Tokyo disaster planning: with Pics!

Good Evening Y'all,

Since things have been busy in the day job, it's been tough to keep up with my once per fortnight target blog posting, so hope to make it up to both of my dedicated followers. Post-quake, while we didn't have any materially negative effects, we did identify a number of things that we could improve in our planning in the event we had to either (a) head for home quickly or (b) get out of the house with a minute's notice or so.
After thinking about it, and combining some camping gear with red cross backpacks, here is what we ended up with:

After thinking about it, and combining some camping gear with red cross backpacks, here is what we ended up with:

 

• A leatherman multi-tool that includes everything from a bottle opener (for those pesky, non-twist off bottles) to a sharp knife, the leatherman is light, compact and makes you feel like a boy scout even if you believe that the great outdoors should stay outside. This particular version comes with a penlight as well. In the same picture, there are also two hand-crank LED flashlights, and while the light bulb won't warm the hand like the old incandescent lights, they hold a charge for several hours after getting cranked. 
• This all-purpose radio (with slightly more limited Japan capability than I would like, but fine in AM bands) is also hand crank, and designed for outdoor use. For those of us who care more afraid of  dying of boredom after a life changing event, this handcrank radio provides (a) exercise (b) music, assuming that radio stations are cooperative and (c) a USB port that you can use as a cell phone charger for smartphones. Oh, and it has a headphone jack, so you can jam away without having all of the neighbors who evacuated with you demand your head.

• While not the height of fashion unless "grey" is in this year, the emergency ponchos are lightweight, and should keep you both warm and dry in the event of unplanned excitement. Add to that two survival blankets, and should provide some protection from nasty climate.
• A small first aid kit with some bandaids, two light sticks, K rats (well, ok, calorie bars) and a couple of masks round out the "grab and go" packs.

Not pictured: Lots of water that makes up about half of the packs, because it is absolutely, incredibly boring.

Missing items that I plan to add: Asthma inhaler, more complete first aid (especially non-aspirin cold medicine, decongestants. antihistamines and antibacterial cream). Spare pair of eyeglasses. Shoelaces and/or other rope (I like shoelaces because they are multi-purpose). Duct tape. Matches and/or lighter.

Missing items that I may add: PHS phone, since no one is on the network, it would be nice to be generally reachable. Spare shoes.

Items My (retired military) Dad Thinks Are Missing: Man portable missile weapons, predominantly utilizing gunpowder, both of the concealable and non-concealable variety. Ammunition for same. Camo ponchos and two-way radio. Helicopter. (OK, I"m making one of these up. I'll let y'all guess which one.) 

I'm curious, folks: What do y'allhave in your disaster kits? Anything obvious that I left out?

Buying a Security Blanket: More on the Embassy Announcement: I'm STILL NOT LEAVING

Good Evening Folks,

I'm a little bit too tired to do a good article on political game theory, but I will point out that politically, doing something is generally rewarded over "doing nothing", even when doing nothing would be better than doing something. But perhaps I digress. Here is the note:
http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/acs/tacs-travel20110317.html
[additional conference call transcript that I found after returning home tonight tha tis much, much more clear than the original announcement: http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/p/tp-20110317-09.html]

In an earlier post, I mentioned that you do whatever keeps your family emotionally in the clear and happy first and foremost. I also said we were definitely staying. After the numerous emails received from non-working embassy dependents saying "we are being forced to evacuate" (inaccurate, at least according to the posts above), and the rumor mill going around about large companies relocating operations to Kansai (for indefinite time periods) and/or having no employees come to the office, we were facing some uncertainty at home.

So we bought a security blanket. Three tickets for Kansai, where my in-laws live, which are for my wife, my daughter (who is three) and my wife's sister, on Saturday March 19th. So, I guess in the big picture, we're not that scared, but continue to be nervous. For the record, though  I'M NOT LEAVING. I am stressed, no question. Somewhat ironically, I have probably done more damage to myself dealing with stress(have a look at how poor my diet has been) that way than I'm likely to have from Fukushima...

Now, these tickets are refundable, but in the same way those people who didn't buy groceries because they knew that the bulk of the logistics system was sound got hosed for a few days (because everyone else bought out the stores), we were acting using our animal, rather than our rational brains. Mea culpa on that....but between the well meaning notes, the incessant "lack of new information news", along with the calls from the people at the airport today offering to take our three year old out with them, we figured that time at the grandparents might be soothing. A security blanket doesn't do anything but (a) potentially keep you warm and (b) sooth the nerves. That's what we're buying.

By the way, I'm still going to work tomorrow. We're still open for business. I wish I could do more, but that's where things are at now. If/when we cancel them tomorrow/Saturday, I'll be sure to post.

Advance notice: I am planning to go to Australia for 10 days at the first part of Golden Week, booked it in February, so please don't hold that against me. I love the Hunter Valley wines...hmm, I wonder if this also qualifies as high risk behavior?