When the house started shaking, it was early in the morning. I thought I was still dreaming until both my dogs were up in the bed, freaking out and looking to me for the answers.

“Honey, wake up. There’s an earthquake!” I yelled to my husband. Still, there was no answer. I wondered how this man could be in such a deep sleep that not even an earthquake can wake him up. I gave him a hefty shove. I wasn’t sure if he was scared of me or the earthquake.

“We have to go get the kids and get them into our room,” he shouted, getting into action to save the day. The kids came running in, and soon there were two adults, two kids, and two dogs all huddling in a closet.

The earthquake had been a big one! I could see our painting and furniture had been knocked down. When I went to open our front door, it was blocked.

“I just got off the phone with the neighbor. They said there is a lamp post that fell blocking our door and that the damage outside is bad,” said my husband, “The city is asking everyone to stay indoors until rescue teams can come out. It might be up to three days.”

“THREE DAYS,” I exclaimed. “I was supposed to go to the grocery store today. They can’t keep us in here for that long. We will go hungry!”

This earthquake was no joke. I thought about two hungry and miserable kids. Being at work all day sounded better than dealing with that. Then I thought about something that might be a solution.

My father was the ultimate survivalist prepper and was constantly worried about earthquakes where we lived. He would always call me and say, “You need to get your household in check, young lady. In case of an emergency, you need to get ready and get wise.”

I looked at my husband. “Remember that Christmas gift my dad gave you last year?” 

He laughed. “How could I forget. He made me fill my entire garage with that stuff, but I never really took it seriously because I never thought we would use it!” 

We ran to the garage, opened the door, and our eyes lit up like it was Christmas morning all over again. Stacked in the back of the garage were hundreds of 72-Hour Earthquake Kits. I had never been happier.

I quickly called my dad, “Dad, you are never going to believe this. We just experienced an earthquake. Everyone is okay, but we are stuck inside for three days. I don’t know what we would have done if you weren’t looking out for us.”

“I would never let my daughter or grandchildren be unprepared for an emergency. Those 72-Hour Earthquake Kits are life-saving. In fact, there was no earthquake here, but I am eating one of those meals now because they taste that good!”

After I hung up the phone, I counted my blessings. My family would be safe for the next three days and not go hungry thanks to my dad and thanks to ReadyWise. We would always stock up our garage with 72-Hour Earthquake Kits from now on and have peace of mind.