Your Tsunami Preparedness Kit

What does one put in a tsunami kit? A full size boat? A life vest for each pet? Anything you think might be useful could go in it, but making any kit at all is a better choice than leaving things to chance. So get started on your tsunami preparedness kit now! Your baseline goal is 3 days of survival supplies for your family in the event that you lose your housing, electricity, and access to clean water.

Include a few comfort items, but don’t overpack or include items that don’t serve a real purpose. Remember that you will likely start out in your vehicle in any evacuation, but your kit should be portable enough for your family to carry on foot if you have to leave your vehicle. According to Ready.gov, you should have an emergency kit in your home, office, and car. They should be customized to your family, but here are some suggestions!

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Essentials

• Water: Aim for a gallon per person per day for drinking and cleaning
• Food: Stock a multi-day supply and focus on shelf-stable, nonperishable goods
• Hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes
• A fully-charged power bank or external battery to power phones or even a hot plate
• Flashlight (at least one per person)
• First aid kit
• Whistle to alert emergency services if you need to be rescued
• Masks in case air quality is poor or contaminated
• Plastic sheeting and duct tape if you need to create a makeshift shelter
• Moist towelettes and garbage bags to control sanitation
• An emergency tool kit
• Manual can opener
• Extra batteries, if you have battery powered items in the kit
• Maps
• Smartphones with chargers

Additional Supplies (depending on who is in your group)

• Prescription medications
• Over-the-counter medications (i.e. pain relievers, anti-diarrhea medications, etc.)
• Infant formula, diapers, baby wipes, etc. 
• Pet food and extra water for pets
• Cash
• Essential family documents:  insurance policies, identification forms, etc.
• Sleeping bags/blankets for each member of your group
• Change of clothes per person
• Feminine hygiene supplies
• Disposable utensils and plates
• Paper and pens
• Activities to keep young children and restless adults occupied

Speaking of kids, how do we talk about this with our families?

About the Authors

Here Comes the Apocalypse Editorial Team

It takes a village! We are researching, writing and fact checking as a family. Collaboration is the name of the game, whether we’re running from a zombie horde or finding the best way to turn a complex concept into a deliciously digestible set of bullet points.

Katherine Esperanza Contributor

Katherine Esperanza is a Los Angeles based writer. When she's not conjuring new queer slice-of-life short stories, she's busy watching the newest films, out at queer shows, supporting queer artists, or just checking out the queer community as a whole.

A former international non-profiteer, small business owner, and co-op'er, Katherine is delighted to help introduce more leftist politics into the disaster preparedness/prepper sphere, which is currently far too right-wing.