That advice comes from Joe Dougherty with the Be Ready Utah program.  He says that when people set aside emergency stores it is important to have a way to access these food supplies.  Hence the can opener.

Dougherty recommends having a two-week supply of food and water for each person and pet in a household since there are numerous events such as storms and power outages that can disrupt our lives.

But the big one to think about is the earthquake.  There is a fault line along the Wasatch Front extending from Idaho to Sanpete County.  It has the potential to unleash a 7.0 magnitude earthquake.  This could result in several thousand deaths from collapsing homes, along with gas line fires, water main breaks and electrical grid failure. Since much of the Salt Lake urban area sits on an ancient lake bed, a large earthquake could disrupt the soil structure causing large scale devastation.

Although we cannot control the whims of nature, there is a lot that area residents are doing to lessen the effects of natural catastrophes.  Dougherty says that since 2012 nearly seven million poeple have participated in the Great Utah Shakeout to practice preparedness.  The next one is scheduled for April 16, 2020 and thousands have already signed up.

Dougherty says this foresight points out the choice for people to make.  “For those who survive a disaster, do you want to be a person who can help or one who needs to depend on help?”  To learn more about disaster preparedness listen to Joe Dougherty on the Utah Stories podcast.

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