How to Make an Earthquake Kit | 72-Hour Supply Checklist

When the ground stops shaking, the real test begins: roads may be blocked, power lines down, and stores closed. An earthquake kit answers that moment with enough water, food, and gear to carry your household through the first few days. The ready.gov guidance that anchors this article recommends storing supplies in airtight plastic bags inside one or two easy-to-carry containers like a plastic bin or a duffel bag.

What Goes In An Earthquake Emergency Kit

The core list from Ready.gov covers seven days of basic needs: water, food, light, communication, first aid, sanitation, and utility shutoff tools. Beyond the basics, earthquake-specific additions like prescription medications, cash, and copies of personal documents round out a kit that works when normal systems fail.

Start with the essentials every kit needs, then add what your household specifically depends on:

• Water: one gallon per person per day
• Non-perishable food: a several-day supply
• Battery-powered or hand-crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert
• Flashlight with extra batteries
• First aid kit
• Whistle to signal for help
• Dust masks, plastic sheeting, scissors, and duct tape
• Moist towelettes, garbage bags, and plastic ties for sanitation
• Wrench or pliers to shut off utilities
• Manual can opener
• Local maps, a cell phone with chargers, and a backup battery

Add what only your family uses: prescription medications, extra glasses, cash in small bills, copies of personal documents like IDs and insurance policies, and pet food plus water for animals. One official city checklist recommends at least $100 in cash because ATMs and banks may be shut down after a quake.

How Much Water And Food Do You Need?

Pack one gallon of water per person per day, and plan for at least several days of non-perishable food that needs no refrigeration. This is the US standard from FEMA and Ready.gov, and it accounts for drinking plus basic hygiene.

A two-person household needs six gallons. For home sheltering, several sources suggest going beyond the minimum, and the math gets heavy fast — which is exactly why a wheeled bin or duffel bag matters more than a rigid box.

For food, choose items that survive temperature swings and need no cooking: canned goods, peanut butter, granola bars, dried fruit, and shelf-stable crackers. That manual can opener on the core list exists because the electric one is useless in a power outage.

How To Pack And Store The Kit

The official assembly order is simple: place items in airtight plastic bags to keep out moisture and pests, then store everything in one or two easy-to-carry containers such as a plastic bin or a duffel bag. Keep the kit somewhere you can reach quickly — a hall closet, a garage shelf near the door, or under a bed.

Many households split their supplies into two tiers: a grab-and-go bag for evacuation plus separate home supplies for longer sheltering. The go-bag holds the basics for 72 hours in one duffel; the home tier can include extra water, food, and comfort items that stay put.

Whatever container you choose, test the weight before a quake forces you to carry it. A bin packed to the brim with water jugs gets heavy fast. If you cannot lift it one-handed, split the contents into two smaller containers.

Common Earthquake Kit Mistakes To Avoid

Skipping the manual can opener tops the list — it turns an otherwise solid food supply into an obstacle course. Forgetting medications and glasses is second, because those are hard to replace when pharmacies close.

A few other failures show up in household after household:

• Packing too little water — one gallon per person per day is the floor, not a suggestion
• Leaving out a flashlight, radio, or spare batteries, so you sit in the dark with no news
• Omitting cash — cards do not work when networks fail
• Ignoring pets and infants, who need their own supplies
• Storing everything in a hard-to-carry or hard-to-open container

The wrench or pliers on the core list only helps if everyone in the household knows how to shut off gas and water lines safely — teach the technique once you add the tool. If you want a pre-assembled option that skips the gathering step, our tested roundup of the best earthquake kits compares ready-made versions worth considering before you build your own.

When And How To Refresh The Kit

Check the kit twice a year — a good pair of anchors is daylight saving time changes. Replace expired food, rotate water if the containers show wear, and swap out batteries before they corrode.

An earthquake kit is not a one-time purchase; it is a living system that only works if it stays current. A kit packed once and forgotten is a false promise. Refresh it on schedule and the investment pays off exactly once — on the day you need it.