Salt Lake City Emergency Kit — Personalized for Your Risks

Local Hazard History

Salt Lake City's defining hazard is the ground it stands on. The Wasatch Fault runs more than 200 miles along the base of the mountains, directly beneath the valley's most populated neighborhoods, and it is considered overdue for a major rupture. The U.S. Geological Survey and Utah Geological Survey estimate a 43% chance of a magnitude 6.75 or greater earthquake — and a 57% chance of a magnitude 6.0 or greater — somewhere along the Wasatch Front within the next 50 years. Residents got a preview on March 18, 2020, when a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck near Magna, about 14 miles west of downtown — the largest quake in Utah since 1992. It damaged buildings across the Salt Lake Valley, knocked the trumpet from the Angel Moroni statue atop the Salt Lake Temple, and was followed by dozens of aftershocks, including one of magnitude 4.4. The valley's other hazards arrive with the seasons. Its bowl-shaped geography traps pollution: during winter temperature inversions, cold air pins emissions against the valley floor and Salt Lake City's air can rank among the worst in the nation, and summer wildfire smoke from regional fires does the same — in August 2021, smoke sent local air-quality readings off the charts. Wind is the wild card: on September 8, 2020, a rare, hurricane-force windstorm clocked a 112 mph gust at the University of Utah, toppled thousands of trees, killed one person, and cut power to nearly 200,000 homes and businesses.

When Risk Peaks

• Year-round: Earthquake risk never lets up — the Wasatch Fault can rupture in any season, so quake readiness is the baseline
• Dec–Feb: Winter storms, snow, and cold, plus multi-day temperature inversions that trap unhealthy air in the valley
• Mar–May: Rapid mountain snowmelt can flood the valley — in spring 1983, City Creek jumped its banks and volunteers sandbagged it into a river that ran for blocks down State Street
• Jun–Aug: Extreme heat and the start of wildfire and smoke season across Utah and the West; the worst air-quality days often ride in on out-of-state smoke
• Sep–Oct: Transition season for damaging winds — the destructive 2020 windstorm hit on September 8
• Year-round: Any of these can knock out power for days, so backup light, heat, and charging matter in every season

What to Pack for Salt Lake City

A Salt Lake City kit has to cover a sudden earthquake and the seasonal hazards in between:

• Prepare for the quake first — secure water heaters, bookcases, and tall furniture to wall studs, learn how to shut off your gas and water, and keep sturdy shoes and a flashlight beside every bed for the middle-of-the-night scenario
• Store water for at least 3–5 days (one gallon per person per day) — a major Wasatch quake could break water mains and leave the valley without safe tap water for far longer
• Keep N95 or KN95 masks on hand, and a portable air purifier if you can — on heavy smoke and inversion days the air itself is the hazard, and masks are the practical defense
• Plan to hold heat without power in winter and to keep cool without it in summer; never run a generator or grill indoors or in an attached garage, and keep a working carbon-monoxide alarm
• Stock the car — the 2020 windstorm and the Magna quake both caught people away from home; keep water, a charger, and sturdy shoes in the vehicle
• A battery or hand-crank NOAA weather radio for wind, winter-storm, and air-quality alerts
• Keep IDs, insurance papers, and medications in a grab-and-go pouch — and note that standard homeowners' and renters' policies do not cover earthquake damage, so ask your insurer about a separate quake endorsement

Local Resources

• Salt Lake City Emergency Management — City preparedness guidance, alerts, and disaster planning for residents.
• Be Ready Utah — Utah Division of Emergency Management's public preparedness program and kit checklists.
• NWS Salt Lake City — Local forecasts, winter-storm and high-wind warnings, and air-quality statements.
• Ready.gov — Federal all-hazards guidance for earthquakes, wildfires, and winter storms.