California Earthquake Go-Bag Checklist: What Emergency Officials Actually Say to Pack
What should be in a California earthquake go-bag?
California's Office of Emergency Services recommends a go-bag include at least one liter of water per person, non-perishable food, a basic first-aid kit with any prescription medications, a flashlight, a battery-powered or hand-crank radio, a charged power bank, copies of important documents, cash in small bills, and N95 masks. Plan for at least 72 hours of self-sufficiency.
Should you stand in a doorway during an earthquake?
No. The "stand in a doorway" advice has been officially retired by USGS and Cal OES. Doorframes offer no special protection in modern buildings and put you in the path of a swinging door. Current guidance is drop, cover, and hold on under a sturdy table or desk, or against an interior wall away from windows if no table is nearby.
How does ShakeAlert work in California and how do I get it?
ShakeAlert is the USGS earthquake early-warning system that detects shaking at the epicenter and sends alerts to areas in the path of seismic waves, giving seconds to tens of seconds of warning before shaking arrives. California residents can receive alerts through the free MyShake app or through Wireless Emergency Alerts on most modern smartphones - check your phone's notification settings to confirm those alerts are enabled.
How often should I replace the supplies in my earthquake emergency kit?
Emergency preparedness guidance recommends checking your kit at least twice a year. Replace expired food, water, and medications, update any document copies, and test battery-powered devices. Many households tie this to the daylight saving time changes in spring and fall as a practical reminder. Prescription medications and children's or pet-specific supplies should be reviewed whenever household needs change.
What's the difference between an evacuation warning and an evacuation order in California?
An evacuation warning means a hazard is possible and residents should be ready to leave quickly. An evacuation order means leave immediately - the threat is imminent or already present, and the order is binding. Both are issued by county officials and transmitted through county emergency alert systems. If an evacuation order is in effect for your area, do not wait to see how conditions develop.
- USGS Live Earthquake Map — real-time magnitude, depth, and aftershock tracking
- MyShake Early Warning App — California's free earthquake early-warning app
- Cal OES Earthquake Preparedness — official state guidance on what to do before, during, and after
Most Californians know they're supposed to have an earthquake kit. Far fewer actually have one that would do much good when the ground starts moving. A 7.1 struck Ridgecrest in 2019, a 5.1 rattled the Bay Area in early 2025, and USGS data consistently puts a significant portion of the state at high seismic hazard - so this isn't theoretical planning. The state's own guidance from Cal OES recommends being prepared to be self-sufficient for a minimum of 72 hours, and increasingly, seven days or more, since major infrastructure can take that long to restore after a serious event.
Related: Your California Go-Bag Checklist: What Emergency Officials Actually Recommend You Pack · California Earthquake Preparedness: What to Put in Your Go-Bag and What to Do When the Ground Starts Shaking
What Goes in the Bag
The go-bag concept is simple: a portable kit you can grab in two minutes and live out of. The challenge is that most people either overpack to the point of impracticality or underpack to the point of uselessness. Cal OES guidance centers on a handful of non-negotiable categories.
Water is the most critical and the most underestimated. The standard guidance is one gallon per person per day, so a 72-hour kit for a household of two means six gallons minimum - which is heavy and won't fit in a backpack. The realistic approach is a modest amount in the go-bag itself (at least one liter per person) paired with a larger stored supply at home that you'd access if you shelter in place. Store-bought sealed water has a shelf life printed on the label; the American Red Cross recommends replacing stored tap water every six months.
Food should be non-perishable and genuinely easy to prepare without power or running water. Think individually sealed nuts, jerky, energy bars, peanut butter packets, shelf-stable crackers and canned goods with pull-top lids. Rotate it at least once a year - a granola bar that expired in 2023 won't help anyone. If anyone in the household has dietary restrictions or medical needs, those have to be accounted for explicitly, not as an afterthought.
A basic first-aid kit should include bandages, antiseptic wipes, gauze, medical tape, over-the-counter pain relievers, and any prescription medications you'd need for at least a week. The medications part is where most people fall short - a rolling 30-day supply of critical prescriptions is worth asking your doctor or pharmacist about now, before you need it.
Documents often get overlooked entirely. Keep photocopies or digital backups (encrypted, on a USB drive or cloud storage) of your driver's license, passport, insurance policies, mortgage or lease documents, Social Security card, and a list of emergency contacts with phone numbers written down. Cell service and your phone's memory are not reliable after a major earthquake.
Beyond those core categories: a battery-powered or hand-crank NOAA weather radio, a flashlight with extra batteries, a multi-tool or basic tool kit, N95 masks (useful in post-quake dust and in wildfire smoke), a phone charger bank charged and maintained, cash in small bills, and a paper map of your area. If you have pets, their needs - food, medications, a carrier, vaccination records - need their own consideration. The same goes for infants, elderly household members, or anyone with mobility limitations.
Before the Shaking: What to Do Now
The single most effective thing a California household can do before an earthquake is strap heavy furniture and appliances to wall studs. Bookshelves, water heaters, and refrigerators account for a substantial portion of earthquake injuries inside homes. The California Governor's Office of Emergency Services and the California Earthquake Authority both point to this as a priority that costs almost nothing but time. While you're at it: know where your gas shutoff is and keep a shutoff wrench nearby. Know how to turn off water if a pipe ruptures. Identify the safest spots in each room - under a sturdy desk or table, against an interior wall away from windows.
ShakeAlert, the USGS earthquake early-warning system, now provides alerts across California through the MyShake app (developed with the UC Berkeley Seismological Laboratory) and through Wireless Emergency Alerts on most modern smartphones. The warning is seconds to tens of seconds, not minutes - enough to drop, cover, and hold on, or to pull off the road. Make sure Wireless Emergency Alerts are enabled on your phone; many people have them turned off from pandemic-era test fatigue. You can check in your phone's notification or emergency alert settings.
During the Shaking
Drop, cover, and hold on. This is not a platitude - it's what USGS and Cal OES actually recommend, and it replaced the older "stand in a doorway" advice that's been retired for years. Doorframes offer no particular protection in modern construction and put you in the path of a swinging door. Get under a sturdy table or desk if one is nearby. If not, get against an interior wall, away from windows and anything that can fall, cover your head and neck with your arms, and stay low until the shaking stops.
If you're outside, move away from buildings, utility lines, and overpasses and stay in the open. If you're driving, pull over away from bridges, overpasses, and power lines, set the parking brake, and stay in the vehicle until the shaking stops. Do not try to run outside from a building mid-shake - most injuries happen from falling debris during that move.
See also: How to Sign Up for Los Angeles County Emergency Alerts - and What the System Actually Does · How Mortgage Rate Changes Actually Affect California Homebuyers - and What You Can Do About It
After the Shaking Stops
Expect aftershocks. Some will be significant. Before you re-enter a damaged building, check it from outside for structural damage - cracks in the foundation, a leaning wall, shifted foundation. If you smell gas, leave immediately, don't use any switches or open flames, and report it to your utility provider from outside the building. PG&E, SCE, SoCalGas, and other utilities all have outage and emergency reporting lines that should be in your contacts before an event, not looked up after.
Do not use elevators. Check on neighbors, especially elderly or disabled residents who may be unable to reach out. Listen to a battery-powered radio or NOAA radio for official instructions - in the immediate aftermath of a major earthquake, social media spreads misinformation faster than official agencies can correct it. Official sources in California include Cal OES (caloes.ca.gov), local county emergency management offices, and the National Weather Service.
If your county has issued an evacuation order, that order is binding. "Evacuation warning" means be ready to leave. "Evacuation order" means leave now. These are transmitted through county emergency alert systems - if you haven't already signed up for your county's system, that's a separate step worth taking today through your county's Office of Emergency Services or emergency management website.
Maintaining Your Kit
A go-bag you packed in 2021 and never touched since is close to useless. Set a calendar reminder to check it twice a year - many people tie it to the daylight saving time clock changes in March and November, which is a reasonable anchor. Rotate food and water, replace expired medications, update document copies, and make sure battery-powered devices still work. Kids' needs change, pets' needs change, and medical situations change - the kit has to reflect your household as it actually is today, not as it was when you first threw it together.
This is general information based on publicly available Cal OES and USGS guidance, not professional emergency management or medical advice. Verify current preparedness recommendations with the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services at caloes.ca.gov, the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program at usgs.gov/programs/earthquake-hazards, and your county's official emergency management office.