I agree 100%. I wish you had posted this in our east coast earthquake thread. :)

At least many Californians have an earthquake kit. Most of us don't. What is an earthquake kit besides what we keep in the closet in the event of a power outage? I guess I could Google it and let you Californians have your thread back. :p

Yes and I love Slated Door too -- YUM!

These quakes remind me that I really need to get some drinking water for emergencies. We just drink from the tap because it is soooo good, but that means we don't have any bottled water of any kind sitting around. I'll admit that I haven't had a formal earthquake kit since high school. Other Californians, do you all really have one packed in a box somewhere?

...patiently waiting for PacNW's "Big One"...

No. However, I just Googled it and I happen to have most of that stuff in my apartment anyway.

Are either of you in buildings above "fill" that isn't actually land but sand, rock, stuff left over from 1906, or sand that can turn unstable due to liquefaction? I'm thinking not since I remember a lot of retrofitting in that area after 1989, and when doing that a lot of archaeology work and I've seen the artifacts from the digging. My dad worked for Southern Pacific at 1 Market Street and their building was fine in 1989, and I got a total flash back about the Embarcadero Freeway.



I have the same stuff in Idaho in my "emergency kit" that I grew up with in earthquake kits. Water, food (dry and canned stuff, my cat's food, enough for a week), iodine tablets, bucket, shovel, flashlight that works on a crank, radio, batteries, phone cards, emergency blankets, work gloves, first aid kit, camp stove, propane, cookware, cat box & litter. This is all next to my camping gear so I have shelter and I have my bigger cat cage as well as the carriers near it. I need to add some flagging tape and/or spray paint so if there's a need to mark anything or leave messages (like Katrina "1 Dead in Attic" or that someone left the area) I can do that for myself or someone else. Oh and some people keep a fire arm and ammo, as well as some cash.

I've had one for "emergencies" though I'm not currently in California, more for snow related disasters. With technology it has been easy to add new things like better filters from REI for individual bottles. My family home is on bedrock and we have natural gas for our appliances so in 1989 I remember we were able to cook, take hot showers, do laundry, and boil water while the power was out. Our phone worked too, but now in the age of cellular most people probably don't have a regular phone, but I keep one because even without paid service you can call 911 if the wired lines are active.

I remember once a year we'd go through the kit and replace items, and since my dad did a lot of that there'd be a few days of eating Spam and Kraft Macaroni & Cheese since he liked those items and put them in the kit. I keep enough water for my cats and I have cans that I rotate out as well as kibble, since my cats eat a special diet, and a litter box and litter. None of my medications need to be refrigerated, but I always have a hoard saved up to last a month and swap it out to keep it fresh.

My work building is on fill. Or at least most of the liquefaction maps show it as on fill. Home is on bedrock.

You are very well prepared - much more than me. :( I try to go through my kit at least twice a year.

While I am not on any prescription medication, I do include over the counter items like allergy pills, pain relieve medicines as well as a spare tooth brush, toothpaste, hand “washes” in liquid form, and other grooming and toiletries items - including “wipes”. One never knows when those might come in handy. :o

You noted two areas of importance that many people tend to forget. Items for their pets and cash on hand. I think people are more aware of including items for their pets now. However, many folk tend to forget that if the power is off, for the most part there will not be any ATMs working or any other devices that may need electricity. So having cash on hand is a good idea.

I also include a small notebook that has contact information for both local and out of state contacts. This is case, my mobile phone isn't working. A friend has her contact info laminated on a "one sheet" and includes info about her medical needs on the back.

There is also a neighborhood “meet up” space near my home in case of emergencies which is to serve as a local area for pooling supplies, use of phones, medical attention etc. for general use. The idea is that if those of us who have signed up for the "meet up space" do not show up or contact them to let them know we are fine, then they know to go looking for us.

It is good to have the stuff, but you need to have them all together in one “kit” so that if/when you need to leave your house/apartment ASAP, you may grab your kit – and everything in it - on your way to safety. I keep mine in large backpacks that are tied together. So if/when I grab one backpack, I grab them both.

Just had another one - Richter 3.6 - at the same place as the last ones in Berkeley.

One item to keep for earthquakes is washwater (in addition to drinking water). I fill a couple of five gallon water jugs with tap water and put in a few drops of bleach to keep algae from forming.

As far as phones go, most likely the cell system will be overloaded, so having a land line is handy. If you have a fancy cordless phone system/message machine, etc., make sure you have a plain old dumb (non-ac powered) phone to plug in.

One of those nice topographic atlas map books would be handy if you might have to walk somewhere.