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…
Category Archives: Cautionary tales
Sometimes Preparation Isn’t Enough
I began this blog to help everyone take one or two steps to become just a little better prepared for emergencies. And I still believe in the value of those small steps that help us through life’s catastrophes. But. But what has happened in Japan in the past four days — unimaginably strong 8.9 earthquake;…
More Lessons Emerging From New Zealand’s Latest Earthquake
Early Wednesday afternoon local time a devastating 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck New Zealand’s second largest city, Christchurch. The city has been suffering numerous smaller quakes, sometimes called aftershocks, since a major earthquake last September, and I have posted several items from my friend and Christchurch resident Wendy Davie, who has endured every day of it, sometimes…
Learning From OPM (Other People’s Mistakes)
Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself. – Eleanor Roosevelt Whenever I learn of someone who has gone through a tough situation, I’m eager to debrief them so that I can learn things I wouldn’t have thought of on my own. So I was especially happy…
Guest Post: What the 7.4 New Zealand Earthquake Felt Like
Today I’m really happy to share with you a post by my New Zealand organizing colleague, Wendy Davie, owner and organizing guru at Totally Organised (yes, in New Zealand it’s spelled with an “s” rather than a “z.”) Beginning Saturday, September 4, when a magnitude 7.4 quake struck near her home city of Christchurch, in…
Lessons from the San Bruno fire
Sometimes we get fixed on preparing for “the Big One,” that devastating earthquake that has a 2-to-1 chance of hitting the Bay Area between now and 2030. The San Bruno explosion and fire, which originated in a 24″gas pipeline [update 9/12: pipeline now reported to be 30 inches] south of San Francisco, makes the point…
Natural Disaster or Man-made? Does It Matter?
Tonight I plan to head to the theater to see The Big Uneasy, a documentary by Harry Shearer about Hurricane Katrina, the failure of the levee system, and the inundation of New Orleans. In interviews I have heard Shearer object vigorously (I think the words he used were “…I thought my head would explode”) when…
Are your photos safe at home? How to protect precious memories in a disaster
When asked what they would grab on their way out the door in an emergency (assuming that all family members were safely out), many people say they’d take their photographs. But what if you’re not at home when the fire, flood, or other disaster strikes? Now it’s easier than ever to protect those cherished photos….
The Safest Place in a Quake
Several years ago I was working on a long-term consulting assignment at a San Francisco Bay Area office when the building was jiggled by a small earthquake. The man with whom I was speaking ran to the nearest doorway, dragging me with him, and plastered his tall, strong body into the metal door frame. I…