Tornado

Reading about the tornados in Oklahoma I wanted to write a quick entry on some things which struck me in relation to how we might have to deal with a disaster in Souther California.

Many said "it happened so fast", it was only about 15 minutes between the formation of the storm and the total devastation which hit the town. FIFTEEN MINUTES. Ask yourself, how much warning do you get when an earthquake hits? We do not have any warning, not saying one disaster is worse than another, just saying emergency plans must be thought of AHEAD of time.

Make sure you have records and pictures of valuables backed up on to a thumb drive in a safe location separate from your house. Have your emergency medical kit ready, Emergency rooms will be swamped and Murphy's Law states everyone elses injury will be more severe than yours so you need to be able to address a variety of medical conditions.

Knowing where your kit is and what items are in it may be the difference between life and death when having to wait the hours and potentially days before first responders are able to make it to your neighborhood and house. I write this blog specifically, but not limited to my friends and colleagues in the film business in Southern California. We work long hours with long commutes and are often away from our houses for 18 hours a day. In the event of a disaster do your loved ones know where the emergency supplies are? Do they know the basic mechanics of your house hold? Know how to shut off the gas in case the earthquake valve doesn't work? Can they set up a kitchen and shelter outside of your house if the Big One has hit?

The title of this blog is 72 Hour Bag, I try to write about the items to get you home if your vehicle has become disabled, but it's really trying to open the discussion about total disaster preparedness, at home and on the road.

We've been lucky for a LONG time, there hasn't been any major events in Southern California for a long time but it will happen - and you need to be prepared.