Here’s food for thought. We’ve had fire drills for years and it looks like it’s time for disaster drills.

Are we going to put up sirens in every area for evacuation in the event of a natural or manmade disaster? One sound designating a tsunami and another for attack? Will it work without electricity?

Will we know where to go? Should we go? Can we plan a way to move all of us effective?

Are we going to help our local police and firemen by preparing in advance?

Will we instantly get as many people in our cars as possible, use all the busses, trains, trucks vans and recreational vehicles to get everybody out? If there were a tsunami warning, I wouldn’t want to be stuck on the 101 in a traffic jam.

What if each of us gathered a small supply of canned goods and water, with a date good for two years at least, and along with a blanket, box of tissues, diapers, paper masks and flashlights in a bucket and store it for one year in the closest place of worship and then donate the food and restock it each year. Then have signs in each area in four languages saying “emergency food and water this way.” This family food storage could also have a ham radio. If you were away, you’d utilize the one where you were at the moment. Maybe city buildings, airports and stores could be utilized, too.

This is where search parties might be formed to find people who are trapped. And where ham radio operators could relay info to say how that group is doing and if there is anyone that needs to be air-lifted to medical personnel.

Larger organizations could have central family food storage in each state, with helicopters and bundles of emergency supplies that could be dropped so that it’s quicker. Carol Gustafson Oxnard