Earthquake Preparedness – Where do I put my bed so I am safe?

A young lady in the front row of my presentation raised her hand.  She looked at me and asked – I don’t know what to do.  My bedroom has a lot of glass and there is nowhere to put my bed that doesn’t have glass. I can’t move – this is my bedroom and it needs a bed. What do I do?

I knew exactly what she was talking about as I had experienced the same dilemma many years ago. I remember moving into my Yaletown 500 square foot apartment on the 24th floor. The city sea view was gorgeous and I could hardly wait to move in.  

Finally, it was moving day.  The movers were bringing my bed into the apartment as I was trying to decide the best layout of my kitchen.  They placed the bed in the bedroom, I paid them and they were gone.  Their job was done – but mine was just about to begin.

I walked into my bedroom and my jaw dropped and heart sank.  Like the young lady in my audience, I had a major problem. My bed was underneath the window and there was nowhere else it could go. 

The only wall without windows had my closet and I needed access to that. I sat on my bed and thought if through.  Unfortunately, there were not many options in this situation. 

My mind was racing and I could see the headlines in the Province Newspaper.  Emergency Planner killed by broken glass. This was not turning into a good situation. Like the young lady I couldn’t move – I had just moved in.  

And then it hit me – I had come up with a brain wave. What if I bought a pair of heavy curtains and hung those up over the window. Would that work?

It was not the best idea but in this situation, it was the best idea. This would better protect me from breaking glass when the earthquake happened. It was not a perfect solution but it was significantly better than being injured by broken glass.  The perfect solution was to not have my bed under the window.    

As you start to prepare your homes, you are going to come across situations where you may not be able to get
it perfect – but keep in mind, there is always something you can do to make it safer for you, your family and pets. 

Keep taking action to ensure your home is prepared for whatever disaster comes your way. 

Jackie Kloosterboer has been leading the way in earthquake preparedness for 2 decades presenting more than 100 Earthquake Preparedness workshops each year to a variety of groups and businesses. She is often interviewed by media outlets across Canada as she promotes the importance of earthquake and disaster preparedness.

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