This afternoon I was invited by Sinead to have lunch at their "house". There are 4 of them in the community - called the Koikonia of St. John the Baptist. All are consecrated laity and they do various work for the Custody of the Holyland. Sinead was the cook today - not bad I must say. There was the ubiquitous Irish potato of course, and a nice roasted chicken. There was also broccoli pasta. I enjoyed their company and learnt about their community. And the topic of conversation turned to the coming earthquake in Israel. They asked what preparations they ought to do.
So I'm putting up the advice for preparing for an earthquake by Jerusalem Post. Read them Sinead!
1. Locate a safe place in your home, far from exterior walls. If your home has a MAMAD, it is preferable than any other room.
2. Show all members of the household where the main electrical breakers and main water and gas valves are, and how to close them.
3. Familiarize yourself with the emergency exits, if there are any.
4. Establish a meeting point for family members in case the earthquake takes place when you are in different locations.
5. Any object which can move, fall or break, is a source of danger. Make sure you perform thorough home preparations.
6. Earthquakes damage infrastructure - roads are demolished, electrical and telephone cables tear and water pipes burst. Rescue and relief units will have difficulty accessing every area, and certainly every house. Preparing an emergency bag will allow you to survive for 24 to 72 hours, until help arrives.
7. Most casualties in an earthquake are caused by collapse of shelves and heavy objects or by fire and gas leaks. Therefore, it is advisable to take the trouble today and do the following home preparations:
8. Attach bookshelves, cupboards and television sets to walls.
9. Reinforce supports of water boilers, heater tanks, gas bottles, air conditioners and their compressor units.
10. Store hazardous and flammable materials under lock and key and far from heat sources; place heavy objects as low as possible.
11. Household emergency equipment: Prepare in advance some emergency gear and store it in an accessible place, such as the protected space. It should include: Food and water - a stock of drinking water (at least 4 liters per person) and preserved ready-to-use food (of the kind routinely stored in homes). Refresh the stock from time to time before it reaches expiry.
12. Essential equipment: A first aid kit, battery-operated light source and radio, essential medicines, spare eyeglasses, baby products.
13. Important documents: Hard or electronic copies of medical documents, identification papers, personal and financial documents, to be stored outside the house, as backup.
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