On Tuesday Jan. 12, the ground started shaking under Haiti. This resulted in untold numbers of dead (current estimates are between 45,000 and 50,000 people) and massive devastation to the poorest country in the Northern Hemisphere. The earthquake registered 7.0 on the Richter Scale and will take years to recover from. Could this happen to us?
It already has happened numerous times over the history of this country, and it will happen again. In 1811 and again in early 1812, a series of earthquakes hit the state of Missouri and surrounding areas, the largest estimated at 8.1 in magnitude (which was at least 100 times more powerful than the earthquake that hit Haiti).
It was reported that this earthquake produced ground swells 4 feet high and knocked scaffolding out of the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., and rang bells in churches in Boston.
So what could we expect to happen in the event of a major earthquake in the Northeast? Depending on where the epicenter was would determine the extent of damage. If it hit in the northern part of New York (remember April 2002), then I would expect that because of damage to the infrastructure we would quickly be isolated from the major metropolitan areas, where most of our goods are shipped from.
Consider the condition of the Crown Point Bridge before it was taken down and the recent reports of many other deteriorating bridges throughout New York. If we lost a bridge or two on I-87 and Route 9, then we would have a problem getting supplies from the South. Add to this damage to Route 11 and Route 3, and it is easy to see that we could very quickly be on our own until these roads are repaired.
At the very least, all of the roads and bridges in the area would have to be inspected for safety. With the panic buying that certainly would ensue, the shelves in our grocery stores would be empty within a few days. If we lost power on a large scale, then communications would be questionable, the internet might not be available or even cell-phone service. We would be on our own for a time.
Could you survive with what you have on hand, or would life get difficult for you very quickly?
Now is the time to plan for these events, and it's not that hard to do. You need to set aside the food, water, medicine, money and other supplies that you would need to survive until things got back to normal. Most experts agree that it takes about 72 hours for help to arrive, but this is not the end of the crisis, necessarily.
I would recommend that you store what you need to survive about two weeks and have a portable 72-hour kit sitting in a corner of your home that you can grab and go with. If your home is destroyed by the event; an earthquake, flood, fire etc., you want to be able to grab your 72-hour kit on the way out the door and get somewhere safe.
There is a book titled: "Are You Ready," which was put out by Federal Emergency Management Agency, and you can get a free copy by calling 1-800-480-2520. This book will give you some guidelines to follow for putting together an emergency kit and other good information regarding how to prepare and respond to emergency situations.
If we take the time now when things are normal to plan for those types of events that are going to happen here, like the Ice Storm of 1998, we will be able to survive them and help others do the same.
Rick Healy from Peru teaches seminars on being prepared and has written "How to Survive the Next Katrina," to be published by this summer. He can be reached at rhealy73@aol.com
Opinion
January 20, 2010
Are we ready for a natural disaster?
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Cheers and Jeers: Feb. 13, 2012
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