Earthquake…are we ready for it?

Earthquake was a movie I saw as a child. It was exciting to watch Charlton Heston running around rescuing people, and a bit scary to see what all can actually happen if an earthquake strikes. But honestly, that was it for me.

Growing up in Rajasthan I’d never ever come close to feeling the shudders of the mother earth till the Jan 26, 2001 earthquake that shook Gujarat. I was getting ready to leave for college, for the flag hoisting ceremony, when I heard windows clanking without any wind. My mom and I got excited (really excited and not scared at all) to see things move on their own, like the ceiling fans and wall hangings etc. But that was it, it left me excited and not a bit scared. Till I heard of the massive life toll in Gujarat. It was too bad.

It was only now, very recently in November 26, last year that I got the fright of my life! My husband and I were woken up by violent shakes and clanking windows, and things falling off the bedside tables. He was quick to react, pushed me off the bed and went to unlock the house, but I just stood there, shocked, in the doorway. That was the day I realised how fragile a world it is that we are living in! It is SCARY!!

The recent one in China has left me all the more scared! The death toll has reached 10,000. My GOD! What are they going to do? It’s like your life has had a full stop-period-start a new sentence/page/chapter? You’ve got nothing left but yourself. We just look at these tragedies, feel sorry for those who suffered and move on. But just pause and think for a moment, what if something like this happens to you? To us? Are we prepared for it at all? I’m not! Disaster can strike anytime, and it never comes with a warning.
So here are somethings to do (in an everyday routine, just to be sure) and something I’ve promised myself to do too:

A. Always keep your car’s petrol tank full or atleast suffecient enough. My husband has a habit of taking it till the end. No, you shouldn’t. Be prepared for any kind of emergency.

B. Store extra drinking water at hand (it’s something you can do everyday, helps in case of water shortage too. Use the old water to make tea, cooking etc). They say it should be one gallon of water per person, per day.

C. Keep some extra food. The best is shelf-stable food like cookies, snacks, cereals, nuts, dried fruit, and juices etc. Keep rotating them. Mind the expiry dates.

D. An emergency kit/emergency-go-bag (for the car or keep it handy in your home)–I don’t have any, but will make one this weekend. It must have:

• My husband’s swiss army knife. (Okay…it goes in my bag. You can buy yourself a good victorinox one, available everywhere in NCR now).
• Matches, candles, torch, batteries, and a whistle (remember Titanic?)
• Emergency cash in all denominations – 500, 100, 50, 20, 10 plus some change
• Local Map
• A pen and a notebook with emergency numbers–hospitals, neighbours, relatives, friends
• I don’t intend to keep this, but ideally your bag should also have an extra pair of shoes/slippers, change of clothes, a towel, your extra pair of specs

E. At home also, keep a stash of matches, candles, flashlights, extra batteries at a convinient place. Infact keep a matchbox and torch in your car too if you don’t plan on making an emergency-go-bag

F. Always keep your first aid box ready, have one in your car, keep checking for expired medicines/ointments

G. Keep your cell phone charged-always, battery as well as talktime. (You listening ausy?)

That’s all I can think of for now. I hope and pray I never get a chance to actually use these things. But it’s just good to be prepared in any case… If any of you reading this feel I’ve left out something, or want to share what measures you take for emergencies, please leave me a comment.

I’ll close this with a prayer for those who lost their lives, and those who have lost their loved ones, their homes, their everything on May 12, China. Please join me to pray for them.

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