Local launches business to prepare for Big One

| October 2, 2014 | 0 Comments
ROY FORBES research included talking with firefighters.

ROY FORBES research included talking with firefighters.

Brookside resident Roy Forbes experienced his first earthquake at age six while eating a pancake breakfast at Ky’s Place in Carson City, Nev., and he thought it was fun.

But today, Forbes knows that earthquakes are not fun––they are deadly and take serious preparation to survive. Scientists consistently warn us that there is a 99.7 percent chance that a 6.7 magnitude or higher earthquake will strike California within the next 30 years. In Southern California, the chance of a 6.7 earthquake or higher sits at 67 percent.

According to Forbes, if we know disaster is looming, why are we not prepared? And not just “sort-of” prepared… fully prepared?

As Forbes tossed this question around in his head over the years, he began to educate himself. He spoke with fire chiefs in San Francisco and local L.A. fire departments.

He attended disaster relief conferences and seminars. He completed the CERT (Community Emergency Response Training) program and currently serves as chairman of the Floodplain Management Steering Committee for the city.

What he discovered through his research was that the disaster preparedness kits he found online were woefully inadequate. Most kits only provide enough survival supplies for 72 hours. Forbes knew that people needed to be prepared for at least one week, minimum. Deciding to do something about it, he created Survivault™, a complete emergency supply resource website.

“People need a list of essential supplies for one week or more. By building my own kit and offering it online, I make it easy and convenient for people to be seriously prepared.” Common online kits include eight oz. of water per day per person. According to Forbes, that just won’t cut it.

“All of my preparedness classes have taught me that you will need one gallon of water per person per day for both drinking and hygiene… and you can’t survive without water for more than three days. So, if emergency personnel can’t reach you for more than three days, which is highly likely, your water will be long gone.”

Survivault’s complete kits include five different supply modules of preparedness for two or four people. For four people, the supplies include 30 gallons of water, a seven-day food supply (freeze-dried entrees and desserts, including beef rotini, minestrone soup, corn chowder, chocolate hazelnut Bavarian cream, and bananas foster––foods that Forbes has eaten on various camping trips).

The food module also includes a stove, fuel, pot, pan, plates, utensils, bpa-free sports bottles and cleaning supplies. For shelter, the kit includes tents, sleeping bags, flashlights, batteries and a radio. The first aid module includes items that were suggested by trauma physicians and first responders.

The final module focuses on sanitation and includes a collapsible toilet, single-use disposable bio-waste bags, pharmaceutical body wipes and more. The complete five-module kit for four people is priced at $849.99. Forbes knows that people can buy all of this stuff themselves, but he knows they won’t. Another problem he discovered was that once people buy an easy on-line kit or their own supplies, they forget about them.

What they don’t realize is that everything in that kit expires. Forbes’ company also offers a $125 in-home disaster safety audit, and free disaster preparedness safety presentations to the community. Visit www.survivault.com.

By Sondi Toll Sepenuk

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Category: People

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