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A 10 AM Bay Area earthquake is the highest plausibility * severity event you're likely to experience around here on a day to day basis - leaving some people wit
by thomas_howland 9y ago
A 10 AM Bay Area earthquake is the highest plausibility * severity event you're likely to experience around here on a day to day basis - leaving some people with a 25 mile commute back to a structure that might or might not be standing, intermittent at best communications, and potentially impassible roads.
IMO if you don't have a case of water, a road map, and a change of walking-around clothes in your car around here, you're asking for smiting. Fortunately that's about $10 in total, and you can drink the water even if there's not an earthquake.
Additionally, near everything that would be handy in case of an earthquake (gloves, pry bar, basic trauma supplies, etc) is useful in case of a car crash, which actually is far more likely.
- lettergram 9y agoIMO tsunami in the bay area would be equally plausible with a much higher potential severity. When a tsunami hits a bay, the waves will rise. Further, with Alameda and Oakland at just a few feet above sea level... well...
- Retric 9y agoSlip falts have much lower risks of tsunami. It most definitely could happen, but a large earthquake is far more likely.
- justinjlynn 9y ago> you can drink the water even if there's not an earthquake you should rotate stock like that anyway to prevent it from unknowingly going bad
- yazan94 9y agoSorry, but water goes bad? Or would it be that chemicals in the container dissolve into the water? Water itself going bad is news to me...
- logfromblammo 9y agoThe water in most municipal systems is chlorinated in some way, and kept under pressure while in the system. Once the water is no longer under pressure, the chlorination compound can be degraded by UV light (sunlight), heat, gaseous diffusion, and time, to the point where it is no longer in the correct form and concentration to be effective against biological contaminants. So it isn't as though it "goes bad" like food does, but the safety factor against unsafe handling goes away. The other problem is that materials from an unsuitable storage container could slowly leach into the water, like plasticizers or metals. If you store water in mason jars and seal them as though it were food to be preserved, that water will not "go bad" until the lid rusts through, and depending on the possible contaminants, you can probably still drink it after bringing it back up to a boil. As for myself, I keep much of my water stockpile frozen in plastic 2L bottles, because it keeps the freezer temperature more stable under normal circumstances, and keeps the rest of the stuff in the freezer frozen longer in case of power outages. You can always pull one out and drop it into a cooler for short outings, to keep the drinks and egg salad cold. And then, after it melts, you can still drink it. The only tradeoff is that it takes up space in there.
- bluGill 9y agoHarmful bacteria tends to grow in stored water.
- yourapostasy 9y agoThe great part about preparedness planning is there is a kind of vaccination herd immunity effect at play. The more people who take minimal measures like you list, the less intensive efforts preparedness-minded have to invest into. To your example, if 90%+ drivers keep a flat of bottled water, then it makes sense to only keep a water filter at one's home instead of one in the car for long trips and one at home. However, Just In Time doesn't just permeate our supply chains, but many people's personal lives. So the lists of what it takes to ride out life's inevitable curve balls grow ever longer.
- thomas_howland 9y agoThe wrecking bar also works great at deterring free riders.
- et-al 9y agoThat's one of the ideas of Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT / NERT). During the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, citizens banded together and helped each other other because emergency services were overwhelmed. Afterwards, they reached out to the fire department to ask for formal training and thus NERT (Neighborhood Emergency Response Team) was born. When the next big earthquake hits California, we still won't be ready. However if neighbors pitch in and can put out small fires and shut off gas leaks before they turn into anything more serious, then that's one less neighborhood the fire department has on their to-do list. I highly recommend anyone in earthquake country to take a NERT/CERT class to help out their neighborhood. NERT: http://sf-fire.org/neighborhood-emergency-response-team-nert http://sf-fire.org/neighborhood-emergency-response-team-nert CERT: https://www.ready.gov/community-emergency-response-team https://www.ready.gov/community-emergency-response-team
- kaybe 9y ago(CERT is also short for Chaos Emergency Response Team which covers CCC congresses.)
- DiscoKing 9y agoI want to leave water in my car, but it gets so hot in there I'm afraid of what is leached into the water from the plastic. I've read a lot of conflicting information about this.
- laydn 9y agoIf plastics is the only concern, why not use glass? Make sure to store it in a place where no sunlight can shine on it.
- firethief 9y agoIt's both heavy and fragile. I don't trust plastic to drink out of habitually, but there's virtually no risk to expected from short term use of food-grade plastic and it's much more practical in difficult situations. Plastic also has the advantage that you can use it to sterilize water. Glass blocks too much UV, but a couple of days in the sun will disinfect water in a clear plastic container. You can have safe water indefinitely just by rotating containers (at least here in the Pacific Northwet, where availability of some kind of fresh water is more or less assured).
- eveningcoffee 9y agoWell, you do not have to drink it regularly, only during the emergency.
- gaius 9y agoKlean Kanteen do metal water bottles, we have several. https://www.kleankanteen.com https://www.kleankanteen.com
- tgsovlerkhgsel 9y agoHaving left some water in a car in hot climate for some time (probably more than one but less than three weeks), I don't need studies to tell me that I don't want to drink it. My tastebuds do a sufficiently good job. Probably still OK in an emergency though.
- chrisallenlane 9y ago
- Waterluvian 9y agoYour comment got me thinking about some form of volunteer force of medics. Imagine if every 20th car that drove by had a government issued medical bag in the trunk and a driver guaranteed to have recent first aid and emergency training. And in return the driver gets some sort of tax break, or an HOV lane free pass, or whatever the appropriate incentive is. Surely some country has tried this out.
- def_true_false 9y agoIt's not really the same, but there is this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Hatzalah https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Hatzalah
- adrianN 9y agoAren't first aid kits mandatory in cars in the US and don't you have to get first aid training as part of your driver's licence?
- maxerickson 9y agoNo and no. Do note that the licensing is done at the state level, so there are 50+ similar standards, not just one.
- saryant 9y agoNo. Even a driving test isn't necessarily required to get a driver's license. I never took one.
- Jtsummers 9y agoThat depends on your state. I took one for my first license but haven't had a driving test since when I've moved between states. I have had paper and oral exams since then, though. But that only shows I know the laws and rules of traffic, not the ability to drive.
- dotancohen 9y agoIn Israel about one tenth of the population has undergone combat training, and I suppose about one twentyith of those are combat medics (including myself). We get no tax breaks or other incentives, but when the once-in-ten-years emergency pops up, we are quite appreciated. From talking to other medics, I see that most of us carry simple useful tools, such as a cloth triangle, everywhere we go. And we're well-versed in improvising.
- closeparen 9y agoIt's a little harder to carry this stuff around on a backpack on public transit...