Our earthquake prepardness container was hastily put together after the big ’88 Bay Area quake. It’s suppose to have enough food and provisions for a family of 4 for 3 days. That’s two adults who don’t need adult diapers of any sort, and two average sized kids who agree to be seen with their parents while running for safety.
Somewhere in the house, I have a U.S.G.S. list of suggested emergency
items; it’s in the drawer of take out food menus and various family pet guidebooks that have lived and died on our watch.
Once I dug the can out from the toolshed, I was ready to take stock of what needed to be replenshed to ensure my family could survive at least 3 days away from home and the Internet.
It appeared that our earthquake prepardness container hadn’t been opened or thought about since OJ’s white Bronco was seen purusing the LA freeway.
It’s contents revealed a wind-up Fisher Price radio that plays “Mary wore a Red
Dress”, a faded box of AhkMak Middle Eastern crackers, 2 plush Barney dolls, 4 cans of InstaPudding, and one pair of size 4t panties. Embarrasingly, we packed everything to start a family-run Montessori-school that served mid-morning snack, instead of water sanitizing tablets,layered clothing and a radio.
Admittedly, we were lacking some essetial items and I envisioned us wandering homeless after the next Big One, knocking on the neighbors door for help while they hid in their fully stocked RV while we ate flower petals from their yard.
Guilt and shame prompted me to act and I quickly found a handled pie bag from Marie Callenders and stuffed it with a few boxes of raisins, tube socks, 3 bottles of YooHoo! chocolate drinks, a tin of Turkish delights, and a Batman sleeping bag, and threw it in the back of the car.
If the Big One hits today, and we need more extensive provisions than this, we’ve agreed to meet at the 7-eleven down the street, and if that parking lot was full, then the Pasha’s Market & Hookah Lounge on Carumba Ave. will serve as “Plan B”.
Now that I’ve found our shortcomings, we’ve become more focused as a family. The kids know they’re responsible for getting out of the house quickly even though they might be IMing friends at the moment, and they won’t waste precious time in a possible unsecure structure, to go find the hair straightener or Guitar Hero controller.