An emergency bag or a bug out bag contains all of those things we think we will be most likely to need should SHTF and we find ourselves abandoning ship until the storm passes. If you live in an earthquake-prone area like the west coast, you'll probably want a bug out bag that is geared for earthquakes.

In the article below, you can learn how to craft an ideal earthquake bug out bag.

How to Make an Emergency Earthquake Bag:
A good backpack/duffel bag
In this particular situation, you probably don’t want to look too high-speed or military. Try to keep your bag plain and tough, and if at all possible – waterproof. It would also help quite a bit if it were the kind of bag that was both a duffel bag and a backpack, but if I had my druthers, I’d choose a backpack over a duffel bag.
If you find yourself without a bag, just up what you can find in a blanket or sheet and wrap it with belts, cordage, wires; whatever.
A flashlight for each person
A way to charge your phone
If you have an iPhone, you won’t be able to use a generic USB cable to charge your phone (obviously). If your battery jumper box (or equivalent) doesn’t have a cable for your phone, get one and keep it in your bag.
Small car jump starter box
Jumper boxes used to be huge, heavy things you only threw in your car to help someone out who needed a jump. They’re now down to about the size of a USB hard drive and can charge your cell phone or even your laptop in most cases. You do have to balance the weight/space with the benefits but because they’re now about a pound or less, I say carry one.
Small solar panel
Keep in mind that you’ll want to also have some kind of either USB battery, or preferably a car jump starter as mentioned above, so you can charge that instead of directly charging your electronics. Some things like iPhones will cut off charging if a cloud or shadow comes over and not kick back on unless you either reconnect the solar panel or have really bright, direct sunlight to kick it back on. The battery won’t care if it’s getting a lot or a little current and can then be used to charge several devices later on, even at night.
AA battery charger/USB device
If you switch to having only flashlights and other things that take batteries to ones that only use AA, it makes things TONS easier. A little device like this Goal Zero Guide 10 Plus will allow you to charge rechargeable AA batteries with the output from a solar panel or portable battery. This means that as long as you don’t lose your batteries, you should never run out of light.
Solar lantern
This one is not a necessity but it does make things more comfortable.
Handheld ham radio
After a large earthquake, you can be pretty sure you won’t be able to use your cell phone, at least any time soon. The best emergency communications solution, by far, is actually a ham radio.
A change of clothes
At least carry some socks. Battles have been lost because Soldiers didn’t take care of their feet.
Neck Gaiter for each person
They work by fitting on your throat/neck area to keep the heat from escaping the inside of your shirt/jacket. You can get thick ones if you’re expecting it to be cold or thin ones for chilly weather. They can also be used as a hat.
Poncho and liner
A good poncho can be a lifesaver if you’re stuck outside overnight, which is why we got them in the Army. It can be worn to keep you dry in the rain or stretched out as a shelter or a blanket.
A hat for each person
A hat can help keep you a lot warmer if you find yourself sleeping without heat during a cold night. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t actually lose 80% from the top of your head, but you do lose a lot.
A pair of heavy gloves
You’d be amazed at just how quickly your fingers will give out if you’re not used to moving cement and rock all day. After an earthquake, you may find yourself needing to do just that. Gloves can also (obviously) keep your hands warm on a chilly night.
Carry some freaking water!
One thing you have to have in your car at all times is water. Just do it. You can only go a couple days without water and things get pretty uncomfortable way before that point. I just throw in a case of bottled water in the trunk and leave it there. Take a few bottles out and put in your bag.
Water Filter
Because you can’t possibly carry enough water with you to survive a week (each gallon is over 8 pounds and you’d optimally need 2 quarts to a gallon a day), you’ll need to replenish your water supply with what you can find. Earthquakes can taint the water in the area so ALL of it that’s not in sealed containers is now suspect.
Compact stove and pot
With a compact stove and pot, you can boil water to either make it safe or to use in emergency food pouches. You can also use it to stay warm.
Aluminum foil
A few feet of aluminum foil, folded up nicely, can be great for cooking things. You can also use it to fit an AAA battery into an AA slot or as a fire starter with an AA battery and some of your toilet paper.
A can opener
The easiest can opener to carry would be the old military standby: a P38 can opener.
Survival food
There are tons of options in the way of dehydrated food that you could carry. They pretty much all taste like crap. I actually like some of the MRE meals better than the emergency food I’ve tried.
A better option would be to carry some homemade (or at least store-bought) trail mix – sometimes called GORP. Pound-for-pound, it’s pretty hard to beat and very easy to pack. You could technically go a week without eating and not die, but not only would that be pretty miserable, you’d lose motivation to do things and your thinking won’t be as clear.
A way to start a fire
If I could only bring one way to start a fire, it’d be a cheap lighter. They’ll work in most cases. Since you’re in an urban environment, it shouldn’t be too hard to come up with a way to build a fire but you’ll have to light it.
A good knife
If I only had one thing I could take with me to survive, it would be a good knife. Once you learn how, you can make shelter, fire, fishing/trapping/hunting equipment, protect yourself, or whittle toothpicks with a good knife.
Unfortunately, some of you live in places where you can’t carry a good knife. Move.
If you don’t already have a multitool in your EDC kit, I’d throw one of those in the bag as well. They can come in handy for lots of things. They do add a bit of weight for how small they are though so you’ll have to balance whether it’s worth the extra weight. Someone in your group should have one though, and you may not be with your group.
An emergency whistle
A whistle is not only a LOT louder than you can yell, it requires much less effort so you can do it for much longer. Just keep whistling 3 times every so often as a distress signal if you’re lost or buried.
A REAL Emergency blanket
That little silver mylar emergency “blanket” you have. Just get rid of it. It’s only good as a heat reflector or maybe something to keep off a light rain but they’ll rip the first time you use them.
Detailed map of your town
Unless you live in a small town and never leave, you may have to walk several miles to get where you need to go. Things on foot look completely different than things in a car. 10x different at night. Put a map in your bag that shows friendly “go-to” areas such as police stations, hospitals, and the homes of friends.
List of emergency info
In addition to the map, write down the addresses and phone numbers of emergency contacts and friends you have in town. Also list the addresses of go-to areas that are likely to be on your route or near work/home etc. During an emergency, sometimes all you need is one friendly contact to make a huge difference.
As mentioned above, try to locate each address and mark it on your map so you can find them easier. The easiest way is to put a letter/number on the map (P1, P2, H1, H2, F1, F2, etc) and list them out with that same identification.
Ham radio repeater info
If you’re a good little ham radio operator, you’ll research all the repeaters in your area and list all that information as well. What a repeater does is take your tiny handheld signal and blast it across the city, and take that signal from across the city and send it back to you. You don’t need a repeater in the area to talk to someone on the same frequency as you (which is called simplex) but it increases your range immensely.
Copies of ID cards
Make a copy of all your identification cards in case you lose one of them. You may run into a situation where people are asking for ID in order to get back into your neighborhood, for instance.
Toilet paper
If you have the room, throw in some toilet paper into your bag and make sure it’s in something that will keep it dry. Not only can it double as very good tinder to help get a fire started, you’re a rockstar if you bring toilet paper.
Liquid soap
Staying clean isn’t just being a polite citizen. Clean can help keep you from getting sick.
If you get a cut or scrape, don’t go reaching right away for that antibiotic. Just clean it with some soap and water and bandage it to keep it from bleeding everywhere and from getting dirty.
Baby wipes and talcum powder
If you’ve ever been deployed, or even just camping, you know just how awesome it is to have baby wipes with you to take what we call a whore’s bath and then talcum powder for your feet and your nether region.
A couple of tough garbage bags
You never know what you’re gonna face until you face it but garbage bags can help you keep things dry in a rainstorm that you hadn’t planned on or keep things organized if you have more things than you can fit into your backpack. They don’t take up much room and are super cheap so you’d might as well just throw a couple in there.
Basic First Aid Kit
Chlotrimazole
Not only is it good for foot fungus, it’s immensely helpful for crotch rot if you find yourself several days in a wet environment, which, as I found in Central America, can make you combat ineffective (or able to walk). It can also be used for some girly-problems.
Glasses
If you need glasses to see, carry a spare pair in your bag. Walking through the aftermath of an earthquake can present a lot of mechanical injury or cut dangers and your glasses may break at some point.
Medicines
If you have medicine that you absolutely have to take, see if you can keep a week’s-worth in your bag. If you or anyone close to you has a serious allergy that may present a problem (like bees), try to carry an epipen and some antihistamine. Antihistamine won’t stop a severe reaction but it may buy you some time and will help with more minor symptoms.
Sunscreen 
Cash
Bring some small denomination bills with you. Just don’t flash it around, and don’t keep it all in one place. If someone decides to gank your cash, you don’t want them to get all of it.

These are all great ideas for any bug out bag, not just one meant for surviving after an earthquake. It's important to note that operating a Ham radio in emergencies is going to be one of the best methods of communication, which is why in times of crisis it is legal to operate one without a license.

However, unless you have a license now and practice with your radio frequently, this will just be dead weight because they are tough to master. Other things you should incorporate into all of your bug out bags are cash and copies of all of your ID cards. You never know when it could come in handy.

For more on this great topic, view the original article at Gray Wolf Survival.