The Army Recruiter’s Wife’s Weblog

Yes, they have earthquakes in Southern California. I mean, I knew that there were earthquakes in California, but I don’t think I ever really thought about it before. Now we’re moving to where? The Los Angeles area, the epicenter of a 5.8 earthquake that had 30, yes 30, aftershocks!! Yikes! At least with a hurricane you can watch it coming on the weather channel and somewhat prepare or evacuate – but with earthquakes – one minute you’re stirring cream in your coffee and the next thing you know you’ve got that creamy foam top with ceiling sprinkles.

I am doing my best to be prepared though. I did research on changing my car insurance and what I needed to do to keep my Florida registration, but I didn’t think of checking on my renter’s insurance requirements – until today. I know hurricane insurance has changed since Katrina, and is still changing, so I keep up on it. Never thought of Earthquake insurance! I think I would be a little mad if when I went to bed with my house looking normal and waking up to find everything in a mess with broken stuff all over. Hopefully, we’ll live in an area we don’t have to worry about wild fires or landslides too much – I’m not a big fan of anything “smoked” nor do I want to see my house go down a hill on its own.

Here’s a tip for the wives new to recruiting duty (or new to military pcs moves in general) and are preparing to move to a totally different geographical area than what you are used to: When you find out the battalion you’re going to – check to see what types of natural disasters/severe weather they have in that region and prepare (being prepared = being informed, knowing what to expect – not making a hurricane kit in March). Call your insurance agent – make sure your renter’s insurance covers you and your stuff in that area under those natural disaster/severe weather circumstances. Then you can check to see if you can get additional coverage in case your neighbors car comes through your roof or you get a riverfront view in your living room.

Oh – if you do live in one of those areas that is prone to natural disasters/severe weather make sure you know your husband’s recruiting station/company/btn. policy on what to do - the two of you could get the day together to move like the earthquake hasn’t ended or you can spend time looking up on the internet “how to get smoke smells out of acu’s”.