Like most Bay Area residents, I know perfectly well that owning an earthquake kit is absolutely essential. Until today, I have failed almost entirely to act on that knowledge. Not that I didn’t have my reasons for dodging the issue:
- Every ready-made earthquake kit I have ever seen is an aesthetic disaster. When I see a nasty-looking backpack filled with partially hydrogenated survival goo, my first thought is not that it may offer a reasonable solution to a practical problem but that I must keep it as far away from me as possible.
- I am far too lazy to assemble my own earthquake kit from scratch.
The recent string of earthquakes on the Hayward Fault, with epicenters a few miles from my apartment, finally convinced me that I was being ridiculous; in an emergency, it is unlikely that I will spend a great deal of time worrying that my earthquake kit is an eyesore. So I visited the Nitro-Pak Preparedness Center‘s website and purchased an “Executive Survival Kit,” having determined that they did not offer a more appropriate “Middle Management Survival Kit.” As far as I can tell, the kit includes nearly everything that two people would need to keep body and soul together for three days.
As long as the next big earthquake doesn’t hit before I receive my Executive Survival Kit, I’ll be ready. Which brings me to the real point of this post: If you’re not prepared for whatever disaster is most likely in your own city, why not throw some money at the problem right now, while you’re thinking about it? Just search Google for “earthquake kit” and you’ll find plenty of options, many of which are less expensive than the one I purchased. (Mine was $150, and truth be told, I probably spent too much; there are plenty of kits that go for closer to $100.) If you’re not sure what to look for, the City of San Francisco and the San Francisco Chronicle can help you out.
Of course, I should really have two earthquake kits, one for home and another for work. I suppose that means I still have an opportunity to find the kit of my dreams. Disaster-preparedness suppliers, take note: If you were to manufacture a Bay Area Metrosexual Earthquake Kit, packaged in a Jack Spade messenger bag and complete with artisanally-made, locally-grown ration bars, I can guarantee that you would sell at least one.