On January 17, 1994, 4:57am, the most terrifying experience in my life occurred, the Northridge earthquake.  I was living in a 3-story condo building in North Hollywood, which was about 8 miles from the epicenter of the quake.  I have lived in California all my life, and had experienced small earthquakes.  But nothing prepared me for this.

The shaking of the ground & the sound of breaking glass awoke me to my nightmare.  Bottles & dishes flying out of the cabinets, water pipes bursting, and furniture that was  not secured was toppling over.  I thought it was the end of the world.  The shaking only lasted less than 10 seconds, but it seemed like an eternity.

I tried turning on the lights, but the electricity was not working.  I had to adjust my eyes to the darkness, and tried to make my way to the front door.  As I walked across the floor, my feet were getting cut from the broken glass.  The pain was excruciating, but I made it the open atrium courtyard of my building.  My neighbors were gathering in the courtyard, and we did a head count to make sure everyone got out of their homes safely.  This was a day I won't forget.

Why am I reliving the worst day of my life?  A couple of weeks ago, a group of seismologists had a meeting in the Coachella Valley to discuss the scenario of a major earthquake hitting the Palm Springs area.  The San Andreas Fault runs right through the Desert, and is long overdue for a major earthquake.  With all the recent news about hurricane Dean and the deadly earthquake in Peru last week, it made me think of how prepared I am when the Big One hits here.  You would think that after what I had experienced 13 years ago, I would be the most disaster prepared person on the planet.  Sadly though, the only thing that I still do every night is to make sure that I have a pair of slippers by my bedside.

Since we all know that we cannot rely on local or federal government agencies to help us in a time of natural disasters, it is up to all of us to help ourselves & our neighbors.  Here are some the things you can do to prepare:

• Water- Have 1 gallon of water per person to last you 2 weeks
• Food-  Get plenty of canned tuna, vegetables, baby formula, and anything non-perishable.  Make sure you have a 2 week supply per person and a can opener.                         
• First Aid Kit- Have a well-stocked first aid kit, along with any medications you are taking.  Also, it might not be a bad idea to get CPR & first aid training.  You may have to take care of the injured, and the training could save someone's life.
• Money- Keep a supply of money for purchasing items.   The ATM's will not work, and you have pay for items you may not have.  Beware of unscrupulous price gougers.
• Meeting Place- Make sure you have a designated meeting place in case you & your family get separated.  Cell phones will most likely not work during a disaster.
• Tents & Sleeping Bags- Have tents & sleeping bags available in the event that your home is uninhabitable.
• Your Car- Have similar items in your car in case you are stranded away from home.

These are just some of things you can do to prepare for any disaster.  For more information on disaster preparedness, you can contact the Red Cross or go their website at http://www.redcross.org/  

If you have never been through a natural disaster, you are lucky.  Take precautions & prepare for your family's safety and do not wait until it is too late for you to do anything.  One last question to you all:  How prepared are you??