Earthquake Survival: Tools and Skills You Need Now!

Earthquake damage from New Zealand.

SurvivalCommonSense.com Radio with host Leon Pantenburg. 

Leon's featured guest  is James Roddey, Earth Sciences Information Officer with the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries. James is an authority on earthquakes and will be talking about mega quake potential in the western coastal areas, and the impact that could have on your community.
To listen to the show, click here.

Make a Plan and an Earthquake Survival Kit!

These are some of the tools to help you escape a building during an earthquake!

The Easter, 2010, earthquake in southern California and the catastrophic quake in Chile later that year should have been a wakeup call to anyone who lives in an earthquake zone. You need to make a personal earthquake survival kit that you can carry with you at all time.
BUT!
An earthquake, tsunami or other natural disaster is unlikely to happen? And, of course, not to you? You don’t need to read further!
….Still here?

Then here’s a couple of facts: About 91 percent of us live in an area where a major natural disaster could occur. In ANY emergency, 80 percent of the people involved will be in denial of the situation and have to be told what to do, according to John Leach, author of Survival Psychology. 
Of that crowd in the emergency, 10 percent will do the wrong thing, and the other 10 percent will act rationally, based on the training they have acquired.
If you want to be a survivor, of any emergency situation, you have to start with knowledge and training.
Keep reading to learn what to carry, and how to get out of a high-rise office building during an earthquake!

Assemble a Red Cross Approved Emergency Evacuation Kit

Most of us live in an area where a natural disaster  is possible and probable!

Nobody wants to worry about possibly evacuating your home quickly, or having to grab a few important items and head out the door.
But the facts are grim: 91 percent of us live in an area that could be affected by a major natural disaster such as a flood, hurricane, tornado, earthquake, tsunami, forest fire or mudslide, and you could have to leave very quickly.
So if you have to evacuate suddenly – what is important to take along?
Don’t wait until the last minute – get ready now, to minimize the chaos of an emergency evacuation. Here are some suggestions on what to pack from the Red Cross and the Department of Homeland Security.

Runner's Survival Kit Can Be A Lifesaver

Make a runner's survival kit.

Survival situations can happen when you least expect it, or in places where such a thing doesn’t make sense.
Maybe you’ve gotten into the habit  of taking a run in the same urban area every evening. Then, one evening, the endorphins kick in, and you decide to double the usual mileage. As darkness approaches, you realize you have to get back to the car before it gets really dark. You slip, twist your ankle and can’t move.
Or you might decide to go for a walk and just take off without thinking to tell someone where you went. You’re strolling along, relaxing and enjoying the iPod, and letting the stress from the office dissipate. Then, as it starts to get dark, you realize you’ve taken a wrong turn and are lost. And pretty soon, it will be pitch dark, and you can’t see the path.
Even if you are running and need to go light, you can still carry a survival kit. Here are some of the survival items you need to carry with you.

Carry Survival Gear In Your Pockets For Added Safety

These survival items can be carried at all times.

You could get dumped out of a canoe, thrown off a horse that runs away or be in a shopping mall or hotel when there is a power failure. In these cases, all you’ll have to work with is a survival mindset and the tools in your pockets or on your person.
But a little planning can help a lot if you make some basic survival tools part of your wardrobe. This is what I carry on a daily basis, and you can easily assemble your own kit, using my recommendations as a place to start.
Just remember: What works for me may not work for you and vice versa. Practice with your survival tools, become familiar how they work  and then, if you ever need to use them, it won't a big deal!

Use a Trash Bag as Part of Your Survival kit

I first noticed trash bag shelter use at an Iowa State University football game in the early 70s. The weather got really bad during the half, with snow, rain and wind.
But one row of die-hard Cyclones pulled out a roll of plastic trash bags, cut holes for their heads and arms, and weathered the storm. I don’t recall how the football team did!
Since then, I’ve taken shelter in trash bags on a variety of outdoor activities. Trash bags are particularly valuable on hunting trips, because a large bag gives you a place to lay meat while you’re butchering.
Obviously, if you anticipate bad weather, be prepared for it, stay home or take along a  lightweight, four-season backpacking tent.
But you can adapt a trash bag into a very effective emergency shelter. Here is how to choose the right one for your survival kit and how to use it.

Make a Dutch Oven Part of Your Preparedness Survival Kit

These cast iron implements can be priceless!

During virtually any emergency, you will need a cooking tool that can bake, boil, fry and saute. And it should be able to function  with a variety of  heat sources, since electricity might be a variable!
My nomination for this wonder implement has been around for hundreds of years. It’s easy to find, cheap and effective.  Get a cast iron or aluminum Dutch oven. This cooking tool has a proven track record, and it can use virtually any heat source.
But you also need a bare bones list of implements to go with that Dutch oven. The most common questions asked by beginner Dutch oven users are: "What things do I need to actually use the oven?"
And then: "What items should I pack with the Dutch oven if I want to make it part of my car evacuation kit?" Here is what you need!

Make a Winter Survival Kit For Your Car

Travel can be very dangerous this time of year. Black ice, slippery pavement, high winds and blowing snow, or reduced visibility due to fog, rain and snow storms can all happen within a few miles. It doesn’t matter if you live in the Oregon high desert or the frigid Midwest. If  your car slips off the road in an isolated area, during a blizzard, a routine drive to visit the family can turn into a nightmare!
Winter survival can start by assembling a selection of easily-obtained items. Here are some suggestions!

Make an Altoids Tin Survival Kit

Learn how to make a pocket survival kit.

The Altoids tin survival kit is a small piece of a larger survival project, and it is by no means all you should carry for survival!!! But you need to have something in your pockets, in the event you are separated from your gear. (See related story.)
In January, 2007, I asked the late Dr. Jim Grenfell of Bend to help develop a survival kit that would fit into a standard Altoids mint tin. This pocket kit would be limited in size to an Altoids tin, and weigh about five ounces. (That’s about what an iPod weighs, or my wallet, depending on which side of payday we’re on!)
An incessant tinker, Grenfell, was also an Air Force combat veteran and graduate of three Air Force wilderness survival schools. I made an Altoid kit, too, and for the next several months, we added and subtracted gear, and tested, researched and refined the final kits.
The result is here.