What Do I Put in my Earthquake Go Bag?

A "Go Bag" is vital for families who need to make a quick getaway with little or no warning. It's useful for when a home is evacuated due to fire, flood, earthquake, mudslide, or any other natural disaster that strikes.

Here's a checklist you can use, built from a wealth of resources and past reports, to help you prepare your own "Go Bag." In bold are items that are absolutely essential:

QUICK VIEW

• Backpack (40 ml - 50 ml per person)
• Water
• Medications
• Toiletries
• First Aid
• Food
• Gear
• Clothing
• Pet care products
• Documents and cash

BACKPACK

In an emergency, being able to move quickly is important. When considering size, remember that larger bags will be tougher to grab in a hurry.

• A 40-50ml bag (at most) is highly recommended
• Each person needs their own go bag

WATER

• Know how much you need to survive for 3 days and how much you can comfortably carry

MEDICATIONS

• Pack prescription medications good for a few weeks

TOILETRIES

• Soap
• Cleaning towels
• Deodorant
• Disposable tissues
• Feminine towels
• Lotion
• Maxi pads (can also be used as a bandage if needed)
• Moist towelettes
• Razors
• Sunscreen
• Toilet paper
• Toothpaste
• Toothbrush

FIRST AID

• One decent, well-stocked kit
• Hand sanitizer
• Thermometer

FOOD

• Non-perishable food like energy bars work and take up little space

GEAR

• Hand crank and/or battery-powered flashlight
• Battery-powered radio or television
• Cell phone charger (one or two)
• Whistle
  • Good for locating people in a crowd or at night
• Can opener (manual)
• Duct tape
• Dust masks
• Entertainment (deck of cards or small travel game)
• Glow sticks
• Goggles
• Large trash bags
  • Can be used as a poncho or cut open to make a tent
• Leather work gloves
• Matches
• Multi-use knife
• Rope or rubber bands
• Sticky pad, pencil and paper

CLOTHING

• Face coverings and masks
• One set of clothing (think layers)
• Underwear (three recommended)
• Socks (three pairs recommended)
• Comfortable, sturdy pair of shoes
• Extra clothing (think layers)
• Extra blankets, hand and feet warmers or thermal clothing to keep you warm
  • Consider a Mylar emergency blanket, which is lightweight and packs up small
• Poncho

PET CARE PRODUCTS

• Food
• Toys

DOCUMENTS AND CASH

• Photocopies of important documents:
  • License or ID
  • Credit cards
  • Passport
  • Social security
  • Prescriptions

• Emergency cash
  • Credit cards might not work
  • Consider having about $100-$200 with lots of ones (that way you never need change)

• Emergency contact numbers written down
  • If your phone dies, you may not be able to remember the phone numbers of friends and loved ones
  • Include an out of state contact

• Family photo of immediate family, children or pets -- crucial in case you get separated from your loved ones and need to help finding them

• Paper street maps (GPS might go down)

• Apps
  • MyShake
    • The State of California created an early warning system that can alert residents seconds before an earthquake strikes
  • Cal Alerts
    • ShakeAlerts are sent the moment USGS researches detect a quake over 5.0 magnitude