A new study released yesterday by the RAND Corporation, UCLA and LA County says that just 1/3 of the residents of LA are prepared for a terrorist attack, and the most prepared are the African American and Latino populations. The study found that 37% of Latinos and 31% of African Americans had emergency supplies compared to 21% of whites and 19% of Asian Americans.

If you don’t have an emergency kit in your car and your house, please spend some time preparing one before a major disaster hits. It will be money well spent. Here are some things that would be good to have in your emergency kit:

• Food (I prefer MREs)
• Water
• Battery powered AM/FM Radio (Ham radio if you have one)
• Flashlight
• Sleeping bag / solar blankey
• Extra batteries
• Cash
• Any prescription drugs you need
• First Aid Kit
• A warm jacket
• Backpack to keep it all in
• Pistol & Extra Ammo (totally optional)

I am sure I have left some things out of that list, and obviously you don’t need a weapon in your emergency kit, but you never know.