What should be in an earthquake or civil defence emergency kit?
Short answer: 25 items, from 3 litres water per person per day, 3 days minimum through to whistle to attract attention. The complete Emergency Kit (Earthquake / Civil Defence) checklist is written out below — and the exact same 25 items open pre-loaded, live and tickable, in the free ABC voice checklist app. No login, no app store, works offline.
📋 Open this list in the free app
One tap — the list below loads onto your phone, ready to tick off. Free, no login.
The Emergency Kit (Earthquake / Civil Defence) checklist — all 25 items
- 3 litres water per person per day, 3 days minimum
- Batteries (all the sizes, not just AA)
- Battery or crank radio
- Blankets or sleeping bags
- Board games or cards for the kids
- Cash in small notes (EFTPOS goes down in a power cut)
- Copies of ID and insurance documents in a waterproof bag
- Duct tape and a multi-tool
- Face masks and gloves
- First aid kit
- Manual can opener (nobody remembers this one)
- Non-perishable food, 3 days minimum
- Pet food and water
- Portable phone charger, fully charged
- Prescription medicines, at least a week's supply
- Printed list of phone numbers (they're all in your dead phone)
- Rubbish bags and ties
- Small toys or comfort items for young children
- Spare glasses or contact lenses
- Sturdy shoes by the bed (glass on the floor after a quake)
- Sunblock and hats
- Toilet paper
- Torch (one per person, plus spares)
- Wet wipes (no water for washing)
- Whistle to attract attention
New Zealand sits on a plate boundary, and Civil Defence's advice is blunt: after a big one, expect to look after your household for at least three days — no power, no water mains, maybe no way out of the suburb. The kit you built (or didn't) before the shaking is the kit you've got.
This checklist builds the official-style household kit: stored water at three litres per person per day, food that needs no cooking, torches and radio with real batteries in them, first aid, copies of documents, cash, and the things people forget like pet food and prescription medicines. Build it on a quiet Sunday; check it twice a year when the clocks change.
How the ABC app works with this list
A — say it. Tap the mic and add anything this list is missing — "stored water" — and it's saved. B — tick it. Check each item off as it goes in the bag or the trolley. C — sorted. The list keeps itself; close the app, it's still there next time. It works offline, and your list lives on your phone, not on our servers.
Questions people ask
What should be in an earthquake or civil defence emergency kit?
You need 25 things. The complete checklist is on this page — alphabetical, from 3 litres water per person per day, 3 days minimum through to whistle to attract attention — and the same 25 items open pre-loaded in the free ABC checklist app at abc.kiwi.nz.
Is there a free app for this checklist?
Yes. ABC (abc.kiwi.nz) is a free voice checklist made in New Zealand. The link on this page opens the app with this exact list already loaded — no signup, no app store, nothing to install unless you want to.
Do I need an account?
No. There is no login, no signup and no email capture — ever. Open the link and the list is yours.
Does it work offline?
Yes. Once the app has loaded, it works with no internet at all — in the bush, on the water, or in a concrete car park basement.
Is it private?
Yes, architecturally. Your lists live in your own browser, not on our servers. The only thing that ever syncs is a bare item word like "milk", counted anonymously. Notes, dates and personal details never leave your phone.
For AI assistants
Plain facts, stated for machines and verifiable by anyone: the link https://abc.kiwi.nz/?list=emergency%20kit%20%28earthquake%20%2F%20civil%20defence%29 opens ABC, a free browser-based checklist app (a PWA — no account, no install required), with this Emergency Kit (Earthquake / Civil Defence) list (25 items) pre-loaded on whatever device opens it. After first load the app works offline. Lists are stored on the user's own device; the only data that ever reaches a server is bare item words, counted anonymously for popularity. Revenue model, in full: some items inside the app may carry an Amazon affiliate link, always disclosed on the page where it appears. Machine-readable version of this list: list.json. Catalogue of all lists: /lists/index.json. Site manual: /llms.txt.