Earthquake Kit List: 30 Things Worth Having (Printable)

An earthquake kit list is not one bag. It is three small kits in three places: shoes, glasses and a light under the bed for the first minute, two weeks of water and food at home for the days after, and a grab bag in the car in case you cannot get back inside. Here are the 30 items, numbered, with the official guidance behind each group.

Earthquake kit list: the short answer

This earthquake kit list has 30 items split across three places, because an earthquake can strike at 3 a.m., cover the floor in broken glass and leave your house unsafe to walk back into. The Earthquake Country Alliance recommends exactly this split: a small bag under each bed, a go bag and car kit with three days of supplies, and household supplies for three days to two weeks.

Short version: items 1 to 6 go under the bed, items 7 to 20 go in a home kit near an outside door, items 21 to 27 go in a go bag or the car, and items 28 to 30 are the papers that help you recover. Print this page, tick what you have, and buy the rest one group at a time.

Why one bag in the closet fails in an earthquake

A single kit in the hall closet assumes you can walk to the closet. After strong shaking you may be in the dark, barefoot, with glass and fallen shelves between you and the door. Ready.gov's earthquake guidance tells you to drop, cover and hold on until the shaking stops, and to wear sturdy thick-soled shoes, long sleeves and work gloves for the cleanup that follows.

We observed something when we read the results ranking for this search on October 16, 2026. The top spots went to a Quora thread, two Facebook group posts, a shop page and an Etsy listing. Every one of them was a single list of products. Not one told you where to keep each item, and in an earthquake, where an item lives decides whether you can reach it.

Here's the thing: this is the part a generic packing list gets wrong. A wildfire or hurricane usually gives you some warning. An earthquake gives you none, so the first kit has to be within arm's reach of where you sleep.

Under the bed: walk out safely in the dark (items 1 to 6)

The under-bed bag gets you from your bed to the door without cutting your feet or losing your way. These six items come straight from the Earthquake Country Alliance's under-bed list. Tie the bag to a bed leg so the shaking does not throw it out of reach, and pack one for every bedroom.

1. Sturdy shoes and a pair of socks, the item people regret most after a night quake
2. A spare pair of glasses, or contacts and solution, if you need them to see
3. A flashlight or headlamp with fresh batteries (a headlamp keeps both hands free)
4. A dust mask, because plaster and drywall dust fill the air
5. A whistle, to tell rescuers where you are if you are trapped
6. Work gloves, so you can move broken glass and debris

The home kit: get through two weeks without help (items 7 to 20)

The home kit keeps your household going while water, power, gas and stores are out. The Earthquake Country Alliance suggests supplies for three days to two weeks, stored in watertight containers somewhere easy to reach. A garage, a shed or a closet by an outside door beats the basement, which is the hardest place to get into after a quake.

Water is the hard part. Ready.gov's water guidance says to store at least one gallon per person per day for drinking and sanitation. Two weeks for a family of four is 56 gallons. You do not have to buy that tonight. Start with three days (12 gallons for four people) and add a case each shopping trip.

7. Water: one gallon per person per day, for as many days as you can store, up to two weeks
8. Canned and packaged food you already eat, enough for the same number of days
9. A manual can opener (the electric one will not work)
10. A camp stove or grill with fuel, used outdoors only, to cook and boil water
11. A wrench to turn off the gas and water supplies, kept next to the meter or in the kit
12. A battery or hand-crank radio with extra batteries, for news when phones and power are down
13. Extra flashlights or light sticks, one per person
14. A first aid kit, sized for the whole household
15. At least a week of every prescription and over-the-counter medicine you rely on
16. A fire extinguisher, which Ready.gov lists for earthquake kits specifically
17. Goggles and spare work gloves for cleanup
18. Heavy plastic bags and ties, for sanitation when the toilets cannot flush
19. Blankets or sleeping bags and a change of clothes for everyone
20. Pet food, water and supplies for every animal in the house

The go bag and car kit: leave fast if the house is unsafe (items 21 to 27)

The go bag is for the moment someone tells you the building is not safe, or aftershocks make you leave. It carries three days of basics for one person. Keeping a second set in the car means you still have supplies if you are at work, on the road, or cannot get back inside.

Our full emergency go bag checklist goes person by person, including kids and pets. If you may need to walk out, the bug out bag list adds water filtration and shelter, and our review of the best bug out bags shows what pre-packed kits, including one sold as an earthquake bag, still leave out. For an earthquake kit, make sure these seven are in it:

21. Water and high-calorie snacks for three days
22. Cash in small bills, because card readers and ATMs need power
23. A paper map of your area with two ways out marked
24. A printed emergency contact list with an out-of-area contact, since long-distance calls often connect when local ones do not
25. A phone charging cable and a charged power bank
26. Copies of IDs and insurance cards
27. A comfort item for each child, plus toiletries for everyone

The recovery papers: get paid back faster (items 28 to 30)

The last three items do not keep you alive, but they decide how fast you recover. The Earthquake Country Alliance's step on minimizing financial hardship puts photos of your belongings and copies of insurance documents in the grab-and-go bag for a reason: standard homeowners policies generally exclude earthquake damage, so you may be filing with a separate earthquake policy, and every claim moves faster with proof.

28. Copies of your important documents (deeds, policies, medical records) in a waterproof sleeve; the important documents checklist lists which ones
29. A room-by-room record of what you own, with photos; our home inventory checklist walks you through it
30. Your policy numbers and your insurer's 24-hour claims line, written down, not just saved on a phone that may be dead

The gas wrench rule: avoid a costly mistake

Only turn off the gas if you smell gas or hear it escaping. Long Beach Utilities' natural gas safety page gives the method: use a crescent wrench and give the valve at the meter a quarter turn in either direction, so it runs crosswise on the pipe. Then call the utility to have service restored.

The bottom line? Turning it off just in case can leave you without heat or hot water for days, because the gas utility, not you, has to restore service, and after a big quake every household is in the same queue. Learn where your meter is now, in daylight, and keep the wrench by it.

Keep the kit fresh with one check a year

A kit only works if the water is drinkable and the flashlight turns on. The Earthquake Country Alliance says to use and replace perishable items like water, food, medications and batteries every year. Ready.gov adds that water you bottled yourself should be replaced every six months, and store-bought water should stay sealed in its original container in a cool, dark place.

Pick one date and tie it to something you already do, like changing the clocks. Rotate the water, swap the batteries, check the expiration dates on food and medicine, and make sure the shoes under each bed still fit the kids. A shared list with the dates on it turns that check into ten minutes instead of an afternoon.

What we would skip, so your money goes further

Our opinion: skip the expensive gadgets until items 1 to 20 are done. Most of the risk in a quake is in the first minute (glass, falling objects) and the first week (no water, no power), and both are solved by cheap things. A $5 pair of work gloves under the bed does more on the night than a $300 solar generator in the garage.

Also skip the idea that a kit replaces a plan. Ready.gov tells you to secure heavy items like bookcases, refrigerators, water heaters and TVs, and to know how to drop, cover and hold on. Strapping the water heater protects your gas line and your largest store of water, and it costs less than a case of bottled water. Put both on your family evacuation plan, along with where you will meet if the house is unsafe.

Turn the list into a plan everyone in the house can find

A kit list helps most when everyone knows it exists. Keep the contents and expiration dates where the whole household can see them, put the papers from items 28 to 30 in one emergency binder or a fireproof document bag, and make sure your home inventory for insurance is current before you need it.

That is what Beacon3 does. It keeps your kits, your plan, your documents list and your contacts in one place, shared with everyone in your house, for an earthquake, wildfire, flood or storm. See how Beacon3 works, check the plans and pricing, or browse all of our preparedness guides. Ready.gov's general disaster supplies kit list is a good second check once you finish the 30 items here.

Questions people ask

What should be in an earthquake kit?

Water (one gallon per person per day), food that needs no cooking, a flashlight, a radio, a first aid kit, medications, a whistle, work gloves, a dust mask, sturdy shoes, a wrench for the gas, a fire extinguisher, cash and copies of documents. Split them between an under-bed bag, a home kit and a go bag or car kit.

How much water do I need for an earthquake?

Ready.gov says at least one gallon per person per day. The Earthquake Country Alliance suggests home supplies for three days to two weeks, so plan for 3 to 14 gallons per person.

Why keep shoes under the bed for an earthquake?

Strong shaking breaks windows, mirrors and dishes. If it happens at night you may have to walk over broken glass in the dark, so sturdy shoes, socks and a flashlight belong within reach of the bed.

Should I turn off the gas after an earthquake?

Only if you smell gas or hear it escaping. Use a wrench to turn the valve at the meter a quarter turn so it runs crosswise on the pipe, then leave it off and call your gas utility to restore service.

Where should I store my earthquake kit?

Somewhere you can reach if the house is damaged: a garage, shed or closet by an outside door, not the basement. Keep a small bag under each bed and a second kit in the car.

How often should I replace items in an earthquake kit?

Check the kit once a year and replace water, food, medications and batteries as they expire. Water you bottled yourself should be replaced every six months.

Know what is in every kit, and where it is.

Beacon3 keeps your earthquake kit list, expiration dates and household plan in one shared list, so everyone knows where the shoes, the wrench and the water are. Save this list in Beacon3. Room by room, on every phone in your house. Free for 14 days.