Dunedin Student Flat Names Project

Emergency kit #eqnz

On the day of the September 2010 earthquake I spent the day anxiously making up an emergency kit. It lived in the dining room, by the kitchen door, for a month. On 22nd February I grabbed it as we ran from our house through water, silt and sewage. We used a lot of the items over the subsequent days. I thought I’d list the contents, both to refer back to, and as a help to others if needed.

In the house I had a basket in which we kept the following (I’d got into the habit of throwing my camera and wallet in there at the end of each day):

• important family documents (including 2 copies of a get thru help sheet and EQC and insurance details and a spare eftpos card)
• pad and paper
• ziplock bag of chargers (headphones, adapters, phone, camera etc)
• wind up torch-radio-charger
• first aid kit
• wallet
• camera
• sunscreen
• hats

In the garage were three other kits.

Plastic Box (20L):

• gas stove and cylinders
• butane stove and cylinders
• radio with batteries and electric cord
• analogue ph
• power board
• ziplock bag of toiletries (deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap)
• ziplock bag with sponges and rubber gloves
• ziplock bag with candles and matches
• chalk
• fishing line
• squirter bottle (to fill with detol solution)
• detol/antiseptic (to make up in a bottle to use instead of soap for washing hands)
• bleach (to sanitise drinking water)
• washing powder for clothes
• packets of wipes
• laundry soap
• large black polythene bags
• cups, plates etc
• ziplock bag with a sharp knife, scissors, potato peeler, swiss army knife, screwdriver
• pack of cards
• ziplock bag with pens and pad of paper
• soda water and other bottled water

Food Bag:

• water
• 500ml olive oil
• cans of tuna
• cans of lentils
• cans of tomatoes
• cans of peaches
• cans of apricots
• cans of chickpeas
• cans of baked beans 
• cans of soup
• packets of soup mix
• tube of coffee and condensed milk
• fruit in a tube
• rice crackers/cream crackers
• nut bars/muesli bars

Pack:

• jackets
• sleeping bags
• blankets
• towels and tea towels
• fleece tops
• bivvy bag
• plastic sheeting

Other things I should have had ready and will include when we top up:

• cash
• change of clothes and shoes
• gumboots
• solar shower
• pot
• a couple of games and books
• insulation tape
• tarpaulin
• dehydrated meals
• collapsable bucket and an old colander (use for a loo)
• face masks
• brush and shovel
• spare keys for the house