On Sunday at 3:20 a.m. we were shaken out of a sound sleep as our bed suddenly became a wild carnival ride. Being less than 10 miles from the quake center lamps were knocked off end tables, pictures fell and furniture was rearranged. We were very lucky as our only losses were a flower vase, a candle holder and 4 beer bottles from my bottle collection. However closer to the epicenter in the city of Napa some weren’t as lucky as they have lost their home or their business. When disaster strikes you are never really ready for it but you can prepare and increase your chances of survival by putting together a survival chest and even though this article was originally written and published for the workplace it can also just as easily be done in any home.

A cool family project or a great team building exercise whether your are In the process of forming a safety committee or have one already established. Preparation for a disaster. It sounds worse than it really is but the truth is earthquakes and tornadoes don’t make appointments and can strike at any time. Depending on your location and the severity of the disaster First Responders may not be able to get to your location for some time so be prepared and have the team assemble a survival chest. Start by working together on creating a list of items to include in the chest. What should you include? Flashlights, batteries, water, food, candles, radio, blankets, matches, sleeping bags, first aid kit. What else would you include for your survival? If you live in California I’d also add a wrench to turn off the gas if needed. These suggestions should help get you started on what to include now determine how many days and the number of people you want the survival chest to support, then make sure to keep an inventory of what’s in the chest and what items if any have expiration dates and are perishable and when to replace. Then you can also decide where to keep the chest and who in the case of the workplace holds the keys. In a recent survey conducted by Staples’ (click here to see the article) only half of employees felt their company is prepared for a disaster. Put your employees at ease, heck put yourself and your family at ease and make sure you’re ready for an unexpected disaster.

If you need assistance or have questions about a survival chest or about forming a safety committee I’m here to help, please don’t hesitate to contact.