My Emergency Survival Kit

Today was the Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drill—worldwide people practiced how to “Drop, Cover and Hold On” in the event of an earthquake—so, I thought it would be a good time to chat about other ways to be prepared in case of a disaster!

With all the natural disasters in the last month and half—floods, fires, earthquakes—it really lit a fire under me to stop thinking about building my emergency kit and finally take action. Washington State suggests that everyone should prepared to be on their own without power or water for 2 weeks in case of a natural disaster—most likely an earthquake, since we’re pretty overdue.

Growing up in Texas, I’ve been through a handful of tornados and too many floods to count, but I never had to think about earthquakes—that is, until I moved to Seattle in 2013. Over the last few years, the local government, the Red Cross, and FEMA have increased awareness of this very real potential threat. My friends and I like to refer to as the “Zombie Apocalypse” probably because it’s a little too scary to actually say “massive earthquake.”

I’ve had a few people ask for my emergency kit list, so I thought, maybe it would be helpful if I published it. For reference, this kit is built for 2 adults, but you should adjust for the size of your household, especially regarding the amount of water to keep on hand. If you live in Washington, it’s suggested that you have 1 gallon of water per person, per day for two weeks!

To start building my kit, I referenced lists provided by the government, the American Red Cross, as well as pre-made kits I’ve seen for sale, and then I bought most items on Amazon!

EMERGENCY KIT:

– 2 bottles of water (per pack)

– Bathroom wipes (or roll of toilet paper)

– Toiletries: contact solution, cases, toothpaste, floss, tissue, toothbrush, hand sanitizer, face cleaning wipes, sunscreen, pair of contacts

– Notebook

– Duct tape

– Map of local area

– Liquid Soap (I like Dr. Bronner’s because it’s good for bathing, cleaning dishes, clothing, etc)

– First Aid Kit: Bandages, Ointment, different types of pain reliever (Advil, Aleve, Tylenol, Aspirin), Tummy Meds, Itch Cream, Benadryl, Seasonal Allergy Meds, Nasal Spray/Moisturizer, Alcohol Swabs, Burn Ointment, Burt’s Bees Res-Q Ointment, Suture Kit, Finger Splint, Gauze, Bandage Wrap, Scissors, Cotton balls/Qtips, Blood-clotting Crystals, Iodine, Steri-strips

– Daily Medicine

– Passports

– Keys (both sets)

– Big sunscreen

– Blanket

– Other toiletries

– Phone chargers

– Hammock (if you have one)

– Canned foods

– Can opener

I would love to know if I’ve missed anything important and if anyone has advice for additional items for consideration, so leave me a comment!