Before you decide to join Newt Gingrich’s planned moon colony, consider this: the moon is seismically active. According to scientists at NASA, moonquakes are caused predominantly by the Earth’s tidal pull on the moon. They tend to be smaller than earthquakes (up to magnitude 5) but because they travel through old, cold rock, which doesn’t…
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When It’s Raining Cats & Dogs – Caring For Pets in an Evacuation
Our pets depend on us for opening the refrigerator, tossing a ball, and love, among other things. They also rely on us to protect them if an emergency requires us to evacuate our homes. Keep in mind that human shelters cannot take animals, and consider how you can protect your best friend if disaster strikes….
Apocalypse Chow – How to Eat Well When the Power Goes Out
Boy, I wish I’d thought of that title! But the title, like the book it’s attached to, is the brainchild of Jon Robertson with Robin Robertson. Jon, a writer, and his wife Robin, a cookbook author and former chef, share their approach to food preparation for emergencies. Writing from hurricane country, their focus is on…
Emergency Prep On Your Smartphone
I love the way that smartphones bring libraries-full of information to our pockets. That includes the information we need to prepare for emergencies as well as instructions to respond to emergencies in the moment. For the iPhone, there is a wonderfully complete and easy-to-navigate app by evolvingmonkeys.com called simply Emergency Preparedness Checklist and Guide. Developed…
Are You On Pinterest? See My “Masters of Disasters” Picks
I have a bunch of tools that have become my go-to favorites for emergency preparation. I think of them as my “masters of disasters.” So that you can share them, too, I’ve put them on some bulletin boards on Pinterest. Right now I am working on three bulletin boards: my top picks for emergency supplies…
How Do You Name a Hurricane?
Has your name ever been a hurricane? Has your name been “retired?” (Igor and Fifi, I’m talking to you…) The Wall Street Journal has developed a fun, interactive graphic to show past and future named Atlantic storms. The official practice of giving human names to hurricanes and tropical storms is a recent one, begun in…
Where Do I Keep Emergency Supplies?
Oregon-based professional organizer and blogger extraordinaire Krista Colvin had the genius idea to do a series of peeks inside the homes and lives of other professional organizers. Today she featured a few of my tips on where to keep emergency supplies, with photos. Pay her blog a visit for the inside scoop on some of…
Homeland Security Asks Us to Use Social Media in an Emergency
This tweet came out this afternoon from @DHSJournal, the twitter account of the Deparment of Homeland Security: Quake: Tell friends/family you are OK via text, email and social media (@twitter & facebook.com). Avoid calls. Never mind the lack of a helpful hash-tag. This government agency clearly understands the uses of social media. When today’s earthquake…
Did You Feel That? The DC/East Coast Quake
What an earthquake feels like is probably the most popular topic on this blog. Everyone wants to know! I’ve written about it before, here: What Does An Earthquake Feel Like? Another View of What an Earthquake Feels Like Guest Post: What the 7.4 New Zealand Earthquake Felt Like Did You Feel That Earthquake? There are…