my family earthquake plan

When you live in Seattle, its pretty much vital that you have an earthquake plan. Especially when you have kids, its important to know what to do when there is a quake. In school, we learned to go under a table or in a doorway. Even if you don't have a family plan, Seattle schools educate you on earthquake safety from pretty much kindergarten on. We were told that if an earthquake strikes, you need to take cover. We knew that we needed to take cover under a steady table or a doorway, and that panicking was not the thing to do. We had frequent earthquake drills and we were really prepared for the worst of situations. I have actually been in situations where I had to take cover from a really strong earthquake. I was in pre- school and I was playing outside when a level 7 earthquake happened. I think we got over into an open are, and those who were still inside took cover under tables. Living in Seattle has taught me a lot about how to cope with quakes and I feel like if one were to strike, I would be ready.

My family planned to meet on the ground floor and get under the kitchen table. That way we knew where everyone was and could tell if the family was safe. Also, we had a safety kit. In it were bandages, cut-cleaning spray, lots of water, and everything you would need to survive a deadly earthquake. Here in Serbia we don't really have a strict plan we know. I live in an apartment block that's made of really sturdy cement. Although if the earthquake was strong enough I'm sure it could cause the building to sway. Our house has a lot of things that would cause it to be unsafe (glass windows and mirrors, shelves with plates and heavy items on it). If I were to change something, I would probably anchor the shelves to the walls. Its something that really makes me nervous. In my room, there are lots of windows and shelves that aren't anchored to the wall. If I were to hide somewhere, it would be in a doorway because nothing else in my room is sturdy enough. Also, when I took my checklist home, I think I had probably 18 of the 22 things checked off on the list. I think it's definitely time to go home and make sure everything is anchored to the walls. We don't really have an evacuation plan because we were told that during an earthquake we were suppose to stay put and take cover. Although In terms of taking cover, I guess we would make sure that on the predicted day were were inside somewhere safe and sturdy and knew of all the places we could take cover under. There are lots of doors and sturdy tables in my house that would be perfect to seek cover under.