2006_06_05_quake.jpgEvery now and then we let our minds dwell on the faultline.

There are plenty of prompts: Indonesia, New Orleans, Southeast Asia.

And we think: we should have a Plan. Yes, a Plan...and a Household Survival Kit.

Then we read about how we need to stash gallons and gallons of water in a closet, and we think of our already overburdened closets, and we lost heart. Turns out we're not alone. According to the US Geological Survey, fewer than 50% of Bay Area households have disaster supply kits.

USGS's downloadable PDF handbook on earthquake preparedness lists these must-haves for those of us serious about surviving the next big one:

• Drinking water: 1 gallon per person per day
• First aid and personal hygiene supplies, including spare glasses
• Emergency lighting (light sticks and a hand-powered flashlight)
• Hand-cranked or battery operated radio (with spare batteries)
• Canned and packaged foods with cooking utensils and a manual can opener
• Items to protect you from the elements: warm clothing, sturdy shoes, extra socks, blankets, maybe even a tent
• Heavy duty plastic bags for waste and to serve as a tarp
• Work gloves and goggles
• Pet food and restraints
• Vital docs such as insuance policies and personal identification

We've decided it's time to make it our business to have all these things at the ready, somewhere in our apartment. Somewhere small and compact. And we're going to blog the effort, though this is a project that will unfold slowly, as time permits.

As always, if you've come up with any good, compact, earthquake survival kit solutions of your own, chime in anytime!