Paul, Glad you survived with less damage and mostly inconvenience. Usually one has to gather real-life experience to know what to have and do "next time". I lived in earthquake country for 40+ years (10 in CA, and 31 in AK). We also have volcanoes and tsunami to deal with, but no hurricanes/tornados (but have high winds to 65+ mph).
Having enough drinking water is essential. You can fast for awhile if you have shelter but must have water for life. We used to have six outside and one inside dog (now four total). The need for water is multiplied if you have animals. Our particular concern was volcanic ash-fall for the outside animals so we rigged to tie-out chains to run in parallel across the garage floor to provide shelter from the ash. You may need this for a month or more till wx settles the ash (like gray talcum powder but gritty). In the extreme a portable water filter is a life and health saver. Look at camping/backpacking products. We have a 6500w gen-set and our own well (though an earthquake can disturb a well). I have 8 gelcell in parallel for 100AH in the shack. Antennas are a concern if they come down (mobile is a good backup). Plenty gasoline to run a couple weeks if necessary (we keep 15-gal in containers with stabilizer). Also have about 15-gal of water storage (but one can just fill their bathtub if there is time). An outside privy is helpful to conserve water. You will empty the freezer pretty fast if the power goes out. Meat will store for several days if pre-cooked (depending on your climate). So dry foods and canned foods are handy, and I hate to say, it but a gun with ammo - people get crazy when in stress. Emergency cash when the banks and atms are down. For disaster in epic proportions, trade goods: ammo/cigarettes/liquor/gasoline During the 1964 Alaska earthquake services were down for over a month and some things took over a year to resume. Ham radio was the only communications out of the state (that included military comms). Don't forget to have that well-stocked first-aid kit. If you take prescription drugs don't get down below a 2-week supply. Ten years living in the Alaska bush teaches these lessons well, when you can only get to a store once per month! 73, Ed - KL7UW ------------------------------ Message: 42 Date: Mon, 28 Feb 2011 16:33:58 +1300 From: Paul Saville <ephemeral.z...@zl3in.net> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] ZL Earthquake To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Message-ID: <4d6b17a6.2050...@zl3in.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 We had some damage here Fred, but the houses in the local area are mostly still habitable. Across town came off much worst by all accounts. The electricity is back on now, and we get an occasional trickle of water from the tap, to be boiled for drinking. Things to improve for "the next time": - 50 litres drinking water is only just sufficient for a family of five. I'm going to increase the "stash" to 200 litres (about 50 gallons) or more. - Battery capacity in the shack was one 7 A/H gel battery, and about 20 AA cells. Too little to be of any use in an emergency. I'm thinking 200 A/H minimum plus a portable generator would be more appropriate. I will also set up the shack to run off 12V battery supply all the time, including shack computer, so it's always ready to go. The rotator might be a little tricky in that regard being 24VAC. - Candles are a no-go in an earthquake because they fall over when there is an aftershock. Flashlights are inconvenient as a "working" light, so I am looking at LED lamps, bolted to the wall or desk so they stay put. Maybe I'm suffering an attack of siege mentality, but once bitten, twice shy. Wish list: I nice hot shower - luxury! 73 Paul ZL3IN 73, Ed - KL7UW, WD2XSH/45 ====================================== BP40IQ 500 KHz - 10-GHz www.kl7uw.com EME: 144-1.4kw, 432-100w, 1296-testing*, 3400-winter? DUBUS Magazine USA Rep dubus...@hotmail.com ====================================== ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
