my wife and I had arrived in the Philippines one day after a typhoon had levelled parts of the county and we spent our entire two-week holiday rebuilding a friend's school with limited access to food and supplies. A few years later, we were in central Italy when there was flooding and hurricanes in the southern part of the country. Last year in Mexico, a large wave picked me up while I was swimming and dropped me on my shoulder, breaking my collarbone. While I wasn't seriously hurt during any of these instances, going through them did result in my wife and I becoming more aware that natural disasters and emergencies can happen when we least expect them.  We've learned the importance of paying closer attention our health and travel coverage, and recognize the importance of having good emergency plans and strategies in place. You don't need to travel to find mother nature I was reminded of these events again as our organization prepares for the Great British Columbia ShakeOut earthquake drill this Thursday, October 18th at 10:18 am. Since I work in Richmond now, you can bet that I will be "dropping, covering and holding on" and I encourage everyone else who is able to do so, to do so. Preparing for this practice run reminds me how important it is to have -- and be aware of -- a family Emergency Preparedness Plan . My wife has developed a plan for us and I remember her telling me