Quick and Dirty Earthquake Kit

Because of last night’s quake here in Los Angeles a lot of friends today have been talking about earthquake kits and what they should have in them. We have plans for a much more involved post about a home survival kit, or “bug in bag” for a situation where you are trapped in your home for an extended period of time without power or water, but a simple earthquake kit is a good start for that. Obviously if you don’t live in earthquake country this isn’t as urgent, but for those of us who are it’s a good thing to keep in mind. That said, after the jump are the basics you should have.

1. Water and food to last at least three days for each person in the house. One gallon of water per person per day is a good baseline.
2. A backup way to purify water. You can buy tablets, or use household bleach (non-scented!) 6-8 drops per gallon of water will do the trick.
3. Gloves. If there is a quake and you need to move broken glass or debris these will save you from getting hurt.
4. A basic first-aid kit. Neosporin, bandaids and a few larger bandages are a good start. Keep in mind that if you don’t know how to use something it’s pointless to have in your kit. Also, super glue. Trust me on this, for cuts that might need stitches but need to get sealed up fast super glue is the best option you can have.
5. Cash. In the forums Fixer recommended $100 in $10’s and $20 in $1’s. I’d recommend $100 at the very least. If power is out for a few days and you can find a store that is open chances are cash will be king.
6. A flashlight. And a good one at that. Get something solid and bright. Pro tip: Take the batteries out before storing it.
7. A battery powered or wind-up radio. If the power goes out, this will be the only way you’ll know how long until it comes back on.
8. Extra batteries for the flashlight and radio. This is important, if the flashlight and radio both use AA grab a bunch of those, but skip the C and 9volts.
9. A dust mask for every person in the house. This will save you from breathing in a bunch of crap if there is a lot of damage in your area.
10. Baby wipes.

Again, we’ll have a more detailed post coming soon which will cover many more situations than simply no power or water for a few days because of an earthquake, but if you were wondering there it is. Most of that stuff can be picked up on the cheap locally no matter where you live, but if going out in public and buying things in person is too much to ask we have ‘em in our store as well.