How to Build a California Go-Bag That Emergency Officials Actually Recommend
what should i put in a california earthquake/wildfire go-bag
California's Office of Emergency Services recommends including at least one gallon of water per person per day for 72 hours, non-perishable food, a first-aid kit, prescription medications, copies of important documents in a waterproof pouch, a battery-powered weather radio, a flashlight, a phone charger and backup battery, cash in small bills, and an N95 mask. Adjust the list for infants, elderly family members, or anyone with specific medical needs.
how do i sign up for wildfire evacuation alerts in california
California counties run their own alert systems, so sign-up is county-specific. Most use platforms like Genasys, Everbridge, or Nixle. The California Office of Emergency Services at caloes.ca.gov lists resources to find your county's system. Register your physical home address, not a P.O. box, so the system can assign you to the correct geographic evacuation zone and reach you at the right time.
what does drop cover and hold on mean during an earthquake
Drop, Cover, and Hold On is the official earthquake guidance from USGS and Cal OES. Drop to your hands and knees so shaking doesn't knock you down. Take cover under a sturdy table or desk, or protect your head and neck with your arms if nothing is nearby. Hold on until shaking fully stops. Avoid running outside during shaking, as most injuries come from falling objects and broken glass.
how much defensible space does calfire require around my home
CalFire requires two zones of defensible space for homes in State Responsibility Areas. Zone 1 covers the first 30 feet around your structure and must be kept clear of dead vegetation, with tree branches trimmed at least six feet from the ground. Zone 2 extends from 30 to 100 feet and requires thinned, spaced vegetation to slow fire spread. Local rules may add requirements beyond the state baseline; check fire.ca.gov for your specific parcel.
does the myshake app actually give you warning before an earthquake hits
The MyShake app, built with USGS and UC Berkeley as part of the ShakeAlert early warning system, can push alerts to your phone seconds before strong shaking arrives, depending on your distance from the earthquake's origin. The window is short but can be enough to drop, cover, and hold on before the most intense waves hit. The app is free and available for iOS and Android.
California's back-to-back disaster seasons have made one thing clear: evacuation orders can come with almost no warning, whether from a wind-driven wildfire or a major earthquake. Having a go-bag packed and ready before you need it is one of the most concrete steps a household can take, and the guidance from Cal OES and CalFire is specific enough that "grab whatever's nearby" isn't a plan.
Related: Your California Go-Bag Checklist: What Emergency Officials Actually Recommend You Pack · How to Build a California Earthquake Go-Bag: What Cal OES and USGS Actually Recommend
What Goes in a Go-Bag
Cal OES recommends building a kit that can sustain each person in a household for at least 72 hours without outside help. That means water first: one gallon per person per day is the standard guidance, so a family of four needs at least 12 gallons if they're storing a full three-day supply. That's not practical to carry, so the portable go-bag version typically means a few sealed water bottles per person plus a compact filtration device.
Food in the bag should be non-perishable and require no cooking: think sealed nutrition bars, dried fruit, nuts, canned goods with pull-tabs. Include a manual can opener regardless. Rotate stock at least once a year so nothing expires on you.
Beyond food and water, Cal OES guidance calls for a first-aid kit, any prescription medications (at minimum a several-day supply, ideally a week or more), copies of critical documents in a waterproof pouch (ID, insurance cards, medical records, any medication lists), a battery-powered or hand-crank NOAA weather radio, a flashlight with extra batteries, a phone charger and backup battery bank, cash in small bills, a whistle, a dust mask or N95, and a basic change of clothes and sturdy shoes. If your household includes infants, elderly family members, or people with disabilities, their specific needs - formula, mobility aids, hearing aid batteries - need a dedicated checklist of their own.
CalFire and Cal OES both suggest keeping a secondary, larger kit at home for shelter-in-place scenarios and a leaner bag in your car. That car bag has saved people who were caught away from home when an evacuation order dropped.
How to Get Evacuation Alerts Before the Fire Reaches Your Street
Wireless Emergency Alerts push automatically to cell phones in an affected area, but they're a last resort - they reach you when the situation is already critical. County-level alert systems give earlier notice, often when an area moves into "evacuation warning" status before an order is issued.
Most California counties use systems like Genasys (formerly Zonehaven), Everbridge, or Nixle for opt-in alerts. Because a recent CALWIRE piece already covered San Diego County's specific sign-up process in depth, the broader point here is that the enrollment process is county-specific - your Los Angeles County registration won't follow you to Riverside County. The California Office of Emergency Services maintains a statewide resource page at caloes.ca.gov, and from there you can find your county's specific alert system. When you sign up, registering your physical address rather than a P.O. box matters: many systems zone alerts geographically, so if the system doesn't know where you live, you may not get the right notifications.
Cal OES also recommends downloading the MyShake app, developed with USGS and UC Berkeley as part of the ShakeAlert earthquake early warning system. ShakeAlert uses a network of seismic sensors to push alerts to mobile devices seconds before shaking arrives - not long, but potentially enough time to drop, cover, and hold on before a major seismic wave hits. The app is free and available for both iOS and Android.
During an Earthquake: What USGS and Cal OES Say to Do
The official guidance is Drop, Cover, and Hold On - and it's worth knowing why the specifics matter. Drop to your hands and knees so the earthquake doesn't knock you off your feet. Get under a sturdy desk or table if one is nearby, covering your head and neck with your arms if it's not. Hold on until the shaking stops. Don't run outside during shaking; most injuries happen from falling objects and broken glass, not from buildings collapsing on people, and the doorway isn't the protective structure it was once assumed to be.
If you're in bed when a quake hits, Cal OES says stay there, roll face-down, and protect your head with a pillow. If you're outdoors, move away from buildings, streetlights, and utility wires and stay in the open until shaking stops. If you're driving, pull over away from overpasses, bridges, and power lines, stop, and stay inside with your seatbelt on.
After shaking stops, expect aftershocks. Check for injuries and hazards - gas leaks, structural damage, downed power lines - before moving around. If you smell gas, leave the building, don't use a lighter or switch, and call your utility company from outside. Cal OES advises not re-entering a damaged building until it's been inspected.
See also: California Earthquake Go-Bag Checklist: What Emergency Officials Actually Say to Pack · How to Build a Go-Bag for California Earthquakes and Wildfires - and What's Actually in One
Defensible Space: The CalFire Rule That Applies to Most Wildfire-Zone Homes
If your home is in a State Responsibility Area - the zones where CalFire, not a local fire department, has primary fire protection responsibility - California law requires you to maintain defensible space around your structure. CalFire's current guidance divides this into two zones: Zone 1 (the first 30 feet around your home) and Zone 2 (from 30 to 100 feet, or to your property line if that's closer).
In Zone 1, the goal is a lean, clean, and green buffer. That means removing dead plants, grass, and weeds; trimming trees so the lowest branches are at least six feet off the ground; and keeping plants spaced so fire can't easily ladder up from ground cover to tree canopy. In Zone 2, vegetation should be spaced and thinned so a fire moving through would lose momentum - the specific spacing guidance varies by slope, because steeper terrain accelerates fire spread.
CalFire inspectors do conduct defensible space inspections, particularly before and during fire season. Some local fire agencies and counties with High Fire Hazard Severity Zones layer additional requirements on top of the state baseline. If you're not sure which rules apply to your parcel, CalFire's website at fire.ca.gov has a hazard severity zone lookup tool and current defensible space guidance. Requirements can change, so check there rather than relying on what a neighbor tells you.
Keeping the Plan Current
A go-bag that hasn't been touched in three years, an alert registration tied to an old address, or medications that expired last spring won't help you in an actual emergency. Cal OES recommends reviewing your household emergency plan at least once a year. A practical trigger: set a calendar reminder for the same week you change your smoke detector batteries. Check the bag, rotate the food and water, confirm your alert registrations still reflect where you live, and make sure everyone in the household knows the meeting point if you're separated when something happens.
This is general preparedness information, not emergency response instruction for any specific incident. For current, official guidance on go-bag contents and earthquake safety, visit Cal OES at caloes.ca.gov. For wildfire defensible space requirements specific to your property, visit CalFire at fire.ca.gov. For ShakeAlert and earthquake preparedness guidance, visit the USGS at usgs.gov/programs/earthquake-hazards.