Getting Prepared for a Local Natural Disaster

On March 11, a  pummeled the northeast coast of Honshu, Japan's largest and most populated island. Entire communities were swept away by the natural disaster.

This disaster has many local families thinking about how they can get prepared. A local business could be the first stop.

 in Dublin sells safety kits and survival supplies to individuals and businesses. 

Owner Brian Klosterman said he started the business after he noticed a lack of easily available emergency supplies when he decided to become emergency ready during the Y2K scare.

"I was running a tech company and Y2K was coming and everyone is worrying about the world ending," he said. "I thought about it like everyone else and I also knew I had a home in earthquake country so I decided to prepare. It took me two months to get prepared, though, and I thought that was ridiculous. Suddenly, I said to myself, 'Why can't you go to one place and get it all done?' "

Klosterman's Dublin business opened six years later, in April 2006. It was the 100-year anniversary of the 1906 quake, a move he planned for marketing purposes and because an earthquake is the most likely major natural disaster in the fault-fractured Bay Area.

"The fault most likely to rupture is the Hayward fault," said Klosterman. "The last time it ruptured was in 1868. It ruptures on average every 240 years, so October 2008 was the due date. If we have a 6.7 magnitude earthquake or greater, which is forecasted, it will be very, very serious."

Klosterman said statistics indicate that the predicted 6.7 to 7.0 earthquake would take out 1,734 roads, not to mention clean water sources, electricity and access to medical care.

Other dangers include fires, aftershocks and chemical spills. But the biggest problem, he said, is dealing with all of that on your own.

"You'll be stranded for a number of days, said Klosterman. "The point is we need to be prepared as Bay Area residents in all areas: work, home, in your car and at school."

Klosterman suggests getting your emergency supplies kit first. You can find these kits at his store or online atwww.yoursafetyplace.com.

He recommended having at least a standard four-person kit for families, which includes water and food that is Coast Guard approved to be fresh for five years no matter how it is stored, as well as a radio/flashlight, waterproof matches, first-aid kit, and other items.

He said if you have only one kit, store it in your car, the most likely place for you to be when a disaster strikes. 

But a disaster kit is only the first step. FEMA and Klosterman recommend having an emergency plan that includes a place for families to meet and steps to take, such as taking shelter and shutting off gas supplies.

And experts say there should be a plan for work, home and school.

A 2009 FEMA survey found that 57 percent of households had disaster supplies at home, but the agency said it is far from its goal of at least 80 percent of U.S. homes being prepared for a large emergency.

Klosterman said he would like everyone in the Bay Area to be prepared.

"Break the procrastination cycle - use this month as the excuse to do it," he said. "Take the steps to get prepared. It's quick, it's cheap. Just get it done."

Erika Conner contributed to this report.