question of the weekend: Are you prepared for a disaster?

The terrible earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand, this week serves as a horrific reminder that disaster can strike anytime. The New York City Office of Emergency Management has been running an ad campaign in the city for a good long while now, imploring residents to prepare for the unexpected, such as by arranging meeting places with friends and family, packing a ready bag with clothes, medications, important documents, and so on. (I haven’t noticed anything similiar in London yet.) And if you’re anywhere in the United States, you may have seen this ad on TV, from FEMA: