Earthquake Preparedness Kits
Tuesday February 1, 2022
The scariest part of earthquake preparation is knowing that one can happen at any time in mere seconds. Other natural disasters can be predicted and prepared for in specific seasons and weather conditions, but earthquakes can happen at any time. While they may generally occur along tectonic plates, they can still happen anywhere. Understanding how an earthquake occurs and what it can cause can help you to prepare yourself and your family.
What is an Earthquake?
Earthquakes occur when tectonic plates shift underneath the Earth’s surface, creating seismic waves. Interestingly, earthquakes can also be caused by other events like volcanic activity, landslides, mine blasts and nuclear tests. When an earthquake occurs, the center of the activity underground is called the hypocenter, while the center of the effects on earth’s surface is called the epicenter. They usually last under a minute, averaging around 10-30 seconds. In this time, a quake can cause a lot of damage. The effects of earthquakes can include ground rupture, infrastructure collapse, landslides, fires, and tsunamis.
What do you need to prepare?
If you live in an area close to fault lines or that is known to be affected by earthquakes, you should have a kit specifically made for an earthquake situation. Even if you don’t live in a high-risk area, you should cross-check these items with your disaster kit and consider adding more earthquake-specific items. Conveniently, ProPac offers a heavy-duty earthquake kit packed into a 5-gallon pail. The contents of our kit include:
- Propac’s 4-in-1 Flashlight with Crank, Radio, and Cell Phone Charger
- 4-in-1 Spark Proof Tool
- Tube Tent
- 1 Flare Alert Beacon (battery powered)
- AA Batteries, 4 incl.
- Leather Work Gloves, 2 pairs
- Goggles, 2 pairs
- 3-Ply surgical face masks, 4 incl.
- Duct Tape (10 yds), 1 roll
- Light Sticks (10-12 hrs of light each), 4 incl.
- Signaling Whistle, 4 incl.
- Writing Pads, 2 incl.
- Ink Pens, 2 incl.
- 52 Piece First Aid Kit
- Disposable Medical Gloves, 4 pairs
- Emergency Mylar Thermal Blankets, 2 incl.
- 1.5 Gallon Water Jug
- Water Packets (4.227 fl oz each), 20 included
- Can Opener
- Packages of Food Bars (2400 calories in each package), 2 incl.
- Overnight Hygiene Kits, 4 incl.
- Toilet Tissue, 1 roll incl.
- 5.3 Gallon Bucket with Tamper-Evident Lid
Consumables
Water storage is the single most important item in any disaster kit. Without clean water, none of the other items will matter because you won’t be able to survive long without it. The second most important item is food storage. Be sure to know how long you can store these supplies before having to replenish them.
Our 4-in-1 Flashlight, radio, siren, and cell phone charger can come in handy in many ways. When an earthquake occurs, it’s not unusual to lose power which can cause disruptions in communications systems. Stay up to date by using a crank-powered radio to hear any emergency broadcasts. Another important tool is our 4-in-1 Spark Proof Tool. It includes the capabilities to shut off gas and water lines, pry open doors, and dig through debris. Other tools that can come in handy include light sticks, whistles, flares, dust masks, and work gloves.
First Aid
Our kit includes a 52 piece first aid kit but you can include any kit you feel necessary. As a general rule, make sure you have enough multiples of each piece to treat everyone in your household.
Lastly, you should write down numbers of your emergency contacts and place them in your kit. These days we don’t remember phone numbers as well so it’s good to have a paper copy in case your phone is damaged or runs out of battery.