Since we live Southern California, earthquakes are with us constantly. Here’s a few things I’ve done to make the house a bit safer in the event the big one hits.

Furniture Straps

We’re installing furniture straps on all the big pieces of furniture in the bedrooms. It’s quick and easy and could potentially save lives and property in both big and little earthquakes. Not to mention that by securing our bookcases to the wall it keeps our toddler from pulling it on top of herself as she tries to climb to the top shelf.

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Food and Water

We’ve got our emergency water and some canned and dry food packed away in the garage. So we’re good for about 2 weeks if the big one arrives in our lifetime.

The water is in simple one-gallon plastic containers, and the food is your basic canned food and non perishable proteins like peanut butter. However, if you’re really into it and you don’t want to worry about can openers or forgetting something, then a pre-packaged kit from Survival Solutions might be more your speed. You should check out their 72 hour adult emergency kit.

Of course, if the big one hits, I can probably make it to our pantry in the kitchen as easily as the garage. I think these sorts of kits are probably more suited for putting in the back of my pathfinder when I go off-roading for that “just in case” moment.

First Aid Kits

We keep a first aid kit in each of our cars and another one in the bathroom. I got these first aid kits a few years ago when I was taking a CPR certification class.

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Camping Gear

Technically this may not be considered “Earthquake Preparedness”, but we keep all of our camping gear in a big plastic bin, easy to grab and all the basic necessities for surviving without modern amenities for a few days are all right there.

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