The increase of tremors here in Oklahoma have prompted me to put together an earth quake readiness kit. Hopefully, we’ll never experience a large enough quake that I will need to put it to use, but as most things preparedness-related, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Prompted by a post on The Survival Mom that left my head swimming with visions of my husband and I having to stand around outside in the cold in our skivvies in the middle of the night while we watch our home get shaken off its foundation, I put together a grab-and-go bag that contains the following:
- A sturdy pair of shoes, along with a pair of warm socks
- A pair of warm pants each for myself and my husband.
- A warm shirt for each of us.
- A first-aid kit for treating any cuts or bruises we sustain while trying to get out of the house. It also contains a mylar space blanket that we can use for warmth if necessary.
- A sweater for my chihuahua, who sleeps in our bed and will be as easy to grab and take with us as the bag.
- Another bag to put the dog in so our hands will be free to grab other necessities as we head out the door.
- My cell phone, which I tuck into the bag every night before I turn in.
Obviously, there’s room for improvement. For one thing, I’d like to eventually add a couple of hands-free headlamps, or at the very least a sturdy flashlight, and it probably wouldn’t hurt—it never hurts—to add some food and water provisions. But we have other emergency kits assembled that are in the path between our bedroom and the front door that we should be able to grab as we go. My main purpose with the earth quake bag was making sure we’ll be protected from exposure if we have to get out of the house fast on a cold night.
For more information on putting together a more complete earth quake survival kit, check out this post at TheSurvivalMom.com.