If you live in an area that frequently experiences earthquakes, you know how overwhelming they can be. A high-magnitude earthquake can damage your home and the infrastructure in the town or city where you live, putting normal life on pause and putting you in full-on crisis mode. Earthquakes may be intense and often life-altering events, but there are measures you can take to be as prepared as possible.
When An Earthquake Happens, You Need To Be Prepared
One of the best ways to prepare yourself and your family for an earthquake is keeping an emergency preparedness kit in your home. At JUDY, we firmly believe in the importance of keeping lifesaving tools and resources handy so that you have everything you need to keep yourself and your loved ones safe. Natural disasters and other crises can come out of nowhere, and if you live in an earthquake-prone area, there are some crucial resources that you don’t want to go without.
This post is all about the items that you need to assemble a comprehensive earthquake survival kit. These items are right at home in a full-on emergency preparedness kit, and all of them are included in JUDY’s Mover Max backpack. You can either pick up one of JUDY’s kits to serve as your earthquake survival bag, or you can assemble your own using these guidelines. Our kits are specially designed and stocked with extremely useful items that are hand-picked by experts. Keep reading to learn about some of the most important items to keep in your earthquake survival kit!
Stock Your Emergency Kit With Wearable Protective Gear
When an earthquake hits, it can create dangerous debris and kick up dust that can be harmful to breathe in. Protecting yourself during an earthquake and in its aftermath is challenging without the proper gear, and it is always worth it to keep wearable protective supplies in your earthquake survival kit.
When you first start assembling your earthquake survival kit, one of the items you never want to be without is a protective face mask for each member of your household. We recommend stocking your earthquake kit with N95-style respirator masks, which are designed to filter out even the smallest dust particles. These masks will give you and your family the maximum level of protection from debris caused by an earthquake.
In addition to masks, your earthquake survival kit should include at least one pair of heavy-duty work gloves. These gloves can be worn when you need to handle any dangerous debris left behind in the wake of a quake. The damage caused by an earthquake can often leave dangerous objects scattered around that are unsafe to handle barehanded.
A pair of durable gloves provides your hands with the necessary protection to pick up something sharp or dirty, and you never want to be without them during or after an earthquake. Use your work gloves when moving any debris left behind by an earthquake to protect yourself from injuries.
Your Survival Kit Needs To Include A Well-stocked First Aid Kit
Since earthquakes can leave behind dangerous debris, there is plenty of potential for you or a member of your family to get scrapes and cuts as you make your way to safety. You’ll need a good set of first aid supplies to deal with any injuries that may happen as you navigate your way through obstacles and debris. In addition, you will need to have the practice and knowledge that you need to use your first aid gear well.
Getting first aid training is one of the best ways to prepare yourself for an earthquake or for any other form of natural disaster. You never know when your first aid experience will come in handy – accidents and injuries happen at any time, and being prepared to deal with them can sometimes even mean the difference between life and death.
Your first aid kit should be equipped with everything you need to treat minor injuries like bumps, bruises, scrapes, burns, and cuts. A fully-stocked first aid kit typically contains useful topicals like antibiotic ointment, different types of bandages for dressing wounds, medical shears, and more. These are some of the most essential medical supplies to keep handy in the midst of an earthquake or any other type of emergency.
When An Earthquake Hits, It Can Cut Off Your Access To Food And Water
An earthquake can leave you without power in your home, meaning your refrigerator won’t be able to keep your perishable food safe to eat. Without a working refrigerator, you will need to rely on shelf-stable foods. These non-perishable sources of nutrition can stay in your pantry for long periods of time without going bad, making them ideal for emergencies.
If an earthquake knocks out your power, it doesn’t mean you need to go hungry. If you keep your pantry stocked with non-perishable food, you will be able to keep yourself and your family fed until things go back to normal. Some of the best non-perishable foods to stock up on for emergencies include canned goods, grains, nuts, dried fruit, jerky, and prepackaged energy and protein bars.
Although a pantry stocked with non-perishable food can sustain you and your family in many emergencies, an earthquake or other natural disaster can sometimes force you to evacuate your home. Because earthquakes often make your home unsafe to stay in, you may need to seek shelter elsewhere. In these circumstances, you most likely will need to leave the majority of your food behind and only carry a few things with you.
Packing an earthquake survival kit should always include stocking it with a small, reliable source of non-perishable nutrition. Our pick for the best natural disaster survival food is energy bars. Shelf-stable and higher in calories than many other non-perishable foods, energy bars are lightweight and compact, making them easy to stash in an evacuation-ready bag.
If possible, stock your earthquake survival kit with at least a day worth of non-perishable food for your entire family. This way, you will have enough sustenance to take with you if you need to seek shelter outside your home. To further prepare yourself for evacuation due to an earthquake, map out the best exit routes from your home and practice a mock evacuation with your family several times a year.
In addition to non-perishable food, your earthquake survival kit needs to be stocked with water. Staying hydrated in a crisis is always essential, and your earthquake survival kit would be incomplete without a reliable source of hydration. As with your emergency food supply, one day’s worth of water for each member of your family is enough to stock in your earthquake survival kit.
Staying Safe In The Midst Of An Earthquake
If you live in an area that is highly prone to earthquakes, there are several important safety measures that you can take to make sure you are prepared and can keep yourself and your family as safe as possible.
Earthquakes can cause significant damage to your home if you do not go the extra mile to secure its interior and exterior, and it is well worth it to take the time and effort to do what you can to make your house as earthquake-ready as possible. This means making sure any wall-mounted items like TVs, photos, and artwork are as secure as possible and storing anything breakable closer to the ground if you can.
As for the outside of your home, check and double-check the integrity of your home’s foundation. A high-magnitude earthquake can quickly damage the foundation of your home if it is not properly reinforced.
Make use of the items in your earthquake survival kit during an earthquake and in its aftermath to protect yourself and your loved ones. Your emergency supplies can make a huge difference in how an earthquake affects you and your family. Keeping an earthquake survival kit ready in your home is one of the best ways to prepare yourself for a natural disaster if one comes your way.
In addition to keeping an earthquake survival kit at the ready, make sure to keep your evacuation plan handy and routinely rehearse getting yourself and your family out of the house as possible. Position your survival kit somewhere in your home where it can be quickly grabbed if you need to evacuate. It is also helpful to know where nearby shelters and safe areas are – in the aftermath of a quake, these are the places you want to know how to get to.
Pay attention to any emergency broadcasts and guidelines issued by your local authorities. If you have evacuated, only return home when you know that it is safe. An earthquake can shake up your normal routine, but keeping the necessary supplies handy and knowing how to protect yourself and your family can make a world of difference even in the midst of a life-altering natural disaster.
Sources:
https://www.osha.gov/dts/earthquakes/preparedness.html
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