Thanks for the cool article Ms. Das, I'll be sure to look into these escape pods. Japan was a major tragedy, I didn't have friends or family there, but whenever I see documentaries and news-clips about what happened, it's still sorta depressing but it's amazing to see the Japanese spirit of perseverance.
If you're interested in putting together a more complete pack for emergencies, you should look into "Bug-out bags." They're packs which are prepared in case the person needs to permanently leave their residence in case of emergencies. The pack has enough supplies to keep the person going for at least 72 hours. Here's the wikipedia link for BOBs (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bug-out_bag). If you're making a pack for earthquakes, I'd also recommend getting a water container that will properly filter water, maybe even kill bacteria. I'm planning on getting a new camelbak water container that has a UV light for killing bacterias and other microscopic baddies. It might be something you're interested in looking at. Here's a link to an article that describes the bottle (
http://www.gizmag.com/camelbak-all-clear-uv/21413/). I'm not an advertisier, I just thought it was cool, and every BOB needs a good water purifier anyway. Good luck with your emergency pack. Cheers!
Juan Miguel Ruiz
GreenJoyment.com