5.1 earthquake rocks Southern California: Here are 10 urgent preparedness tips for surviving a damaged city

Saturday, March 29, 2014 by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger Editor of NaturalNews.com (See all articles...) Tags: Los Angeles, earthquake, emergency preparedness tips

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(NaturalNews) A 5.1 magnitude earthquake rocked Southern California early this morning, shattering windows and damaging homes. The city of Fullerton suffered seven water main breaks, cutting off tap water to thousands of homes. Minor injuries were reported and there was considerable property damage, but fortunately no deaths were reported.

"At least 20 aftershocks had been recorded by late Friday" reported the LA Times(1) which went on to report:

U.S. Geological Survey seismologist Lucy Jones said the 5.1 quake has a 5% chance of being a foreshock of a larger temblor. "There could be even a larger earthquake in the next few hours or the next few days," Jones said during a media briefing at Caltech.

That's the really worrisome part: This 5.1 earthquake could foreshadow a much larger quake yet to come...

Consider how city infrastructure is damaged by severe earthquakes

If this quake is an early warning of worse things yet to come, consider all the essential services and infrastructure subject to damage by a larger earthquake:

• Water lines can be severed, cutting off water supplies

• Communications lines can be cut or disabled, including cell towers

• The power grid can be damaged or disabled, cutting off electricity to homes and businesses

• Police and law enforcement can be overwhelmed with emergencies, creating opportunities for criminals to run rampant and engage in widespread looting or burglary

• Ambulance and fire services can be stretched to their limit, causing an in ability to respond to emergencies in a timely manner

• Highways and roads can be destroyed or severed, cutting off people from their own homes

• Hospitals can be overloaded with injured victims while also losing electrical power (and needing to rely on backup generators)

• Gas stations very often run out of fuel supplies as local residents attempt to stock up on fuel

In other words, you could very well be on your own when it comes to food, water, emergency medicine and even self defense.

10 hugely important things you need to stock up on right now

This list applies not just to people in California, but people everywhere! Because you never know what kind of natural disaster or freak event can strike the area where you live. Even the federal government urges people to "have a plan" and prepare in advance with extra supplies.(2)

If you've already made some preparations, use this list as a confirmation checklist to make sure you've got everything you need:

1) Large quantities of drinkable water. Minimum 4 gallons per person per day.

2) Water filtration devices that don't require electricity. Your best bet in this situation is a gravity filter such as the Berkey or similar models.

3) Stored food that's ready to eat without needing to be cooked. (Or also store a camp stove and sufficient fuel to use it.) Make sure you have at least two weeks of stored food. A month's worth of food is even better. Don't forget to store freeze-dried fruits which supply nutrients typically missing from low-grade storable meals which are largely based on GMO soy (textured vegetable protein) and loaded with MSG (yeast extract).

4) Sanitizers and germicides. In a prolonged emergency, you will need soap and sanitizers. Povidone iodine is smart to have on hand, but you'll also want to augment that with medical-grade germicides (available on Amazon.com and elsewhere). This is especially valuable in an infectious disease outbreak -- a scenario that seems increasingly likely due to deadly superbugs running wild across U.S. hospitals (killing 205 Americans per day!).

5) Self defense items. Philosophies vary on this from region to region and city to city. In a country setting, a defensive firearm is absolutely essential. In a city environment, such items may not be legal to possess, so make sure you comply with local laws. At the very least, have some sort of system for self defense, even if it's nothing more than bear spray (pepper spray) to dissuade would-be burglars. Don't assume you can call 911 and get help, because in a real earthquake, the police are already busy dealing with other people's emergencies. Realistically, you are probably on your own, and you should plan accordingly. Nearly all effective self defense tools involve the use of kinetic action in one way or another.

6) Emergency medicine. Do you have a basic first aid kit? Does it contain silver-based topical antibiotics? Bandages? Antiseptics? Make sure you know how to handle cuts, scrapes, sprains and other minor injuries on your own. Local hospitals will have zero time available to deal with minor injuries, as they will be overwhelmed with life-and-death emergencies. Personally, I strongly recommend owning a supply of colloidal silver solution to use as a topical antibacterial liquid.

7) Emergency communications. Make sure you have a wind-up radio (hand-crank powered) that can tune in to local emergency broadcasts. You may also want to have backup chargers for your mobile phone and possibly even a small solar charger so you can recharge during the day.

8) Emergency light. As someone who lives in the country, I carry a flashlight with me 24/7. I've noticed that most people who live in cities never carry flashlights because they're used to city lights being on all the time. But when the power goes out, things can get very dark and very dicey in no time. Make sure you always carry a backup flashlight, even if it's just a tiny light on your keychain. Personally, I carry either a Fenix tactical light or the SureFire E2D LED Defender, both of which are phenomenal, rugged lights with long-term reliability and battery life.

9) Extra fuel for your vehicle. Although it's usually a bad idea to try to go mobile during an emergency, you should SAFELY store extra fuel just in case you need to relocate. This is where there's a huge advantage in owning a diesel vehicle because diesel fuel stores far longer than gasoline. Use fuel stabilizers to help extend that life. Make sure you follow local fire code and don't turn your garage into a massive fuel-air bomb by mistake.

10) Nutrition! During any crisis, the extreme stress causes your body to dump nutrients like crazy. You'll lose vitamins and minerals at an unusually high rate. To replenish them, you'll need a supply of food-based nutrients, superfoods and supplements. Remember: Good nutrition vastly improves your mental and physical adaptation to stress. In other words, the better your nutrition, the better you can handle stress without freaking out or becoming overwhelmed with emotion. So make sure you've invested in the right foods, superfoods, etc., to handle an emergency situation. We offer a full assortment of such items at the Natural News Store, by the way.

Stay safe! Spread the word and encourage others to prepare. Remember, the more everybody prepares in advance, the easier time everyone will have handling an emergency.

Sources for this story:

(1) http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-...

(2) http://www.ready.gov