How to build an earthquake kit
The point of a kit is to be self-sufficient while services are restored. US federal guidance asks for several days' supplies at minimum, and two weeks where you can manage it — earthquake-prone areas are specifically where the longer figure is recommended, because roads and water mains are what break.
You almost certainly own most of this already. The work is putting it somewhere you can reach in the dark.
The quantities that matter
| Item | How much | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Water | 1 gallon (3.8 L) per person per day | Federal guidance. Half for drinking, half for washing and cooking. Do not forget pets. This is the heaviest and most important item, and the one people under-buy. |
| Food | 3–14 days | Non-perishable, needing no cooking and no refrigeration. Include a manual can opener — an electric one is useless without power. |
| Light | One per person | Torches, not candles. An open flame after an earthquake is a gas-leak risk. |
| Radio | 1 | Battery, hand-crank or solar, with NOAA weather-alert capability. |
| Batteries | Spares for everything above | Store them outside the devices so a leaking cell does not ruin the torch. |
| First aid kit | 1 | Plus a 7–14 day supply of any prescription medication, rotated before expiry. |
| Sturdy shoes and work gloves | Per person | Broken glass is the most common post-earthquake injury, and this is the item most kit lists omit. |
| Dust masks | Per person | Damaged older buildings release a great deal of dust. |
| Sanitation | Several days' | Heavy-duty bags, moist wipes, hand sanitiser. Water mains and sewers fail together. |
| Cash | Small bills | Card terminals need power and a network. |
| Whistle | 1 per person | For signalling if trapped. Shouting exhausts you in minutes. |
| Phone power | Battery bank, charged | Plus the right cable. Check the charge twice a year. |
Quantities from FEMA's Ready.gov emergency supply guidance, checked 26 September 2026. The two-week recommendation for earthquake-prone areas comes from the same source and from Earthquake Country Alliance.
Things a list usually forgets
- A wrench or the right tool for your gas meter, and knowing which way to turn it. Only use it if you suspect a leak — see what to do afterwards.
- Copies of documents — insurance policy, deed or lease, identification, prescriptions — in a waterproof bag and also somewhere online.
- Written contact numbers. A phone with a dead battery holds none of them.
- An out-of-area contact everyone in the family knows to check in with. Local networks congest; long-distance often works when local does not.
- Glasses, hearing-aid batteries, a spare inhaler — whatever a specific person in your household cannot do without.
- Something for children to do. Not a joke; days without power are long.
Where to put it
Somewhere you can reach if the house has shifted and there is no light. A garage or an outdoor store is better than a loft or a basement. Keep shoes and a torch beside each bed separately from the main kit — the first minute happens where you were sleeping.
Split it: some at home, something in each car, a smaller version at work. An earthquake does not wait until everyone is at home.
Maintaining it
Twice a year, on a date you will remember, check expiry dates on water, food, medication and batteries, and recharge the battery bank. A kit assembled once and forgotten for six years is a box of expired water and a dead torch.
Sources
Last checked:
- Build a kit — emergency supply list and quantities — FEMA
- Water storage guidance — FEMA
- Earthquake preparedness — FEMA
- Seven steps to earthquake safety — organise disaster supplies — Earthquake Country Alliance