I've lived through a couple of nasty California earthquakes... but nothing close to the scale of collapsing buildings.
Having said that; since the 94 quake, I've kept a nice heavy 30" crow bar at the foot end of my bed tucked between the mattresses. Even painted it white to help it stand out in dim light conditions. Along with it I keep a 2 'D' cell Mag Light, and religiously change the batteries every 2 (calendar) years.
I'm sure the crow bar would come in handy to break windows, and clear out any jagged glass remaining in the frames, and/or 'swat' through jammed doors should the house be shaken out of plumb. Could beat through plaster/stucco walls with it too, but it would take a few minutes.
I have another identical crow bar in the front room, tucked just out of sight behind the sofa. Note that both it and the one in the bedroom, (if kept dry) will require zero maintenance for many, many life times to come.
Should the house collapse and I'm trapped? All bets are off
Just my .02¢ worth. I hope none of us ever needs such tools... but knowing they are there, at least makes me sleep a little sounder...
Erik