Recently California has had several brushes with earthquakes lately that seemingly are growing stronger. This last one was a 5.1. Not to mention the crazy wildfires that light the whole pacific coast ablaze, leaving many homeless.
After the earthquake, I was on Facebook n twitter, along with hundreds of other people talking about the rumbles. I started tweeting with a friend about my ‘gluten free emergency earthquake kit’ and if she had one. A few more friends chimed in and a few more. Even if you don’t live in an earthquake or fire zone, having an emergency bag gives you peace of mind.
I never know how big an earthquake will be. All of a sudden everything around me starts to shake or roll. Two earthquakes ago, my 4×5 mirror in the hallway fell and shattered, pictures fell from their shelves, my poor bar took a hit – broken bottles n glasses, stickiness everywhere. Then as quickly as it began, it’s over. But I always feel myself sitting there waiting. Will there be aftershocks? Is there an even bigger one coming? You never know, so why not play it safe just in case.
I grew up in Chicago, the land of the harsh cold and wind. Moving to southern California was eventually a no-brainer for me. I’d like to think a little house shaking with the slim possibility of an earthquake happening offsets the miserable freezing winters year after year. Now, I have to admit, I’m a little nervous.
For my emergency bag, gluten free snacks, water and my important papers were the priority. I packed what I thought I’d need if I have to grab n run.
My bag consists of:
- Gluten free snacks: protein bars & shakes, nuts, ‘That’s It’ bars I love because they’re all fruit, crackers, chicken broth, canned tuna and raisins
- Water
- Important papers like passport, ID, credit cards, birth certificate, social security card, etc…
- Two sets of clothes for warm & cold weather as well as gym shoes & flips flops
- Bathroom stuff: shampoo, tampons, toilet paper, toothbrush & toothpaste, sunscreen, etc…
- Flashlight & batteries
- Candles & lighter
- Extra phone charger
- Pen & paper
- Small blanket
- A book I always meant to read but haven’t gotten around to yet
- my iPod
- Plus I have my cat carrier already stuffed with blanket & food
My bag isn’t a big one, its a medium sized backpack sitting in the corner, hoping it never gets picked for game day but knows it’s ready if it does.
Do you have your Gluten Free Emergency Bag all packed and ready to go?
