Greenghost,
In view of your recent post re. "meltdown" it might be wise to limit your preps to what you can do on your own. If you work too hard to include DW/DD, you may accerbate feelings best left under the surface.
My own opinion.
Best wishes.

You can't plan for everything, and you shouldn't try. But some written contingency plans can give you a starting point and reduce the number of decisions that you need to make under stress.



My stored generator fuel also serves as my stored get-out-of-Dodge fuel. Don't forget the Sta-Bil.



If my mom can learn to text, I'd think that yours could too .



Here's a way that ham radio might be able to help, as you might get better local information from other hams than you would from the media. This is particularly the case if you have a local RACES/ARES group.



Under stress, you won't rise to the occasion, you will fall to your level of training and practice.

Exactly what we practiced today on get out of dodge In Dodge in an emergency.Good mental prepping.

"Disorientation - supplies throughout thee house" - I am not sure that is a bad thing. In the event of a total or partial house collapse, some of your items will be accessible. Perhaps it would be worthwhile to organize things so that are two or three duplicate caches. Perhaps store some items away from the house.

What is the construction of your house? Frame buildings do rather well in quakes - unreinforced masonry not so well. Is your water heater fastened to studs so it won't turn over during a quake? Got big framed pictures over eds or couches? Unsecured bookcases. Where are big mirrors located? These are all concerns in EQ country.

Frankly, I plan to bug in after a quake. Basically I will be camping in my back yard (provided it is still there). Bugging out is the preferred strategy for wildfires.

I have a wood shed that I've enclosed. In it I keep my heavy tools like chainsaw, floor jack, large pry bars, axes, shovels, cribbing, etc. I also keep a hard hat, gloves, knee and elbow pads, glasses, respirator etc PPE.

In the event that my (or a neighbor's) house comes down, or are seriously damaged, I'll have access to tools that I need to stabilize it and gain access. Then I can get to my preps and camp in my yard too!

Welcome to your wake up call. Living primarily in the East, to include NH for a year, you don't think a lot about earthquakes, although I've been through 2 of them, TN and NC.

Rather than focusing on bugging out, figure on bugging in more, as DW/DD don't seem to like the idea of roughing it. Worst case scenario, camp in the yard.

Pick a closet, or part of a closet, and store your gear there. Keeping it all in one place, close to a door, means you know where it is, and get grab it on the way out. I don't recommend garages, as the temps vary too much.

Good luck.

I'm not an earthquake specialist, but I am a geoscientist by training, and have lived for much of my life in earthquake country. I'm interested in this stuff and have studied it extensively. Although I wasn't in Alaska in 1964, I have talked to many people who were. I have a couple of comments.

1. What to do during an earthquake: Drop, Cover, and Hold On! During earthquakes, drop to the floor, take cover under a sturdy desk or table, and hold on to it firmly. Be prepared to move with it until the shaking stops. Do not try to run outside. Lots of people get killed or injured when by bricks from falling chimneys and other stuff coming down, as they run outside. It seems counter intuitive, but in most cases you are safer by getting under something sturdy and staying put. Note that a big quake can have a lot of horizontal movement, and that table you are under can tend to walk across the floor, hence the advice to hold so you stay under it. A really strong quake can make it hard to walk, let alone run. Get under something and stay there until it stops!

2. As hikermor noted up thread, wood frame houses tend to do pretty well in quakes. Because of the way walls are constructed they tend to resist that horizontal shaking. The wood and nails also give a bit of flex. A wood house may be extensively damaged, but it is unlikely to fall down on you.

3. Brick, masonry, stone, or cement block buildings don't do well. Unless they are extensively reinforced with steel, that lateral shaking tends to make them fall into a pile of rubble. However, you are still better hiding under something, than trying to get out as the building falls down on you.

4. As also mentioned by hikermor, stuff falling down inside your house can also be deadly. A falling book case, china hutch, etc can be bad. Again, get under something sturdy! You can reduce damage by securing those objects ahead of time. There are simple kits available to make it easy to secure them to a wall stud.

5. Know how to shut off your gas and electricity. As noted above, though your house may not fall down, gas lines, etc may be broken.

6. Be prepared to stay put after the quake. Briges may be out, roads blocked by landslides, etc. Camping out in your yard is probably a better choice than trying to travel.

All excellent points! We have a shed in the back yard 12x10 that I keep my harley in. It would be a good place to store items that arn't effected by cold temps.

JPicket, youre advice is well recieved. It would be so less stressful to not have to sell the prep idea but know whats what and when SHTF they will attentitive

I suppose earthquake scenarios arent really needed but rather something more practical like a 2am fire drill