Home & Garden Columns

Quake Tip of the Week

By Larry Guillot
Friday December 22, 2006

Why Are We So Complacent? 

 

It is a never-ending source of amazement and consternation to me to see how most people living in the Bay Area are so totally in denial about the Big One in our future. 

Not one of us would intentionally put our children, our grandchildren, our spouses, or ourselves in a dangerous situation that we knew would cause injury, or even death. Yet 85 percent of us don’t have our furniture/appliances secured, don’t have an emergency kit, don’t have an automatic gas shut-off valve, and almost that number of us live in homes that have been incompletely retrofitted, or not retrofitted at all.  

Why is this? I wish I knew the answer to the question. If I did, perhaps I could do a better job of raising people’s awareness. If you have any thoughts on the subject, please email me at larry@quakeprepare.com or give me a call. 

Here’s hoping that 2007 will be the year that the majority of folks in the Bay area wake up and do something to make themselves, their families, and their homes safer and more prepared. 

 

 

Larry Guillot is owner of QuakePrepare, an earthquake consulting, securing, and kit supply service. Call him at 558-3299, or visit www.quakeprepare.com.