7 On Your Side tips for making a disaster kit

The approaching anniversary of the Loma Prieta Earthquake is bringing back memories of both devastation and survival. Now, 25 years later did we learn anything from it?

Many people are not prepared. In spite of the fact we all know we live in earthquake country, many people in the Bay Area are simply unprepared.

The recent Napa Quake and the Loma Prieta Earthquake anniversary should serve as a wake-up call for us all to put a disaster kit together. It doesn't have to be expensive. You can get most of the items at a local discount store.

Anna Simmons lives in San Anselmo and like most people in earthquake country she does not have an earthquake kit.

"I'm an optimist, I'm not that worried about it and I've lived through a lot of earthquakes and I guess they have just been smaller magnitude and there was always time to get what I needed and there wasn't that much damage so I guess I'm living in bliss and not too worried," Simmons said.

We turned to FEMA to find out what should go in every earthquake kit. "First off we have non-perishable food, FEMA recommends a minimum of three days worth of food supply," FEMA employee Randy Brawley said.

Water is essential too. "You want a minimum of one gallon per person per day," Brawley said.

The other basic supplies include "The can opener, flash light, extra batteries, first aid kit, disaster radio, hand cranked or solar powered disaster radio, weather radio, sanitation items," Brawley said.

It's good to have plastic sheeting and duct tape in case you have to shelter in place and adding a few tools will save you in a pinch. "Plyers and a wrench in case you have to turn off your utilities," Brawley said.

You may be trapped and need a way to communicate with others. "If you have to call for help you don't want to scream so you want to have a whistle," Brawley said.

And, don't forget to include food and water for your pets too.

If you want to go beyond FEMA's minimum recommendations, you might want to add water purification tablets or even just bleach. "In addition you can have a reverse osmosis pump that you purify water," Brawley said.

A fire extinguisher is always good to have around and if you want to really step it up, you can get a kettle that will boil water in about five minutes with just a few handfuls of twigs. And Brawley says to consider a solar charger for all your USB devices.

You should store your items in a weatherproof bin ideally outside, in case your house collapses or is too unsafe to go into.

A good time to check for outdated batteries, food and water is when there's a time change, which is also coming up.