disasters

Last night, a 5.7-magnitude earthquake shook the area from San Diego to Los Angeles. The quake was likely an aftershock of Easter Sunday’s 7.2, according to seismologists at the California Institute of Technology. Aftershocks can, apparently, be felt months and even years after the original quake.

While there were luckily no reports of significant damage, the quake is a good reminder why we should be prepared. Check out our comprehensive guide to earthquake preparedness. It lets you and your family know everything you can do before and during a quake.

Life360 offers an Emergency Messenger just for the occasion. During natural disasters small or serious — whether it’s a minor quake like last night’s or a 7.2 — the Emergency Messenger lets your family communicate with one another, even if regular communication channels are down. It’s just one of those little things you can do to give yourself the peace of mind of knowing that you’ve done everything you can to prepare for the worst.

Here’s a short video about how it works:

Disaster Relief by the Numbers

The earthquake in Haiti may be one of the world’s most tragic disasters, but the rapid response and financial munificence across the globe has shown us the best of humanity. Still, looking closely at the numbers reveals some unexpected trends.

For example, while the United States has been the world’s most generous donor with over $466 million in aid, it only ranks eighth when broken down per capita. In reality, the Scandinavian countries, as well as Canada, have been the most generous in their giving. We’ve also gathered data on corporate giving, and to understand just how generous each company is, we’ve ranked them based on what percentage of their annual revenue they are donating — most of which are less than 0.002%. As for celebrities, Leonardo DiCaprio gave the most of his net worth, $1 million (or 2.3%), while Tiger Woods, probably looking to save some face, donated the most of any celebrity with $3 million.

Ways You Can Help

• Donate to the American Red Cross online or text HAITI to 90999 to make a $10 donation
• Give to UNICEF and Doctors Without Borders
• Check out this list of other non-governmental organizations to support

The donation stories for Haiti earthquake victims have been remarkable, this has to be the most remarkable. Seven-year-old Charlie Simpson raised over 100,000£, which is over $200,000. This is probably the most successful five-mile bike ride of all time.

The Big Picture has photos of the aftermath, six days since the earthquake in Haiti.

More selections after the jump.
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Yesterday at lunch, I was talking with my kids about the earthquake in Haiti.

“Mom, I think we should move out of California because it’s the state most likely to have an earthquake,” my nine-year-old son Jack declared.

“Well Jack, we could live in Kansas where they have tornados or New Orleans where they have hurricanes,” I replied.

He thought about that then asked, “Is there any way to prevent earthquakes?”

“Nope, but you can be prepared,” I said.
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One of the most unsettling things about earthquakes is that they can’t be reliably predicted. But if children and adults know what to do, they can make themselves safer. With earthquake preparedness on everyone’s mind after the tragedy in Haiti, we bring you our comprehensive guide on how to get your family ready for an earthquake, and what to do when one actually happens.
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