There has Been a few recently large earthquakes in places like Japan and Ecuador. Puna has been known to shake with the best of places once in awhile, also puna is over due for a BIG one. Although a small cluster of smaller 3-4 point earthquakes have recently reminded some or been felt around these parts. Some are calling those quakes unusual and are expecting a possible bigger quake soon.
http://khon2.com/2016/03/31/scientist-ca...heres-why/
What are some important or helpful things to know, do, or expect when experiencing a large earthquake?
Also what should one stock up on, as if to try and be prepared for such a possible earthquake disaster?
Mahalo in advance PW, its been very difficult of late watching the recently large devastating earthquakes aftermaths.
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Vanuatu has been getting clobbered with huge earthquakes too, Alaska volcanoes are erupting and rumbling. The "Ring of Fire" is active. My biggest fear, other than the house collapsing on us, is the catchment tank failing and 10,000 gallons of water rushing towards the house. Our tank is very close, and I know of two households near South Point where the houses were knocked off their post-and-pier by failed catchment tanks due to bad installation. Fortunately we're on slab but I'm still hoping if an earthquake makes all that water sloshing around cause the tank to fail, it bursts the other direction.
Everything else is similar prep as for hurricanes. Have water (not just catchment), gas, batteries, tarps, rope, non-perishable food, animal feed, medicine, lumber, etc stashed and ready to use. Remember that a huge earthquake thousands of miles away could potentially cause a tsunami large enough to make our ports inoperable for awhile. This island only has a few days supply of aviation fuel on it. If the barges can't get in don't count on aviation to save us. They won't be able to drop much off if the next refueling port is a long way away. Plan on basic food and medicine deliveries only.
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Make sure propane tanks and water heater are secured so not to tip over. Most water heaters take two straps spaced out to divide tank into thirds, using the heavy gauge metal pipe strapping attached with 1/4 inch lag screws with washers into the stud framing of house. I say this because a good shake could make a mini tsunami in your catchment tank and your outta luck for water until fixed and refilled by next rain, if lucky. Propane explains itself, and should be checked out completely from tank to appliance immediately after a good shake as well.
Have plenty canned goods on hand, as it will be pretty much like Issele in damage effect, adding possible collapsed bridges and buildings. You will not be able to stand or run in a good shake, all though I made it out from under my house and settled in straddling a fence 50 feet away when the Loma Prieta hit the SF Bay Area somehow. Get away from windows and protect yourself from items that can fall on you if indoors and can't get out immediately.
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7.8 quake off Ecuador about half hour ago; no tsunami threat to Hawaii...
http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/16/americas/m...index.html
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while I was reading this, felt another shaker
><(((*< ... ><(("< ... ><('< ... >o>
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Good discussion. I am from Southern California and was always prepared for earthquakes. But.. being new to this area it had not occurred to me that my catchment tank could fail, leaving me without water, Thank you terracore for pointing that out. I'll be purchasing a small back up tank.
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There was a 3.4 earthquake yesterday morning at Halem'aum'au, quick jolt to the house felt like an explosion nearby.
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Walmart (we all love THAT place) has plastic 5 gallon water jugs (the type that go onto a water cooler or dispenser) for about 8 dollars. I've looked for cheaper ways to store portable potable water but haven't found it yet. An earthquake isn't like a hurricane when you generally have a lot of warning and can do things like fill your bathtubs up etc in preparation for a disruption in basic services. Last time I was at Walmart they also had 5 gallon gas cans for $14 (Target sometimes has them for $12). Hurricane season is coming, when the next hurricane is getting close the gas cans, water jugs, and bottled water sell out quickly. We were lucky after Iselle and were only without power for 5 days. Some people were without power for weeks. With a good generator most households can maintain their standard of living for a week or so, but if the power was out for weeks (or months) we couldn't afford the gasoline and would have to live without the refrigerator. Our deep freeze only needs about an hour of electricity per day and we have a couple of 100-watt solar panels that can keep a deep-cycle battery charged for that (and can top it off with vehicle or generator if necessary). A good prepper mentality is if you have one of something, consider that you don't have it. For example, if you have dogs and you're almost out of dog food, and you replace it with a 50# bag of food, in a prepper's mind you don't really have any dog food. You should always have an unopened bag of dog food. If your primary bag of food is almost empty, then you replace it before you open your second bag. The same goes for power. I've heard people refer to their generator as their "backup generator" because they mean it's their backup power supply if the grid goes out. When the grid is out and you're on generator power, its not a backup generator, its a generator. A backup generator would be your second generator. I'm not saying everybody needs a two generators, but having a single generator is not a complete plan. What happens if it's stolen or breaks down? There are other options- solar, power inverters that hook to car, perhaps another generator, etc. And for what its worth, during our first power outage on the island I went to start our generator and it wouldn't start. I've been there.
I'm not one of those doomsday nutters but I live on a volcanic island smack dab in the middle of the world's largest ocean in nature's bullseye for hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, and lava flows that could destroy infrastructure on a long-term basis. Hawaii is not known for its ability to get things done quickly. If there is one place on the planet where people should be the most prepared, this is it! Unfortunately, most people are not.
ETA: grammar
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"Hawaii is not known for its ability to get things done quickly." This gets my vote for most profoundly accurate statement of the year on PW . . . perhaps the decade.
Having said that, I have to admit that the response to Iselle was better than I expected. Iselle, however, only dramatically impacted Puna, while an island wide major earthquake might be an entirely different matter. Thanks to all for some good suggestions on preparedness.
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Walmart... has plastic 5 gallon water jugs... for about 8 dollars.
Hurricane season is coming... gas cans, water jugs, and bottled water sell out quickly.
During this recent period of dry weather I cracked one of blue 5 gal water jugs. I tried to buy another at Walmart, but they were sold out for about 4-6 weeks due to the high demand created by the mini-drought. When I started to tire of waiting for Walmart's shipment to come in, I checked Amazon, and if I remember correctly they were $18, more than double the price.
As terracore suggested, buy those water jugs now if you think you'll need one.
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