Do you live in a region that has risks for an earthquake and/or tsunami? The recent events in Japan, New Zealand, Chile and Haiti have brought to light some catastrophic consequences for these terrible disasters.

The Japanese people are currently experiencing tremendous loss of life and destruction of property, and are in danger of a nuclear disaster. The news coverage of the tsunami rushing through the coastline of Japan, destroying everything in the path of the wave, is overwhelming. Right now, they are in danger of a core meltdown at one of the power plants.

My brother, Jeff and his girlfriend Diane were able to travel to Haiti one year ago after the earthquake. They volunteered with a project through his church, associated with Mission of Hope, and located about 10 miles northwest of Port-au-Prince. After arriving in Haiti, they were in shock at the situation. "The first thing we saw when we landed was the extreme need for food," Jeff said. He told of long lines where people waited for hours for a meal. "People had set up tent cities, and there were thousands of blue tarps," he said. "The earthquake damage was massive; there was rubble as far as you could see."

Mission of Hope has a school, a church, a medical clinic and an orphanage all established back in 1998. Jeff was impressed with the operation. "It is expanding its orphanage from 60 to 240 children. This year they will teach 2,600 young people in their school. It has a clinic open five days a week that treats about 60 patients a day."

FEMA has a great website for earthquake information. They list: What to Do Before an Earthquake, What to Do During an Earthquake and What to Do After and Earthquake. Part of emergency preparedness for a disaster is a proper plan, and to have emergency and disaster supplies on hand. There are survival kits and storage food available to buy, but here are a few things from the list.

• Flashlight and extra batteries

• Portable battery-operated radio and extra batteries

• First aid kit and manual

• Emergency food and water

• Nonelectric can opener

• Essential medicines

• Cash and credit cards

• Sturdy shoes

As with any disaster, advanced planning and preparation make the ability to survive much more likely. It also makes you better able to help others in distress. Often, there is no way to gather items from a checklist once an emergency has started. People are already in panic mode, and stores are stripped bare quickly. Survivalist gear in the home, office, school and grab and go can make you more likely to be safe and relatively comfortable.

Our hearts go out to the families of the earthquake/tsunami victims in all the locations mentioned. Disaster recovery is a long process, and we can learn from this in many ways.