Emergency Preparedness-lesson by Derek Boam

On May 23rd the Relief Society and Elders & High Priest quorum met together. Derek gave a very informative power point presentation. I thought I would hit on some of his key points.

There is a 1 in 7 chance in the next 50 years that we will experience a 7.0 or greater earthquake

• designate a relative outside of your area as a contact person
• as you plan and prepare for emergencies, plan on no outside help

plan on

DOING IT YOURSELF

• keep in mind it will take time for emergency experts to get to you--what will you do while you are waiting for help? How will you help yourself and your family?
• If you leave your house in an emergency situation, leave a note at the house stating your condition and where you are going
• Develop multiple plans-A plan for different times of the day, do you know your child's school's plan of action if a disaster struck during school hours? What will your children do if you are not home and an emergency arises?
• Do you know when you should turn off the main gas line? If you smell gas or suspect a leak. Keep in mind that when you shut off the gas line there may not be anyone to turn it back on for some time

Some of the comments made during the presentation:

Brother Ryser (having lived in Lousiana during hurricane Katrina) mentioned the importance of backing up your photos, perhaps with an online company. Photos cannot be replaced

Brother Neyman (lived in Oakland and the time of the 1989 Bay Area earthquake) reminded us of the spiritual strength that can come through obedience to a temporal commandment. We may be prepared physically for a disaster, but for various reasons we may in our time of need be unable to access our emergency effects. The Lord will see us through if we are obedient.

Brother Bangeter works in downtown Salt Lake and reminded us to have an emergency kit in our car-accessible when we may need it most.