Emergency Preparedness Week May 1-7: taking individual and community preparedness to the next level

There is a day or a week declared for every cause: some more useful than others. One which has proved useful is Severe Weather Preparedness Week. It's not as well known, but there is also an Emergency Preparedness Week - this year May 1-7 - which seems especially strong in Canada. I propose we should consider spending this week examining, as both individuals and communities, how we would respond to a widespread disaster which might knock out power, services and supplies for months (think Japanese earthquake or worse). This could be real fun and build self-sufficiency skills. One can even imagine communities working towards a "Disaster Ready" status (just like Storm Ready status) which might involve things like having community gardens, farms and wells which promote self-sufficiency for the community.