PLUS We Reveal Our Prep Stories Contest Winner! When we first conceived of the Preparedness Stories contest back at the beginning of the year, we couldn’t possibly have known what 2020 would wind up becoming. But looking back, the timing couldn’t have been better. Has there ever been a year when sage advice on emergency preparedness was more desperately needed? Many hundreds of our wonderful community members entered their stories into the contest, and they were all inspiring in their own ways. But ultimately, we could only choose six monthly winners. And from those six winners, we had to choo ..read more

Hear how Tammy carried herself and her two small children through the historic Northridge Earthquake of ’94.   emergency_essentials · TammyAshmore Full Interview   The most dangerous thing about earthquakes might just be that you don’t expect them—that you can be in the middle of a perfectly ordinary day at the office, walking the dog, or fast asleep, and without notice the world literally begins falling apart around you. That’s where Tammy found herself some 25 years ago. Back on January 17th, 1994, she and her two small children were asleep in her home in Los Angeles (where she li ..read more

I'm not sure where you live, but being born and raised in Southern California - I know one thing; earthquakes can be really dangerous, and even more so than other natural disasters as they're highly unpredictable. Sometimes you need to prepare beyond a bug out bag, and in this article, I'm going to show you how to prepare your own home in case such a disaster does strike. As you probably know, the weather department can predict and warn people against certain types of natural disasters such as: Hurricanes Typhoons Tornadoes Cyclones Etc. However, even with advanced technology, we don’t yet ..read more

Recent earthquakes right in the heart of Utah may turn out to be nothing, but experts warn they’re a preview for something far worse that could literally tear the valley to pieces. What you need to know and how to prepare. “The Big One” (as it’s lovingly known) is a well-worn topic around dinner tables here in Utah and has been for the better part 50 years. It’s something we think about often. It’s something we worry about. And if the experts are correct, it’s something we’ll be experiencing before too long. A recent wave of temblors smack dab in the middle of the most populous area of the sta ..read more

by Beth Buck Recently my 8-year-old son came in from playing in a state of general upset. His friends had been teasing him, as elementary-schoolers are wont to do, about the possibility of everyone he knew getting squished by an earthquake. Specifically, his two friends exaggerated the likelihood of an earthquake in our town and the scope of possible damage and told him one would happen the next day. It's a good thing I'm his mom. I've been immersing myself in this stuff for years! We had a casual conversation in our kitchen about how he already knows what to do during an earthquake, and all ..read more

By Beth Buck [caption id="attachment_21945" width="288"] Prepare for anything...including dinosaurs[/caption] We preparedness-types like to make a goal for ourselves that we must Prepare for Anything, as though this is the ultimate goal. We've got our food storage and our kits and we've had military-standard wilderness survival training administered by former Navy SEALS. Yes! We've got it covered. But what is “it”? What is the “anything” that we're preparing for? “Anything” is such a broad definition, it could mean a host of things that can easily drift into the realm of the absurd. Anything ..read more

[caption id="attachment_20934" width="300"] Searching for survivors - via The Mirror[/caption] A magnitude 6.2 earthquake – along with a string of more than 80 aftershocks – hit central Italy early Wednesday morning. At least 120 people are dead, and entire towns are in crumbles. One such town is Amatrice, to which the mayor explained, devastated, “Half the town doesn’t exist anymore.” At least two other towns have been reduced to rubble, and the death toll is expected to rise as rescue teams arrive at more remote areas. The earthquake rattled central Italy during the early morning hours when ..read more

Earthquakes—as well as other natural disasters—scare us because of their randomness. We never know when something might happen. And once a disaster strikes, along comes death and destruction. Despite the fear that comes with natural disasters, you shouldn’t necessarily spend your time worrying about when the next earthquake might come about and end your life. In fact, you have a greater chance of dying by comet impact (1 in 20,000) or even from an accident at home (1 in 26,000). According to Dartmouth, the odds of dying in an earthquake in California (where those things are quite common) is 1 ..read more

Within 50 years from now, scientists predict a large earthquake to strike Utah. With a 43% chance of a magnitude 6.75 or higher within that time frame, those in Utah really don’t have that much longer to prepare, all things considered. That’s why ShakeOuts are held every year, to help prepare the people to be as safe as possible during an earthquake. Utah is the only state to hold a ShakeOut in April, whereas all the other states hold theirs in October. Thousands of students, businesses, and homeowners – nearly a million in total – go through the motions of dropping, covering, and holding on ..read more

[caption id="attachment_20387" width="300"] Kumamoto Earthquake - Photo by Kyodo[/caption] On April 14, 2016, Japan was hit by a magnitude 6.4 earthquake. While not as strong as the magnitude 9.0 earthquake that happened back in 2011, there was still plenty of damage inflicted. This 6.4 earthquake struck Southern Japan, near Kumamoto, Kyushu around 9:26 at night local time. Sources report power outages occurred in areas near the epicenter. Water was also cut off in certain areas. Damages weren’t catastrophic, but included fallen bookshelves, vases, and other things not secured. Some areas, how ..read more