It will, of course, be a dark and stormy winter's night when the Cascadia Subduction Zone fault erupts. If it happens in your lifetime, there is a 1 in 3 chance you will be in bed. Curled up under your blanket with a pillow over your head, you will endure 3 to 7 minutes of violent shaking and the sound of things moving, tall things crashing to the floor, cupboards banging as everything inside falls to the floor and becomes a moving, shifting mass in the kitchen and a floor littered with everything loose elsewhere. You hear the crash as the mirror on your dresser hits the floor. The shaking stops. It is mostly silent. You peek out and see nothing. It is very dark. All lights, including your clock radio, LEDs and even the lighted wall switches are off. You resist the urge to hop out of bed, find your way to check on your kids, your dog, your beer mug collection, or whatever. This is the moment you need an Under the Bed Kit.

Must Haves for your Kit:

1. A cloth or other sturdy bag with a line attached and the other end tied to your bed frame where you can reach it. The size of the bag will depend on what you want in it and the amount of space under the bed.

2. A source(s) of light. A light stick or two will provide some immediate light to ease putting batteries in your flashlight(s) and getting organized.

3. Boots or thick soled shoes or slippers to protect your feet.

Optional: Examples from one kit

1. Extra glasses -- in this case, reading glasses in a hard case

2. Leather gloves

3. Band Aids

4. Two-day supply of meds taken daily

5. Small bottle of water

6. Small Swiss Army knife

7. A set of easy to put on clothes (no buttons or zippers)

-- If the space will allow, a hard hat or bicycle helmet would be a good addition.