Hey Foo (That was not an attempt at a Mr. T impression BTW),
If you are in SoCal, you may want to pop over to
Major Surplus and Survival in Gardena.
Good source of supplies for MRE's, water storage, etc...
As for me, I've got a few 3 gallon water jugs from Smart & Final (no membership required). It was $3.00 per jug. Works out to be the same price as a 1 gallon you would buy at a supermarket, but easier to carry and refill. Shelf life is two years. Here is a page from their site with
with some general suggestions.I picked up a few of the boxes of the MRE entree packets last year from Major Surplus and Survival, but have a fairly well stocked pantry with lots of can goods lthat won't need too much prep or cooking ike tuna, soup, vegetables, beans, chili, PBJ, etc.
I stock up on what I normally eat when they are on sale and rotate frequently. I try to look for brands that have expiration dates, ideally at least two years. I mark the purchase date on them with a Sharpie so I know if it needs to go.
A bottle of PLAIN, unscented bleach with purification directions marked on the side with a Sharpie is good to have as well as LED flashlight, gloves, goggles, first aid stuff, knowing how to shut off gas. . .
A lot of good info over here also at the
Survival Forum.
72hours.org,
Ready.gov, and the
Red Cross should keep you busy for a while as well.
Wet wipes are good to maintain proper personal hygiene, especially if there is limited water due to busted mains after a major quake.
Generator is a sticky question. If you live in a city and your block has no power for a day or two and you've got a generator cranking, you've got a good chance of unwanted guests showing up.
I've got candles and hand crank/battery operated radio instead.
No 10/22, but I've got a Daisy Red Ryder!