Stay Ready

There has been a lot in the news lately about earthquakes (Chile, Baja, Haiti, etc). This is very concerning for many of us Seattlites because as you probably know we live on fault known for catastrophic earthquakes (9.0+). Being as we can't predict when it's going to happen that doesn't mean that we can't be prepared for whatever comes.


When I decided to do a post of this nature I needed some help and two people came to mind, Ray and Jen. They're the definition of Stay Ready. I've gone through and combined what they mentioned, along with tidbits from other people and myself to compile some great ideas that I think everyone should know.

The one thing that really stood out to me was the idea of short-term vs long-term. We'd like to think that should anything happen we'll be "rescued" shortly there after, but this is faulted logic. In the event of tragedy we must be prepared for all potential scenarios including that help doesn't come for weeks.

That being said I'm going to start with some tips to help you in the short term -

* Food: You're going to need to eat. Local government has been telling us to be ready for 3 days. 3 days is nothing. After Katrina it took over a week to help the people that had set up in the Superdome and there they were centralized. If you plan on making it at your own home you should have 2-3 weeks of food on hand. If you're going with canned food don't forget to keep a can opener with your stash. However you're probably better off going with dehydrated foods as it takes up less space and you're going to need water either way.

*Water: Having a stockpile of water isn't a bad idea so to speak. However what are you going to do if all your jugs of water bust open when the ground starts shaking? Have a water purifier of some kind, like you might take backpacking, on hand is good but you don't have to go out and spend a fortune on this either. A little bleach can go a long ways. Don't over do it though. You don't want kill yourself in the process of trying to safe yourself.

*Shelter: We life in Seattle, it rains. In the event that your home is not habitable you might find yourself on the street. Tents, tarps and the like might be your only chance of finding a dry spot. You may also be on the move so in addition to easily movable shelter having a large trash can on wheels will make moving your essentials a much less laborious task. Keep up your strength and energy in any way that you can!

*Communication: This is the most difficult task after a tragedy. With phone lines down communication becomes nearly impossible. It was brought to my attention that while most lines fail Ham radios have proven to be an effective means of communicating in past disasters. You can get receivers for around $300 and a license for $40. A bit steep but definitely worth while. This might also be an expense that you could bear with those close to you, as not everyone would need their own.

*Find your Constant: Another great idea I heard was having an out of state contact that you and your family all know of. Maybe it's an Uncle in Kansas, a sibling in Texas or Grandma in Boston. By having someone predesignated you'll be sure that everyone is calling the same person. They can then inform all your other out of state relatives that you're okay and transfer message between everyone in the affected area.

*At Work: It is very possible you're not going to be home. Keep an emergency kit at work. Even something as small as a back pack (Nintendo design optional) that has all the supplies that you're going to need in order to get back to your house: good shoes, parka, first aid kit, flashlight, etc. This is also something that you could establish with coworkers and designate a place in your office to keep them that is out of the way, but still easily accessible.

Now lets get into the long term -

Preparing for a lengthly disconnect with civilization is a hard thing to plan for. But it's not impossible. Now I should say that this is more in preparation for Armageddon than for an earthquake, but as the title says "Stay Ready".

Now I'm probably the biggest anti-gun advocate that there is, but this is where I see the reasoning. There are many reason in a post-apocalyptic world that you'd need a gun. If you have to take to nature and hunt for game having a gun will give you the edge on those trying to catch rabbits in snares. There is also the issue of self protection. People are going to be crazy, not to mention Zombies. Zombies are not to be underestimated. And I'm not necessarily saying that the dead will rise and attack us, but more the living may take on the attributes of Zombies and that's just as bad.

I recommend having a few key books in your collection as well. Something that covers the plants and animals that are native to the region can help you to identify what's edible and what's not. Having a book similar to "How things work" could also come in handy. While a map of the local area should already be in your short term kit a larger area atlas would be good in the event that you have to change areas all together.

One recommendation I would have never thought but is a great idea: have a jar of bacon fat. When food sources are scarce and you're eating dandelions and nettles it will give you the necessary fats to persevere.

The last thing that could be the difference between life and death is your knowledge. Know how to make fire from nothing. Get a basic understanding of how to start plants from seed and tend to them so that you can create a stable food source (a small seed bank of good local crops might be something to keep around). Remember that the first step to failing is giving up.

All of that being said there is one last thing that everyone should remember: you can't do it alone. When disaster hits many people are going to put themselves first and foremost, that's how we're designed. However I encourage all of you to keep your sense of humanity and if there is someone that you can help, do it! That person that you dig out of a pile of rubble might just be your key to survival. Remember it's the most difficult of times that show the true grit of our character.

*******************************************************************************

So now that I've got the basic covered I'm going to give you all a run down of what I have planned...

At home -

The original meet up place was going to be the Ballard Community Center, 6020 28th Avenue Northwest. It's not far from where I live and has a large open area to congregate. However after more thought I've decided it's not the best spot. It's still fairly low lying and may draw large crowds as it is. I thought about Woodland park, but I don't want to get mauled by a bear. So for now I'm calling out the intersection of 70th and 24th as the spot. It's up at the top of the hill, about 200 ft above sea level (should be tsunami safe?) and has a decent view of the surrounding area so you can get a feel for what's happening elsewhere. Anyone in the Ballard area that has a better idea let me know because I'm open to other suggestions.

At work -

My sister works up at Seattle University and as such I've decided it's the downtown meet up. The Quad is the designated spot on campus. Anybody in the Capitol Hill/Downtown area that needs a meet up spot there it is. If you are going to make that your spot, let me know so I know who to wait/search for.

After the initial -

I can't say with certainty how long I'd be in either of those places but I can tell you that I plan to establish some kind of registry to track who is there, who was there and where they were going. I think that this would help people locate each other. So if I'm not there, there should be a trail that you can follow easily. I'll probably be trying to find Ray and Jen :)


Well that's the plan. If I've missed anything that you think I should include hit me up in the comments or by email and I'll get it added in. I'd also love to hear what other people have set up in terms of their plans and where they're going to be.

Finally I'm going to end this with a huge THANK YOU to Ray and Jen for all their help. Of all the people I know they are the ones who are ready for anything! I wouldn't have been able to put this together without their input.

(Sorry I stopped with the pics half way through, it got to be very tedious)

********* ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ************

- Get CPR certified!

Right off the bat today

I haven't even been at my desk for five minutes and I've got all kinds of things to talk about...

Congrats Mr. President on the Noble Peace Prize. This may be a double edged sword though. We all knew that the world was paying close attention to how you plan to change the US image and I think this is their way of holding you accountable. First and foremost you need to bar the gates on Gitmo. If this doesn't happen soon I think that you're going to see a backlash. You've proposed so lofty goals and I believe that you can accomplish them, now is the time to start completing these tasks. There isn't a moment to waste...

Marge Simpson, I didn't know you had it in ya. I always knew that you had a wild side: that time you and Homer rock'd the cashbah in farmers barn, when you two snuggled in the mini golf windmill, and when you were mutated into a half-woman half-cat by Dr. Hibbert your true animal instincts really took over. Now you're going to be on the cover of playboy! I can only imagine what the family will say! I assume Bart won't gripe (luckily he only has access to "Play Dude"), Maggie will just suck on her pacifier, your sisters will be unbelievably jealous, Homer won't realize until he sees all the guys at the power plant oglin' ya, and Lisa, oh Lisa, she's going to rip you apart. Nonetheless, good show...

I am using all my restraint right now to not go off about Somni-451 and ruin Cloud Atlas for you all. It's so good. Oh man. I couldn't believe that Papa Song's...I'll hold my tongue...

Dripping in Apathy

I'm very indifferent to existence today. I think it might be a defense mechanism to avoid having to deal with things. I know that they need to be addressed but I'm suffering from social fatigue. I had a dream last night. This was the first "nice dream" that I've had in days. I lived on a farm. The dream was more like a lifetime than a single event. No one else lived there. There was a dairy cow, a bull and a few young cow. Three pigs, but one seemed to always be pregnant. There were two goats and a small herd of sheep. A large horse, whose name I can't remember, that I rode everywhere. There was one large field of corn growing to the west of the house. I remember the sight of the sun setting over the harvest. It was perfect. There was many small vegetable gardens and another large area of wheat and barley. Both of my cats were there and a large dog followed me everywhere. To the east was a large range of snow capped peaks. From the edge of the farm I could stand at the base of the stone and look up. I wish I didn't have to wake up. I'd much rather be there now.

A new day dawns

So I've survived the weekends birthday events. It was good all-in-all. I think that I need to give a special shout out to P Matty for the killer dinner at Anthony's. I'd also like to thank everyone for showing up at the GLC. I had a great time...

Outdoor gardening in full effect. I was able to get the garden bed east of the brewery all cleaned out this weekend. All the hoe'n gave me a blister, which is irritating more than anything. But I was also able to plant the cherry tree. I also bought a couple magnolia trees that I need to find a good spot for. I think that they will bring me great happiness...

On the indoor front I was also pretty productive. I made the first attempt at octochili. I haven't tried it yet, because my stomach was not prepared for chili yesterday, but I have a ton of it at home and I'm hoping it's delicious. The little bit that I tried was good, so I'm hopeful. I also got the laundry room cleaned up. Now I just need to attack the rest of the house systematically to make sure it's all ready for the cook off. There are a lot of things I need to do and I'm not sure what all they are yet...

I have the best sister ever. She got up before the birds to make sure we'd capture sunrise pics for my wakeupseattle header. I included my favorite pic at the bottom...

I've been thinking about starting a new blog. I can hear you all now, "another one?!" Yes another one. I have been trying to figure out what to do with this old project that I did a few years ago. Elephant Skin aka Novel aka Dreams / Nightmares. I'm not really sure what to do with it, but I feel that I should do something with it so I may turn it into a blog. Could be interesting...

Let's talk worms!

I can barely see right now. I just rubbed my eye and I think there was some jalapeno juices on my finger. It's painful. My vision is blurring. In some ways it seems as though the world around me is now displaying future scenes, but they're very hard to make out...

I haven't been bowling in a while now. I think that I should go soon. I find it relaxing. Maybe I'll go after work and just watch the pins re-rack themselves over a plate of lack luster nachos. I probably won't...

Nathan and I went to play Buck Hunter last night. We fought through the rain to get down to Hooverville, only to find that it was recently burnt out by a fire. You could still smell the burn wood in the wet air. Needless to say we were disappointed. We wandered through Sodo to Pioneer Square checking every bar we could think of for Buck Hunter with no luck. We ended up at Collin's which wasn't too bad at all, but I still wish we'd gotten to play Buck Hunter...

Chili Cook Off is coming up. I'm hoping to get out the information soon. I can tell you that the date is going to be April 18th. There will also most likely be admission fees this year in order to help offset the overall cost of the event and hopefully get some money together for the Festival. It's going to be huge this year...

I've been having a reoccurring dream of sorts. Reoccurring in the sense that it always happens in the same place. It's never a bad dream. I live on a farm with a large library in the center of an octagonal outer wall that is thick enough as to house all the necessary provisions to sustain life. I wish I was there now...

I guess this isn't about worms at all...

I don't get it, but I guess I'm not supposed to

I have the best sister ever. You all should check out the layout that she did for indoorsprout. It looks great!...

After two weeks the rain has returned to Seattle. I didn't realize I missed it until it was back. My favorite seasons are early spring and late fall, which here in Seattle usually last 8 months but this year we've had to deal with the unfortunate episode that is winter...

Support out local economy, buy local...

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about a farm. I've decided that I should combine the two things that I want most in life: a farm and a library. I just need about 20 acres with a small hill. Something of an octagon with a circular building within it. With facilities to be completely sustainable: farm, dairy, brewery, granary, housing, livestock, etc. Maybe a stream for fishing, but I could always build a trout pond. Somewhere here in Western Washington. Anywhere else it just wouldn't be right, except maybe N Cali. Hopefully some day...

It all continues to collapse around us. If you are not frightened yet, you should be. And if you are frightened, know it will get better...

"Like a breeze blowing through the house..."

I've finally got all the beer brewed up for the BBB Festival. 30 gallons in 10 days isn't too bad. Hopefully it's enough. If not, you'll all drink rum...

I support any mail carrier who wishes to wear a kilt....

I want to know everything that there is to know about growing cereal grains, crop rotations and sustainable farming techniques. If anyone out there possesses some of this knowledge or knows a good direction to look let me know. Once I get a firm understand I can move on to the next subject: animal husbandry...

It's market day! I'm going to make curry tonight with some friends. Probably drink some Spanish wine. Definitely something to look forward to...

I disassembled my desk last night. It was time for it to go. It's been a couple weeks since the computer broke down and I think that I've been getting more done. There are times that I miss it, but I get a fair amount of computer time in at work....

I'm glad that the rain finally made an appearance. It'd been too long...

I'm back on the patch. It's been kind of up and down. Hopefully I can stick with it this time. I pretty sick of smoking right now...

Just a reminder: If you want to get in on the BBQ cook off let me know ASAP. I'm cutting off registration in the near future....

Blue is a good color. But not nearly as good as green...

My hard drive at home went out last night. I guess it couldn't take the heat. I don't blame it. There are times I would rather just give up. It really sucks that all my documents are gone (pictures, music, writing) but it's also somewhat liberating...

I spent all winter waiting for the summer to get here. Now that its here I can't wait for the fall to come again...

I want to move out of the city and live on a farm. I would have chickens, a goat, a dairy cow named Henrietta. I think it would be good for me in the long run...