Earthquake kit
Structural damage, gas and water line breaks, fire, possible evacuation. A calm, sourced kit for households in active European seismic regions.
Earthquakes in Europe concentrate in a handful of regions — southern Italy, Greece, Portugal, Turkey, the Balkans, parts of Romania. If you live in one of them, the difference between a frightening hour and a serious incident is decided by what is already in your home before the shaking starts. The kit below is what travels with the household; the wizard fits it to your building, household, and the specific risks of your postcode.
Why this kit, not a generic 72-hour list
A high-rise apartment in Athens needs a different kit than a stone house in rural Umbria. Building type, floor level, gas-line layout, and household composition all change the priorities — what to secure, what to grab, where to shelter. A generic earthquake list ignores all of this; our wizard asks four short questions and adjusts.
What this kit usually contains
A representative slice of the kit a typical European household receives for this scenario. Quantities are tuned to your household and climate when you run the personaliser. Estimated total cost for the items below: €298.
| Item | Quantity | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-packed evacuation bag (per adult)critical A 25-35 litre backpack pre-packed and labelled by the door. Target weight: <=12 kg. |
adults bags | €60 |
| Sturdy shoes under each bedcritical Closed-toe trainers or boots under each bed, with a small head torch tucked in one shoe. |
adults + childrenCount pairs | €0 |
| Heavy work gloves and sturdy bootscritical Cut-resistant gloves and thick-soled footwear staged where you shelter — for moving through debris and glass. |
adults pairs | €25 |
| Drinking water reservecritical Sealed potable water in cool, dark storage. Split across multiple containers — if one spoils, the rest survives. |
(adults + childrenCount) * 2 * days L | €12 |
| Shelf-stable no-cook food (3 days)critical Nuts, bars, tinned fish, peanut butter, dried fruit. Food that needs no heat, no fridge, and almost no prep. |
(adults * 2000 + childrenCount * 1500) * days kcal | €35 |
| Manual can openercritical A simple, reliable can opener that does not need power. Keep one in the kitchen and one in the evac bag. |
2 units | €6 |
| Basic first-aid kitcritical Adhesive dressings, sterile gauze, tape, gloves, scissors, tweezers, antiseptic, paracetamol/ibuprofen, ORS sachets. |
1 kit | €25 |
| Headlamp + spare batteriescritical A hands-free LED headlamp per person, plus enough spare batteries for one full set. |
adults + childrenCount units | €18 |
| Battery / hand-crank radiocritical A small radio that works without mains power and receives AM/FM and (where available) NOAA/EBU emergency bands. |
1 unit | €30 |
| Bucket toilet kit (water cut backup) A 20 L bucket with a clip-on seat, heavy-duty bin liners, sawdust or cat litter for odour control. |
1 kit | €35 |
| Pet carrier(s) A correctly sized airline-approved carrier per cat and a fold-flat carrier or harness+lead per dog. Stored open and accessible. |
cats + dogs units | €40 |
| Paper map of region + compass A printed road or topographic map of your county or region in a waterproof sleeve, plus a baseplate compass. |
1 set | €12 |
Three habits this week
- Walk through your home and identify two safe spots in each room you use most — sturdy interior walls, away from windows and heavy furniture. Tell everyone in the house where they are. Drills only work when the spots are agreed in advance.
- Secure the three heaviest items in your home to the wall this weekend. A bookcase, a wardrobe, a water heater. Wall straps cost €5 each and outperform every consumer "earthquake kit" you can buy.
- Photograph the gas shut-off valve and write the location on the fridge. Aftershocks happen in dark, dust-filled rooms; you will not improvise this in the moment.
Personalise YOUR earthquake kit — 90 seconds
The list above is the universal half. The wizard asks 6 short questions about your home, household and climate, then adjusts the items and quantities.
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