Being awoken in the middle of the night by an earthquake sucks! That's what happened this morning at 4:46am. It was noisy and frightening. It was dark and much to my dismay - raining!! Both of us jumped out of bed (at least we weren't thrown out of bed I guess) and were hovering near the door - I opened the sliding door to our veranda to secure an exit if necessary. It was miserable. My heart was beating so fast that it was really difficult to get back to sleep. I kept thinking about how I didn't have my contacts in, where we should go and lie if it is bigger next time, what else we should put in our 'getaway' bag. Right now there is just a pair of Darin's old shoes and a fruit knife in the bag - I know...not much of an emergency bag. First thing I thought was that we need a raincoat. Then we should add some food, water, a flashlight, lighter, maybe our sleeping bags, extra woolen hats that I have knit but don't wear, a pair of shoes for me, extra undies and other clothes - damn, this bag is going to have to be a suitcase.
Count your blessings if you are reading this and don't live in an earthquake-prone area!!!
the jolts woke us up too! I'm so pathetic, Eric got out of bed to check on the boys and all I could think was "i hope it's over soon, I wanna go back to sleep." FYI, the great hanshin one jolted me awake all the way in n. kyoto, and it was WAY, WAY worse. but I was able to go back to sleep then too : ) such a slug
Posted by: rae | February 16, 2005 at 12:49 PM
Glad you're ok! Good luck on packing your emergency bag, that's important! Swiss army knife is also a great thing to put in there, you can do anything with one of those!
Posted by: Jenn | February 16, 2005 at 01:02 PM
Glad to hear you survived the quake! I'm not as afraid of a big earthquake as I am of a big earthquake on a cold, rainy night. Just this week I made an emergency bag with most of the things you mentioned, and I already feel a little less edgy about the whole thing. Just make sure that you can actually pick up the bag when you're done upgrading!
Posted by: molly! | February 16, 2005 at 05:17 PM
Yikes! I visited the earthquake center in Kobe and couldn't stop thinking about earthquakes afterwards. I'd go to bed at night suspiciously eyeing the air conditioner above my head. I'm glad it wasn't a big one. Get going on that getaway bag!
Posted by: Amy | February 16, 2005 at 11:23 PM
EEK! That is so scary.
I don't know what I'd do in an earthquake... I just haven't lived anywhere where happen frequently.
Posted by: frecklegirl | February 17, 2005 at 01:54 AM
ugh, i was wondering if you had all felt that in tokyo :( i'm glad to hear that you're safe! i have an emergency bag at work (they gave them to us all after 9/11) and would be happy to disclose the contents of it to you if you want to make your own. it's got lots of goodies in it!
Posted by: gleek | February 17, 2005 at 04:09 AM
Another few things you should add to the emergency bag-
old pair of glasses one perscription ago
disposable tiny rain ponchos and/or big trash bags.
plastic sheet like a paint drop cloth or garbage bags
duct tape
scissors
a crankwinder-powered emergency radio to listen to public announcements
extra batteries
cash to tide you through a few days
list of phone numbers for utilities, friends, etc.
itemized list of valuables for insurance
small first aid kit
-Anything else that would make you comfy while stuck for days on end in a school gym with hundreds of other people. Or anything you'd need to stay at home for a few days while transport gets fixed and there isn't a flashlight/electricity/hot water/gas for love or money (the tiny gas propane stoves for hot pots/camping work well to make a bit of hot water)
ziplock bags- always have these for packing and such anyhow. The big two gallon sizes work best.
pack of cards to play while you let the adrenaline wear off
expats might want to buy an overseas calling card in case the land-lines are up and need to call family from someone else's phone.
As an apartment dweller, your kit may be larger than a house-dweller because they can go back in and get stuff, usually, after the quake is over. Also, as some San Franciscians now know, if your location is prone to mudslides and fault lines, really do have a pack since the fire department might not let you go back in. Not even to save your Ming Vases while you watch your house slide down a hill. (Keep valuables in a safe deposit box, yes?)
Change out supplies when it comes to summer so you don't wind up taking winter clothes in superhot season.
You can do all this for cheap if you just use old stuff you have and buy things on sale/office-sales.
This advice comes from a San Francisco South Bay native who went unscathed through our "Big Quake". I'd also like to remind the office furniture shoppers out there who live in earthquake prone areas - don't buy a glass desk. More importantly, don't hide under a glass desk.
Posted by: freecia | February 17, 2005 at 08:01 AM
Kat! Yikes! Glad you came out alright, albeit shaken up! I've only been thru one fairly big earthquake when I was growing up in NH (my town was on a faultline). I was in the shower and fell over and thought for a moment that I slipped and that I was dizzy -- then I realized when I heard my Mother hollering "Are you OK in there?"...um...how'd she know that I fell?
I've got an emergency bag packed up too...but it's only been since 9/11 here in NYC.
Posted by: Kimberli | February 17, 2005 at 09:41 AM