The Most Important Earthquake Supplies If a major quake hits, stores will likely be in complete disarray and not available for you to purchase emergency supplies. Follow the basic list presented at the beginning of this appendix as a shopping guide. Store these materials in a closet or room in the corner of your house or in the corner of your garage. Notes on some of the checklist items follow: Flashlights and lanterns (battery powered) In virtually every major quake, electric power is either shut down or lost, sometimes for days. There are a wide variety of lights, lamps and lanterns that operate on battery power. Get several. Keep lights close to your bed in the event of a night quake. Extra batteries (disposable and rechargeable) Make sure you chose alkaline long life batteries. Have plenty of these on hand! FEMA suggests that at least one set already be installed in your flashlights and radios plus three replacement sets. They also suggest that you replace these batteries at least once a year to maintain maximum life. Beware of rechargeable batteries. They do not last as long per charge as alkalines. (Emergency batteries are commercially available that can be stored for many years until they are "activated". Contact the College of Chemistry Building Manager or your local emergency supply vendors for more information.) Fire extinguishers Make sure you get all purpose (ABC) extinguishers (for use on gas, paper, wood, and electrical fires) for your home. Also, make sure your water hoses are in good shape. At the work site, be aware of the location and type of fire extinguishers mounted near your lab or office. Refer also to the pink section of the "Who Does It! Where To Find It! How To Do It Safely!" for more information on fire fighting and response in the College. Clothing Put an extra change of clothing (or two) aside for each member of the family. They should be sturdy, outdoor type clothes including an extra pair of shoes. Also include one set of rain gear per person. Where to get quake food Besides most grocery stores, many sporting goods, hunting, and survival stores offer prepackaged foods that are excellent for this purpose as well. They can be stored indefinitely without any special handling requirements. Water Refer to the section of this appendix titled, "Food and Water In An Emergency" for more information on quantities and storage for emergency water supplies. Additionally, emergency supply stores and stores such as REI sell small containers of packaged water with a five-year shelf life. These containers are very handy to keep at the work site as well as at home. Dry/dehydrated foods Dry pasta, beans, dehydrated soups, dehydrated fruits, and other dry foods will store indefinitely but will require water, which may be in very short supply. Staples Crackers, wafers, whole grain cereals, and dried breads are excellent and have very long shelf lives. Infant foods If you have an infant, do not forget to set aside enough non-refrigerated formula and baby foods in jars. Special diets Make special provisions for family members who are diabetic or on low-salt or low-cholesterol diets.