Why are earthquakes different?
Every other disaster gives you something. A forecast, a season, a warning on the radio.
An earthquake gives you seconds. ShakeAlert now provides early warning across California, Oregon, and Washington, but seconds to tens of seconds is time to drop and cover, not time to pack.
So the kit has to already be done before the day it matters.
What should an earthquake kit include?
Beyond the food, water, and first aid common to any kit, earthquakes call for four specific things:
- Heavy work gloves for handling debris.
- Safety goggles for dust.
- A hard hat for moving through a damaged structure.
- A whistle, if you become trapped.
That's what separates an earthquake kit from a general emergency bag.
What happens after the shaking stops?
Secondary disasters are the most underplanned part of earthquake preparedness.
Fires from ruptured gas lines. Flooding from broken water mains. Roads too damaged for emergency vehicles to reach you.
The ShakeGuard includes our Emergency Preparedness Guidebook for this reason. Knowing what to do during aftershocks, how to check your home for structural damage, and how to reach family when cell networks are overwhelmed matters as much as any item in the bag.
Where is earthquake risk highest?
Well beyond California.
The Pacific Northwest faces some of the highest risk in the country from the Cascadia Subduction Zone, capable of a magnitude 9.0 or greater. The New Madrid Seismic Zone affects seven Midwestern states. Alaska has more earthquakes than any other state.
What to add yourself
- A gas shutoff wrench, and know where your meter is. Gas fires are the most common secondary disaster and this is the fix.
- Shoes and a flashlight under the bed. Glass lacerations are the most common quake injury, and it happens in the dark.
- A week of prescriptions.
- Water stored at home, since mains can break.
- An out-of-state contact. They're outside the emergency, so they're reachable. Everyone texts them to check in, and they relay news between you.
