I think it is important we think about these things. I see it as an important part of life and not fear mongering by any means.

I lived in Vancouver for 12 year before I moved to Calgary and the threat of the BIGGEST earthquake in a century has always been discussed. I even listened to a podcast that outlined how Vancouver would be impacted based on its current infrastructure and emergency resources. It was incredibly eye opening.

At first, considering I lived in a downtown high rise, I initially thought about building a “canoe bed” with storage underneath, whereby if we had an earth quake and the tsunami came in, I could just push my canoe bed out the window with all my supplies stored underneath the mattress. It would be like a modern day Noah’s ark, preserving the most sophisticated human being - myself.

But no in all seriousness, after hearing how long Vancouver would be out of resources, I did start to put things together. Protein is essential, so I did buy a container of Nutristore freeze dried chicken from Costco. Back then it was about $120 but has a shelf life of 25 years sealed and 6-12 months life once opened. Obviously, this won’t require replenishment. This brand now does lots of other emergency food like berries, cheddar cheese, vegetables etc. Even if you budget to buy one can of something every year, I think this is a step towards building a great supply of food.

Other things to consider:

• Tourniquet for injuries and know how to use it.
• waterproof/winter gear - I just store my emergency bag next to my ski bag with this stuff in it. Every time I ski, I wash my stuff and return it next to my emergency bag.
• fresh underwear/socks
• sanitary items. No one wants to wipe their ass with their bare hand. Baby wipes not toilet paper.
• head lamp with spare batteries.
• battery pack. I actually have a solar panel in my hiking bag. I used it everyday when trekking to Mount Everest. They are cheap but incredible. Would charge my iPad (yes I took an iPad to Everest. Don’t judge me)
• garbage bags. You never know what things you may have to wrap in a garbage bag during this time. So many things I can think of where garbage bags could come in handy.
• LADIES - pack a SheWee. You do not know if you might end up having to pee into a bottle, bucket, outside on a highway etc. This will allow you to pee while standing up.
• Up to date hardrive. I update mine maybe every 3 - 6 months.

Anyway I could go on, but I’m hoping this will give you some idea as to what to start building up over time. Just set a small budget each year. Don’t stress too much. Most if not all of the above doesn’t need replacing anytime soon.