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QuakeFYI

비상 키트 구성기

Build a personalized earthquake emergency kit with quantities based on your household size.

Preparedness

지진 비상 대비가 중요한 이유

대규모 지진 이후, 수도, 전기, 응급 대응과 같은 필수 서비스가 며칠에서 몇 주까지 중단될 수 있습니다. FEMA, 적십자사, 일본 방재관리청은 모두 가정에서 최소 72시간 비상 물자 키트를 유지할 것을 권장합니다. 그러나 2011년 도호쿠 지진과 2023년 튀르키예-시리아 지진과 같은 최근 사건들은 중단이 훨씬 더 오래 지속될 수 있음을 보여주었으며, 많은 방재 전문가들이 최소 7일분의 물자를 권장하게 되었습니다.

이 도구는 가구 구성에 따라 맞춤형 키트 목록을 생성합니다. 물이 가장 중요한 항목으로, 표준 권장량은 음용수와 기본 위생을 위해 1인당 하루 1갤런(3.8리터)입니다. 영유아, 고령자 또는 반려동물이 있는 가구는 일반적인 체크리스트가 간과하는 추가적인 필요가 있습니다: 영유아는 분유와 기저귀가 필요하고, 고령자는 처방약과 이동 보조기구가 필요할 수 있으며, 반려동물은 사료, 물, 이동장이 필요합니다. 기후 조건도 키트 내용에 영향을 미칩니다. 추운 기후의 키트에는 보온 담요와 손난로를, 더운 기후의 키트에는 추가 물과 전해질 용액을 포함해야 합니다.

비상 키트 모범 사례

  • 키트를 출구 근처의 쉽게 접근할 수 있는 장소에 보관하세요. 구조적 손상 후 접근이 불가능해질 수 있는 잠긴 지하실이나 윗층은 피하세요.
  • 물과 식량 공급품을 6개월마다 교체하세요. 상업적으로 밀봉된 물의 유통기한은 약 2년이며, 통조림은 2~5년간 보관 가능합니다.
  • 중요 서류(신분증, 보험 증서, 비상 연락처) 사본을 방수 가방에 넣어 키트 안에 보관하세요.
  • 휴대전화 네트워크가 중단될 때 비상 방송을 수신할 수 있도록 배터리 또는 수동 크랭크 라디오를 포함하세요.

일반적인 용도

  • 가구 규모와 필요에 맞게 수량을 조정한 가족 비상 키트를 구성합니다.
  • 지진 대비 물품 쇼핑 목록 작성.
  • 기존 비상 키트를 검토하고 업데이트하여 중요한 항목이 빠지지 않았는지 확인.
  • 입주 인원 수에 따라 직장이나 학교 비상 물자 키트 준비.

How to Use

  1. 1
    Enter Household Details

    Specify the number of adults, children, infants, and pets in your household, plus any special medical needs. FEMA and the American Red Cross recommend a minimum 72-hour (3-day) supply for household preparedness, with 2 weeks recommended for major earthquake scenarios.

  2. 2
    Select Your Risk Level

    Choose your seismic zone (low, moderate, high, very high) based on your location. High-risk zones (California, Pacific Northwest, Japan, New Zealand) warrant larger supplies due to potential infrastructure disruption lasting weeks.

  3. 3
    Review Your Personalized Kit List

    Get a complete, quantified checklist with specific amounts for water (FEMA standard: 1 gallon per person per day), food, medical supplies, and communications equipment. Save or print for procurement tracking.

About

Emergency preparedness for earthquakes encompasses three phases that emergency managers call the '3 Ps': preparedness (building resilience before an event), response (actions taken in the immediate aftermath), and recovery (returning to normal function over weeks to months). The preparedness phase, where kit building occurs, is the most effective investment: research consistently shows that households with emergency supplies, practiced evacuation plans, and structural retrofits sustain fewer injuries and recover faster than unprepared households of similar socioeconomic status.

The 72-hour preparedness standard—maintaining 3 days of independent supplies—emerged from FEMA analysis of disaster response timelines: professional emergency responders typically cannot reach all affected households within the first 72 hours of a major event. For major earthquake scenarios on the scale of the anticipated Cascadia Subduction Zone event (estimated M8.0–9.2), FEMA's Cascadia Rising exercise projections suggest some communities may not receive substantial external aid for 2–4 weeks due to infrastructure (bridges, highways, ports) damage. Oregon and Washington emergency management now recommend 2-week household preparedness for residents in the subduction zone's projected impact area.

Community preparedness programs significantly amplify individual readiness. The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program, developed after the 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake by the Los Angeles Fire Department and now administered nationally by FEMA, trains community members in basic disaster response skills including light search and rescue, first aid, and fire suppression. Japan's neighborhood-level disaster prevention associations (Jishubo) coordinate block-level evacuation drills and maintain shared emergency caches for communities. These collective approaches address the reality that the first responders in any major disaster are the disaster survivors themselves—the first professional responders typically arrive 30 to 60 minutes after an event begins.

FAQ

How much water should I store for an earthquake emergency?
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and American Red Cross recommend a minimum of 1 gallon of water per person per day for drinking and basic sanitation, for a minimum of 3 days. For earthquake scenarios, where water infrastructure damage may last weeks, a 2-week supply is more appropriate for residents of seismically active regions. Water purification options—iodine tablets, portable filters (e.g., Sawyer Squeeze, LifeStraw), or UV sterilizers—extend stored supply effectively. Stored water should be replaced every 6–12 months; commercially sealed water has a shelf life of 2 years but can be consumed safely beyond that date if stored correctly (away from light, chemicals, and temperature extremes above 50°C).
What food should be in an earthquake emergency kit?
Emergency food should be calorie-dense, non-perishable, and require minimal preparation—particularly important when utility services are disrupted. FEMA recommends stocking 2,000+ calories per adult per day. Optimal items include commercially canned goods (vegetables, proteins, fruits) with ring-pull lids, freeze-dried meals (25-year shelf life, nutritionally complete), peanut butter (calorie-dense, shelf-stable), crackers, nuts, dried fruit, and protein or energy bars. A manual can opener is essential. High-sodium items should be limited if water supply is restricted. Infants, elderly individuals, and those with medical dietary requirements need specific provisions. The Ready.gov nutrition guidelines recommend selecting foods familiar to your household to maintain morale during extended emergencies.
What documents should I include in my earthquake emergency kit?
Critical documents should be stored in waterproof, portable containers or as secure digital backups. Essential items include: government-issued identification (passports, driver's licenses), insurance policies (homeowner's, renter's, health, vehicle), property deeds and mortgage documents, financial account information and recent statements, medical records and prescription information (including generic drug names), emergency contact lists (stored offline—mobile networks may be overwhelmed), and a local paper map. FEMA recommends photographing documents and uploading them to secure cloud storage as backup. The Federal Trade Commission also advises maintaining a list of credit card numbers and bank account information stored separately from physical cards.
How should I store emergency supplies to ensure they remain usable?
Storage location significantly affects the longevity and accessibility of emergency supplies. Ideal storage is cool (below 21°C), dry, dark, and away from gasoline or solvents. An interior closet, basement (above flood level), or garage corner (climate-permitting) works well. For earthquake preparedness specifically, supplies should be stored in low, stable locations—not in tall cupboards that may topple—and ideally in accessible 'go-bags' that can be grabbed quickly if evacuation is needed. Water containers should be food-grade plastic (HDPE, BPA-free); avoid reusing milk or juice jugs as their residual sugars promote bacterial growth. Rotate food on a first-in, first-out basis, integrating emergency food into regular meals to prevent expiration. Annual review and replacement of batteries, medications, and expired items is the minimum maintenance interval.
What communication tools are most reliable after a major earthquake?
Terrestrial cellular networks are frequently overwhelmed or damaged in major earthquakes. The most reliable communication tools during post-earthquake scenarios are: battery-powered or hand-crank NOAA Weather Radio receivers (which broadcast Emergency Alert System messages independent of internet infrastructure), satellite communicators (Garmin inReach, SPOT, Starlink emergency messaging), amateur (ham) radio (which requires licensing but offers maximum independence), and SMS text messaging (which queues and sends through congested networks more reliably than voice calls). The American Red Cross Safe and Well website enables family status check-ins via internet. Pre-establishing an out-of-area family contact—easier to reach than local lines—is standard Red Cross advice. Internet connectivity via Starlink low-earth-orbit satellite is now a practical option for households in disaster zones.