Individual/Family Newsletter 1: Storing Water and Food

Thank you for registering to participate in the West Coast ShakeOut. Please spread the word to others to do the same. We are only fully prepared for such an event if the whole community is prepared. Evidence from other events show that prepared communities and individuals fare better than those who are not.

This is the first of six e-mails with information and tips that may be helpful to you in preparation for a significant earthquake.

STORING WATER AND FOOD

We are advised to hold supplies of food and water to last us for 3 days following a major earthquake, but with our isolation it would be wise to hold enough to last a week. With an alpine fault earthquake there is little possibility that shops will be open for a considerable time, with the CDEM staff closing off supplies in order to maintain control of the situation. The only stuff you will have is what is in your house.

At a basic level, a well stocked pantry will be fine for many days. Houses are built to a code that means that most will remain standing, so access will not be a factor for the majority. Having some supplies stored separately would be advisable, but just having enough in the house is a great start.

Storing food can save you money. We buy tinned beans and peaches, etc. when they are on special. They then get stored and eventually replaced and used when another special comes along. By keeping some in the garage, we bring in the stored ones with the shopping, and put the new ones into the store. We end up with cheaper bills and no more carting stuff about either.

Don't forget a means of cooking food. A camp stove is fine, but a gas or charcoal barbaque is just as good. Open fires are fine if you have the wood, matches, old pots that can be held in place, dry weather, and a safe place to build it ... best look into a stove eh!

Many people assume that water is not in short supply on the coast. Earthquakes can change this in two ways. Firstly , some rivers may be blocked upstream when landslides block a valley and so may stop flowing altogether for a period of time. Any access to a river bed at this time is very dangerous because a landslide dam can fail at any time. Secondly, debris from landslides and ruptured septic tanks upstream may make water undrinkable. Storing enough water for 5 litres per person per day is not that hard if you can get hold of suitable containers. Just replace it every few months, and use the stored water to put on the garden perhaps, to avoid waste.

For more advise on what to have in a survival kit visit: http://www.eq-iq.org.nz/kitsandplans/survivalkit.aspx

Chris Manuel
West Coast ShakeOut Coordinator
www.shakeout.org.nz

The information in this e-mail is the opinion of the author, after significant research. If you are making decisions based upon it, please take the time to follow the links and check up on the details that will affect your decision.