What I response I received!  I am so happy to see so many people interested in this packet.  Please us it, reuse it, and wear it out!  Whatever parts you can!  I just hope you’ll find it useful.  I know I had fun researching!  Some asked to post this on a website, or hand it out to other people – feel free to do what you’d like.  I really will just be happy to know that people are using it!  And if you become famous someday because this packet started you off on something, let me know!  I love to hear success stories.  Enjoy everyone, and get prepared!  And if by any chance this gets you started on another FHE packet on preparedness, I’d love a copy 🙂

Have fun everyone,

Sarah Dye
THANKS SARAH FOR THIS GREAT LESSON

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Earthquake Preparedness and 72 hour kits Family Home Evening

by Sarah Dye (any questions, contact dyesor@outdoorbabytog.com” data-mce-href=”mailto:dyesor@outdoorbabytog.com“>dyesor@outdoorbabytog.com

Preparation for FHE:

Obtain materials for Activity #2

Read information in packet and decide what information you would like to cover and is pertinent to you and your family. If you have small kids, keep it simple. For older kids, give them all the information they can handle. And for adults, learn what you can so you can help others who will be in need of your assistance.

Welcome:

Opening Song: Hymn # 140 Did You Think to Pray?

Opening Prayer:

Scripture: D&C 38:30

Activity #1:

Earthquake drill: (please read Earthquake Preparation before doing this drill, to help guide your actions)

Turn all the lights off, and pretend there is an earthquake. Where are you going to go? What are you going to do? Get under a table or under a doorway, and wait with your family for 2 minutes until the imaginary earthquake subsides. Make sure to talk to your family members throughout the earthquake to make sure they are alright.

With the lights still off, pretend the earthquake has cut off electricity. What are you going to do now? Ask the children what they would do if the parents were not home. Find emergency flashlights or candles. Continue with your evacuation plan as far as you would like to go, and then turn on the lights to continue with Activity #2. With older children, pretend that you could smell gas – how do you turn off the gas? What if pipes burst – how would you turn off the water? And how do you turn off the power before evacuating the house?

Activity #2: (Adapted from Earthquakes by Janice VanCleave)

Materials Needed:

  • 2 wooden blocks, each approximately 2X4X6
  • 1 sheet of sandpaper, the courser the better, 50 or lower
  • 2 pieces of duct tape.

Procedure:

Wrap each wooden block with half of the sheet of sandpaper, and secure with duct tape.

Hold one block in each hand. The blocks should be held straight up and down.

Push the blocks together tightly.

While continuing to push the blocks together, try to slide the blocks in different directions.

Results: The sandpaper-covered blocks temporarily lock together and then move with a jolt.

Why?: The lithosphere is broken into major sections referred to as tectonic plates. Where the edges of two plates push against each other, the crack between the plates is called a fault. Friction (the resistance to motion) causes the plates to be temporarily locked together. Faults that are temporarily locked together are called lock faults. The two blocks of wood represent two tectonic plates pushing against each other. They temporarily lock together, but as the actual tectonic plates, the friction between the blocks eventually fails, causing a sudden jolt. The bond holding a locked fault in place is under tremendous stress, but may last for years before suddenly slipping, resulting in an earthquake. We need to be prepared for when this may happen.

Lesson:

Evaluate how your earthquake drill went. What could you do to improve?

Go over the guidelines and discuss with your family, the Earthquake Preparation page

Come up with an evacuation plan that will put you in your worse case scenario. And make sure everyone knows it!

Check your 72 hour kit, and make any ideas for improvement that could be done so if you needed to run out, it would be ready to grab and go. Check ideas and items on 72 hour kit page. Make a plan for improvements over the next 6 months, for when you should hold a drill again.

D&C 38:30 tells us that if we are prepared, we shall not fear. Let’s take this counsel, and prepare ourselves, our families, and our homes, so when an emergency comes, we will not fear, but will be prepared and able to help others.

Closing Song: Hymn #241 Count Your Blessings

Closing Prayer:

Refreshment Idea:

Eat something from your 72 hour kit. Make sure to replenish it J

Please see additional information on Emergency Preparedness at the LDS website, www.lds.org and click on provident living. Information is abundant, so check it out!

72 Hour Emergency Kit (adapted from Rachel Woods)

  • Food and Water
    (A three day supply of food and water, per person, when no refrigeration or cooking is available)
  • Protein/Granola Bars
  • Trail Mix/Dried Fruit
  • Crackers/Cereals (for munching)
  • Canned Tuna, Beans, Turkey, Beef, Vienna Sausages, etc (“pop-top” cans that open without a can-opener are ideal)
  • Canned Juice
  • Candy/Gum
  • Water (1 Gallon/4 Liters Per Person)
  • Bedding and Clothing
  • Change of Clothing (short and long sleeved shirts, pants, jackets, socks, etc.)
  • Undergarments
  • Rain Coat/Poncho
  • Blankets and Emergency Heat Blanks (that keep in warmth)
  • Cloth Sheet
  • Plastic Sheet
  • Fuel and Light
  • Battery Lighting (Flashlights, Lamps, etc.) Don’t forget batteries! (Keep separate)
  • Extra Batteries
  • Flares
  • Candles
  • Lighter
  • Water-Proof Matches
  • Equipment
  • Can Opener
  • Dishes/Utensils
  • Shovel
  • Radio (with batteries!)
  • Pen and Paper
  • Axe
  • Pocket Knife
  • Rope
  • Duct Tape
  • Personal Supplies and Medication
  • First Aid Supplies
  • Toiletries (roll of toilet paper- remove the center tube to easily flatten into a zip-lock bag, feminine hygiene, folding brush, etc.)
  • Cleaning Supplies (mini hand sanitizer, soap, shampoo, dish soap, hand towel, etc.)
  • Immunizations Up-to Date
  • Medication (Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen, children’s medication etc.)
  • Prescription Medication (for 3 days)
  • Personal Documents and Money
    (Place these items in a water-proof container!)
  • Small notebook filled with emergency numbers, neighbor/family addresses and phone numbers, emergency evacuation information, etc. Under stress you may forget!
  • Scriptures
  • Genealogy Records
  • Patriarchal Blessing
  • Legal Documents (Birth/Marriage Certificates, Wills, Passports, Contracts, etc)
  • Vaccination Papers
  • Insurance Policies
  • Cash
  • Credit Card
  • Pre-Paid Phone Cards
  • Miscellaneous
  • Bag(s) to put 72 Hour Kit items in (such as duffel bags or back packs, which work great) Make sure you can lift/carry it!
  • Infant Needs (if applicable)

Notes:

Update your 72 Hour Kit every six months (put a note in your calendar/planner) to make sure that: all food, water, and medication is fresh and has not expired; clothing fits; personal documents and credit cards are up to date; and batteries are charged.

Small toys/games are important too as they will provide some comfort and entertainment during a stressful time.

Older children can be responsible for their own pack of items/clothes too.

You can include any other items in your 72 Hour Kit that you feel are necessary for your family’s survival.

Earthquake Preparation
31106, Family Home Evening Resource Book, Family Activities, Earthquake Preparation, 336

As a family, discuss the following guidelines for protecting yourself in an earthquake. You may want to role-play some of the steps.

1.  Try to stay cool and calm. Think through what you should do. Try to reassure others.

2.  If you are indoors, stay there. Protect yourself in one of the following ways and wait out the earthquake:

•     Take cover under a heavy desk, bed, or table. This will protect you from falling debris.

•     Move into a strong doorway, or sit or stand against an inside wall. If you are large enough, brace yourself in a doorway. A door frame or the structural frame of a building are the building’s strongest points.

•     Stay away from glass, as the earthquake may shatter it.

•     Move away from bookcases, ceiling fixtures, or china cupboards.

•     Try to keep your children with you.

3.  If you are in a tall building, get under a desk. Do not dash for exits, since stairways may be broken and jammed with other people. Power for elevators may fail.

4.  If you are in a crowded store, do not rush for a doorway since hundreds may have the same idea. If you must leave the building, choose your exit as carefully as possible.

5.  If you are outdoors, get away from buildings, tall objects, and electric wires. Falling debris can injure or kill you.

6.  If you are in a moving car, stop in an open area if possible. Don’t stop on a high overpass or bridge, or where buildings can topple down on you. Stay inside the car until the shocks stop, even if the car shakes a great deal. A car is a fairly safe place to be.

7.  Be prepared for additional earthquake shocks, called “aftershocks.” Although most of these are smaller than the main shock, some may be large enough to cause more damage.

When the earthquake stops—

1.  Check your water line, gas line, and electrical lines. If there is a gas line into your home or building, turn off burners and pilot lights. Do not light candles, matches, or lighters until you determine there is no leak. Gas leaks can cause explosions. Report damage to the appropriate utility companies and follow their instructions. If there is a leak, stay out of the house.

Do not flush toilets until you know that sewer lines are unbroken.

Electric lines can cause fire. Shut off all electrical power if there is damage to your house wiring. Do not operate electrical switches or appliances if you suspect a gas leak. They can create sparks which can ignite gas from broken lines.

2.  Check your household for injured members.

3.  Check your neighborhood for injured people who need help.

4.  Immediately clean up spilled medicines, drugs, and other potentially harmful materials.

5.  Turn on your radio (battery-operated or car). Listen for damage reports and instructions.

6.  Don’t tie up the telephone unless there is a real emergency to report. The lines will be urgently needed.

7.  Don’t go outside to see the damage. The area will be cluttered enough and you may hamper rescue. Keep the streets clear for passage of emergency vehicles.

8.  Do not touch downed power lines or objects touched by the downed wires.

9.  Stay away from damaged buildings. Aftershocks can collapse them.

10.  Stay away from beaches and waterfront areas. Not all quakes cause tidal waves, but many do. If you are near the ocean or tidal inlet following an earthquake, be alert for tidal waves. Move inland.

11.  If water is off, you can get emergency water from water heaters, toilet tanks, melted ice cubes, and canned vegetables.

12.  Do not eat or drink anything from open containers near shattered glass. Strain liquids through a clean handkerchief or cloth if you think broken glass may be in them.

13.  Respond to requests for help from police, fire fighters, civil defense and relief organizations. But do not go into damaged areas unless your help has been requested. Cooperate fully with public safety officials.

Helping Children Cope with Emergencies
Arlene Anderson Butler, “Helping Children Cope with Emergencies,” Ensign, June 1998, 74
When we lived in Utah, our family dealt with such conditions as blizzards, high winds, a flood, and a mud slide. After living in California several years, we or our neighboring communities experienced flooding, fires, and earthquakes. From these emergencies I learned some important lessons that may help other families cope with a disaster.

1. Accept your own and your family’s limitations. Disasters tend to create a lot of anxiety and push people to the limit of their endurance. To help everyone cope better, reassure and comfort victims often—especially children. Eat regularly if possible, and rest when needed. Accept help that is offered, both emotional and physical.

2. Children can be easily overwhelmed by a disaster and may experience difficulty in coping. Common behaviors noted in children who experience a severe earthquake include fear, anger, sleeplessness, nightmares, loss of appetite, fatigue, irritability, and impaired concentration. When our family suffered through an earthquake, we were surprised to find that even our older children experienced separation anxiety and childlike dependence and were initially too shocked, dazed, and fearful to help out, which was frustrating to my husband and me. Such signs of stress should not be met with demands, overconcern, or punishment. Calm, positive reassurance is more effective.

3. Limit the amount of news coverage you watch or hear. We found that having constant news coverage, unless strictly necessary, increased our anxiety and heightened our fear. With the news turned off, our family calmed down, began to talk about what had happened, and started working together.

4. People often need to talk about upsetting or dangerous experiences. You can help by being a reassuring, understanding listener. Children will sometimes talk about the disaster for months afterwards. However, after a reasonable length of time, it can be beneficial to divert children’s attention to another subject so they don’t fixate on the disaster.

5. As soon as children are able to help, include them in recovery activities. Doing something positive will help them feel good and get their mind off their fear. Resume normal activities as soon as reasonably possible. This helps children feel that life will return to normal.

6. Keep the family together as much as possible. Children may be afraid to be separated because they fear the event will recur, a loved one will be seriously hurt, and that they will be left alone.

7. Watch your own reactions to the emergency. Your response communicates to children the seriousness of the problem. If parents become distraught, children are likely to become even more frightened. Children take comfort when adults appear to be in control and know what to do. If anyone becomes hysterical, take that person somewhere private until he or she calms down, because hysteria can cause a chain reaction and unnerve others barely hanging on.

8. Remember to spiritually nourish your family with prayer, priesthood blessings, and scripture reading. Often exercising faith through these means can bring a spirit of peace and hope into otherwise trying circumstances.—Arlene Anderson Butler, Ogden, Utah

Menus – Examples by Dorothy Heydt of University of California, Berkeley
Breakfast-Day 1 Breakfast-Day 2 Breakfast-Day 3

Cereal Instant Oatmeal Granola Bar

Powdered Milk Fruit Roll Granola Bar

Fruit Cup Box of Apple Juice Box of Grapefruit Juice

Box of OJ Hot Cocoa/Ice Tea Hot Cocoa/Ice Tea

Lunch-Day 1 Lunch-Day 2 Lunch-Day 3

Cup of Soup Beef Jerky Box of OJ

Saltine Crackers Peanuts Cheese & Crackers

Box of Apple Juice Applesauce Cup Fruit Cup

Pudding Cup Box of Grape Juice Granola Bar

Dinner-Day 1 Dinner-Day 2 Dinner-Day 3

Corned Beef Hash Chili with Beans Beef Stew

Applesauce Cup Saltine Crackers Bread Sticks

Box of Grape Juice Box of OJ Box of OJ

Granola Bar Tapioca Pudding Cup Fruit Cup

Items for kids:

Though you may not have kids, you may still be surrounded by many kids in an emergency, so here are some ways to help.

In child’s kit, include the following items: books, coloring books, colored pencils, stickers, string, clothespins, feather, straws, wooden blocks, marbles, metal washers. Here is a list of games you can play:
CREATIVE GAME LIST by Dorothy Heydt of University of California, Berkeley

This is a list of games that children can play out of everyday items.
Clothespins –

1. Drop in a bottle

2. Pitch at a target

3. Clothesline relay

Wooden Blocks –

1. Print letters on cubes. Roll cubes to spell words. First one to complete 10 words wins.

Marbles –

1. Roll them at a target

2. Toss them in a box

3. Old Fashioned Marble Game

Metal Washers –

1. Toss them into numbered cups.

Paper Cups –

1. Tossing Games

2. Blowing Relay

3. Telephone

Paper Plates –

1. Toss through a wire coat hanger

Straws –

1. Marble Blow Relay

2. Bean Relay

Spoons –

1. Carry Ball

2. Flip Beans at target

3. Carry Cotton Balls

Feathers –

1. Feather Volleyball: blow feather over string or net

2. Toss them at a target

3. Blow them over the line relay

According to the now generally accepted “plate-tectonics” theory, scientists believe that the Earth’s surface is broken into a number of shifting slabs or plates, which average about 50 miles in thickness. These plates move relative to one another above a hotter, deeper, more mobile zone at average rates as great as a few inches per year. Most of the world’s active volcanoes are located along or near the boundaries between shifting plates and are called “plate-boundary” volcanoes. However, some active volcanoes are not associated with plate boundaries, and many of these so-called “intra-plate” volcanoes form roughly linear chains in the interior of some oceanic plates. The Hawaiian Islands provide perhaps the best example of an “intra-plate” volcanic chain, developed by the northwest-moving Pacific plate passing over an inferred “hot spot” that initiates the magma-generation and volcano formation process. The peripheral areas of the Pacific Ocean Basin, containing the boundaries of several plates, are dotted by many active volcanoes that form the so-called “Ring of Fire.” The “Ring” provides excellent examples of “plate boundary” volcanoes, including Mount St. Helens.

The accompanying figure shows the boundaries of lithosphere plates that are presently active. The double lines indicate zones of spreading from which plates are moving apart. The lines with barbs show zones of underthrusting (subduction), where one plate is sliding beneath another. The barbs on the lines indicate the overriding plate. The single line defines a strike-slip fault along which plates are sliding horizontally past one another. The stippled areas indicate a part of a continent, exclusive of that along a plate boundary, which is undergoing active extensional, compressional, or strike-slip faulting.

Information obtained from pubs.usgs.gov/ gip/volc/fig37.html