The Morning After…

West coast residents spent an anxious night as a tsunami warning was issued following a 7.9 earthquake in the Gulf of Alaska.  Some areas were evacuated, other areas were on alert and after several anxious hours the tsunami watch was lifted, and everyone was able to breath a sign of relief!

Some people had a plan and when the tsunami siren sounded, they were able to grab their evacuation kit and head to their designated evacuation point. If you were one of those, take a moment to give yourself a pat on the back!  If that was not you, now is the chance to make a few changes.

Access to info is essential.  And you want to make sure it is accurate information, not the rumour mill.  Check with your local municipality to see what they have for emergency preparedness. A lot of municipalities have alert systems in place, sending out messages via SMS or twitter. No matter if you live in an earthquake/tsuanami zone, you should know what your municipality has in place.  These alerts worked for many people last night and it was a great test of the system.

Once you know where to go for reliable information and the risks for your area, then it is time to create your plan.

We have a series of blog posts on this if you would like to read further.

Get Prepared, Part 1: Realize the Risk

Get Prepared, Part 2: Generate a Plan

Get Prepared, Part 3: Organize a Kit

Some additional information on tsunamis: