We all know that The Big One’s coming. You don’t need to remind the folks in Tahoe or Oklahoma that preparing for fire or flood is important. Closer to home we’ve had fires at the Stanford Dish and on University Ave. On top of that, we now have to worry about pandemic flu and terrorist attacks.

So, at Palo Alto’s Chili Cook-Off, I helped out with the emergency preparedness booth. I’ve got an earthquake kit, spare water, and first aid bags in the house and cars, but I figured I could always learn more about being better prepared. Mountain View’s disaster preparedness group also had a booth there.

There are all sorts of new products out there. Even some of the basic — stuff that you’d find at any REI – seem to improve annually. I ordered some PowerFlare Safety Lights to replace my dangerous and toxic incendiary flares.

I was impressed with some of the survival kits. In case of emergency, grab the bag and go. You’ve got three days of supplies, which is about how long it will take for the government to get around to help us out. (We were giving out yo-yo’s at the booth: YO-YO stands for “You’re On Your Own” in a disaster.)

Ready to start? Keep it simple and just order a survival kit. Or take a broader view by looking over the checklist from SOS Survival Products and decide what you’re willing to start with. We’ve been adding to our kits since Y2K.

The Red Cross Store carries the basics. Many emergency preparedness websites have lists or categories as a way to navigate through the products. Look for first aid or survival kits, food and water, shelter and sanitation, lights and radios, and tools. Some of the sites I’ve found helpful are Quake Pro, Major Surplus & Survival, Emergency Preparedness Service, and Life Gear.

Need to safeguard your furry friends? United Animal Nations specializes in emergency supplies for animals, although I easily found kits on iPrepare.com and Quake Kare as well. Who knew there was such a thing?

Maybe you’re like me and like to handle the products first. Start with a local retailer like Redwood Trading Post in Redwood City or Somewhere Out West in Mountain View.

As Quake Pro says, “Preparedness doesn’t cost, it pays!”

In the era of $3.50/gallon gas, energy efficiency suddenly becomes a big issue, especially for the 2700 Palo Altans who live in an Eichler. Palo Alto Weekly recently had a great article on improving energy efficiency in Eichler homes.

I think this article may be even more valuable for Eichler homeowners outside of Palo Alto, since PG&E rates are greater than those of Palo Alto’s municipal utility. There are Eichlers up and down the Peninsula from San Francisco to Santa Jose, including 20 in tony Atherton.

Is there an Eichler tract in your city? (Say “yes” if you’re in San Francisco, Burlingame, San Mateo, Foster City, Menlo Park, Los Altos, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Cupertino, Saratoga, or San Jose. Wow!). By the way, Mike Ahern has mapped out many Eichler tracts in Santa Clara County. It inspired me to tour some of the Eichler neighborhoods I didn’t know about.

Palo Alto is definitely Eichler central, with 2,700 of the 11,000 built. We even have two neighborhoods (Green Meadow and Green Gables) in the National Register of Historic Places specifically because Joe Eichler built his modern suburban tracts here.

Do you have any interest in history or architecture? Check out PA Eichler tracts in other neighborhoods: Adobe Meadow/Meadow Park , Charleston Meadows, Community Center, Fairmeadow, Midtown, Palo Verde, South of Midtown, and Triple El.