QuakePrepare

Earthquake Preparedness: Is Your Office Prepared?

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Most of us are at least aware that we should have two weeks worth of food and water as per the Red Cross and others.

If you work in an office away from home, you should give some thought as to whether you might be stuck there for a while after a serious quake.   If you drive to work and you can walk home, the kit you should have in your car will take care of your needs. If you can’t walk home, you may be waiting it out at your office – a good reason to make sure that the office is prepared for that eventuality.

Office kits can be custom-tailored for any size. The best provider I’ve seen is Your Safety Place in Pleasanton, part of Nexis Preparedness.   They have staff calling on businesses and schools to help them get prepared. Check out their web site at nexisprep.com

QuakePrepare has now installed over 2,250 automatic gas shut-off valves.  If you or your neighbors haven’t yet taken advantage of this (incredibly cheap) insurance to protect your house, email or call me.  Still $245 in most locations.

Be safe.

Larry Guillot
QuakePrepare.com
707-965-3299
email:   larry@quakeprepare.com

Earthquake Preparedness: Great Radio/Flashlight/Phone Charger

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Check Out This Excellent Radio/Flashlight/Phone Charger
During one of my in-home consults this week (quakeprepare.com/consults), the homeowner showed me the Eton Microlink FR160 radio he had (he bought 3 or 4 of them).  I was very impressed and thought I should pass this along to you.
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It was very easy to crank (uses solar as well), and just a few cranks gave good use of the radio, and it had a strong flashlight beam as well.  It even recharges your cell phone.  There are a lot of good products on the market, but the price and quality of this one is outstanding.  My research showed excellent customer reviews.

These are the two best prices I found:

From ebay:  says he has 10 left, $15.  Appear to be new, no packaging:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Eton-Microlink-FR160-Emergency-Radio-Solar-Dynamo-Powered-/301884478651?hash=item4649b794bb:g:qgYAAOSwWTRW07xL

From Universal Radio, $25:   http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/prepare/0160.html

QuakePrepare has now installed over 2,250 automatic gas shut-off valves.  If you or your neighbors haven’t yet taken advantage of this (incredibly cheap) insurance to protect your house, email or call me.  Still $245 in most locations.

Be safe.

Larry Guillot                                                                                                                QuakePrepare.com

email:   larry@quakeprepare.com                                                                                   707-965-3299 

QuakeTip: 3 Solar Lights You Need When Power’s Out

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Quake Hits, Power Is Gone, Hello Solar
After a major quake, we have no power.  Here are three lights that will be helpful (not intended to be comprehensive!):
 
Nightlight with emergency light when power fails:
They are currently out of stock, but it’s worth waiting for (recommended by my friend and preparedness guru Matt Springer, who suggests putting a piece of masking tape over the nightlight if it’s too bright for you).   $10
Camp lantern:
4 hours full bright, 8 hours less bright.  Use solar charge or USB port:
Solar + battery flashlights:
Package of 2, $17, from Amazon:
We’ve now installed over 2,050 automatic gas shut-off valves in the last 10 years!   If you already have yours, get your neighborhood organized.  The more homes that have them, the safer everyone is.
Be safe.
Larry GuillotQuakePrepare.com
707-965-3299
email:   larry@quakeprepare.com

Earthquake Insurance Changes – Helpful or Ho Hum?

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Do These Changes Help?
The CA Earthquake Authority has announced some changes in policy choices, including being able to lower your deductible to 5% and raising your personal property coverage to $200,000.  The problem, it seems, is that to take advantage of the changes, it’s going to cost you more.
For example:  if you live in a one-story home in the east bay, without a completed retrofit,  valved at $600,000, to get a 5% deductible policy with $200,000 of personal property coverage, you’ll still pay over $3,000 per year.
Do you need EQ insurance?  I would never tell folks to drop or not get EQ insurance – that’s a personal decision.  I do suggest, however, that in calculating your risk you take into consideration that, historically, we know that houses which are correctly retrofitted are the ones which are much more likely to remain on their foundation during a serious quake.  Also, houses which fall off their foundation are the ones which are seriously damaged, sometimes to the point of being a tear-down.
If your decision is to forgo EQ insurance, it becomes even more important to have your home correctly retrofitted. In just a few years, in most cases, the money you didn’t spend on insurance will pay for your retrofit.
What does your home need to be correctly retrofitted?  I cover that in my personal consultation. See https://quakeprepare.com/quakeconsult
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QuakePrepare has now installed over 2,150 automatic gas shut-off valves in the bay area, including doing well over 50 neighborhoods.  If you or your neighbors don’t have one yet, let us get you scheduled.  In most areas, the standard cost is still $245.   Go to https://quakeprepare.com/quakevalves   and we’ll get you scheduled for a Saturday or Sunday installation.
Be safe.
Larry Guillot
707-965-3299
email:   larry@quakeprepare.com

QuakeTip: The Toilet Problem & a Solution

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We Need a Toilet!
 
After a big quake, you won’t be able to flush your toilet, since the water is off and there are who-knows how many breaks in the main sewer lines. Pouring water in the toilet to flush it will have to stop if it backs up.
There are outside solutions, of course – like digging a “camp” latrine.  But here’s a possible way to keep using your bathroom:
Go to Home Depot or any big hardware store and buy a box of what they call “construction bags.”   They are sort of like a regular leaf bag on steroids:  they are very thick.
After the quake, turn off the water at the wall stop, flush the toilet with the water that is left in the tank, lift the toilet seat, take one of the bags and wrap it around the toilet opening.  Put the seat back down and you have your “portable” toilet.
Minimize difficulties by having the men (especially) go outside to urinate.

Be safe.

Larry Guillot   QuakePrepare.com
707-965-3299
email: larry@quakeprepare.com

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