistency and color can change.  Many honey harvesters say that when honey crystallizes it can be re-heated and used.  Honey’s low water content, is not a friendly environment for microorganisms.

Salt
Indispensable mineral.  Although prone to absorbing moisture, it’s shelf life is indefinite.  

Sugar
Life would be so boring without sugar.  Much like salt, sugar is also prone to absorbing moisture, but this problem can be eradicated by adding some rice granules into the storage container.

Family Preparedness Quiz

How well prepared is your family?  Good going for all the YESes.  Note any NOs and work on them.

1. Fire is greatest threat.  Has your family rehearsed escape routes from your home? 
2. Do you have working smoke alarms on each floor and in each bedroom?
3. For a minor fire, do you have charged or disposable fire extinguishers that all know how to use?
4. Does each family member carry a contact list, including designated out-of-state contact?