If you don't smell a slight odor of bleach, repeat the process.
Food:
Make sure all food is non-perishable. Check expiration dates.
Shelter:
Buy some waterproof vinyl or polyethylene tarps. Hopefully you will be able to still shelter in your own home but there may still be damage to the structure. You can protect your home from the elements with those tarps. Rotate every 6 months.
Deodorant.
Tools and other implements:
Flashlights, batteries.
Fire starters. Have several different kinds such as waterproof matches and a lighter.
Knives.
550 paracord.
Duct tape.
An ax, a hand saw, or even a chain saw.
A big wrench to turn off the water and gas.
A folding shovel.
A good multi tool.
A manual can opener such as a P-38.
Disposable camera.
Work gloves
Paper plates, plastic utensils and other disposable feeding supplies.
Crowbar.
Hammer & nails.
Staple gun.
Documents: Copies of all documents can be either paper or digital. Life temporarily becomes one big headache. It is a very stressful time for everyone in the community.
The best way to lessen the impact of an earthquake on you and your household is to prepare in advance for it. Add 16 drops per gallon and wait 30 minutes. If you don't smell a slight odor of bleach, repeat the process.
Food:
Make sure all food is non-perishable. Ready to eat canned foods are good choices.
Granola bars, dried fruit, peanut butter, crackers and other high energy foods should be included.
Also include formula for the baby and any special food that your elderly need.
Don't forget food for your pets.
Don't forget to rotate your food every six months. Luckily, at the time, I had no pets and there was an available couch at a friend's house.
Most people commute to work or school an average distance of thirty (30) miles round trip each day. I currently commute forty-one (41) miles round trip, crossing several bridges, bodies of water and past the homes of MILLIONS of people. If that rubs you wrong, I'm sorry, but that's my opinion.
For the purposes of this article, I'll refer to this gear as the GHB (Get Home Bag).
The likely scenario if disaster strikes during the weekday is:
You are going to try to drive home
Eventually you will get stuck and stay put for some period of time
Finally, you will strike out on foot for home
You may have to find shelter and sleep at least once before reaching home
You should stock and store a GHB in your car and your workplace (yes, one each). That's because you may get stuck at work for at least the first day and your car may be lost due to earthquake, fire or riots.
Okay, enough already...what should go into the bag?
Bag - The bag itself should be light, durable and comfortable. I prefer surplus medium size G.I. You should count on three days worth of food. The trick is to store food that is consumable on the go with little preparation, but won't go bad during the months that it is stored. Ideally, you would have a mix of MREs, emergency ration bars and even some no-cook canned goods like pork 'n' beans or vienna sausage. At a minimum, you should get a rain poncho but ideally, you would have a full rain suit in your bag. They are cheap and readily available at any drugstore, sporting goods shop or major retailer. I suggest you get dark muted colors like blue and green so that you don't draw attention to yourself.
