Let's be shaken to our senses
I t shouldn't take the shifting of the Earth's tectonic plates to get us thinking about emergency preparedness. Still, Thursday's jolting latenight quake centered just outside of Ventura County is as good a reason as any to start planning for the next major Los Angeles-area disaster.

It's been 13 years since the Northridge earthquake shook the Southland to its core, and in that time, the state's welcomed millions of new residents who don't have the memory of that terrible event to remind them of how everything we take for granted- water, power, food, transportation, phones- can be gone in an instant.

Start by asking yourself this vital question: How long would my household be able to sustain itself if cut off from the outside world?

We need look no further than the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to show what can happen when a whole city is hit unprepared and left looking to the federal government for help.

It's important to keep in mind that if the "Big One" were to actually hit, our local police and firefighters would be excellent first responders, but might be left in the same bind as the rest of us.

The message being- we must be able to help ourselves- and the ability to do so completely depends on what we do before the day of reckoning.

The first and most important step is preparing a disaster supplies kit for your home and car. The Ventura County Fire Department recommends you include such items as a first aid kit and essential medications, canned food and can opener, at least three gallons of water per person, protective clothing, sleeping bags, battery-powered radio, flashlight and extra batteries.

All too often, emergency preparedness is something everyone plans to do, but never quite gets around to actually doing.

Take some time this weekend to start putting together an emergency kit. Even if that means simply talking with your family or friends about what to do and where to meet if disaster strikes.

For more information about what it takes to get prepared, visit the American Red Cross on the Web at www.redcross.org or the Ventura County Fire Department at http:// fire.countyofventura.org.