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The short version: one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days; a three-day supply of non-perishable food plus a manual can opener; a flashlight, a battery or hand-crank radio, a first aid kit, extra batteries, a whistle, dust masks, phone chargers, medicines, copies of documents, and some cash. Build it over a few weekends — water and food first.
Water: the item people under-pack
Ready.gov’s rule is one gallon of water per person per day, for drinking and sanitation, for at least three days. A family of four needs 12 gallons for three days. In very hot weather, needs can double. The CDC adds: store at least a three-day supply, and try for two weeks if you can.
Store water in unopened, commercially bottled water or food-grade jugs. Water you store yourself should be replaced every six months. A portable filter or purification tablets are a useful backup, not a replacement for stored water. If you ever need to treat water, the CDC’s guidance is a rolling boil for one minute (three minutes above 6,500 feet).
Food: three days of meals you will actually eat
Pack at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food per person — roughly nine meals per person, plus snacks. Choose foods your household already eats that need little or no cooking or water: canned meats and beans, canned fruit and vegetables, peanut butter, crackers, granola bars, dried fruit, nuts, and cereal. And pack a manual can opener — it is one of the most forgotten items in any kit.
Check dietary needs before you shop: infant formula, baby food, and pet food all belong in the kit if they apply to your household. Rotate food every six months so nothing expires unnoticed.
Light, information, and power
A flashlight for every household member, with extra batteries. A battery-powered or hand-crank radio, and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert if you live in a severe-weather area. A whistle to signal for help. A cell phone with chargers and a backup battery or power bank — and keep a paper list of emergency contacts, because a dead phone erases your address book.
Know the difference between a watch and a warning before you need it. Our guide to NWS weather alerts explains what each level means, and what a tornado watch vs. warning headline means covers the terminology you will see in alerts.
First aid, medicines, and sanitation
A first aid kit with bandages, antiseptic, gauze, and any tools your household needs. At least a three-day supply of prescription medicines — more if your clinician will prescribe a longer emergency supply — plus a written list of prescriptions, dosages, and allergies. Add dust masks, moist towelettes, garbage bags, and plastic sheeting with duct tape for sheltering in place. Keep a wrench or pliers where you can reach them to shut off utilities.
Documents and cash
Copies of IDs, insurance policies, bank account records, and medical information, in a waterproof bag or on an encrypted USB drive. Some cash in small bills — ATMs and card readers stop working in an outage. Keep the originals somewhere safe and the copies in the kit, and update them when policies renew.
Children, babies, and pets
For children: a change of clothes, a blanket or sleeping bag, comfort items, and a few books or games. A closed fridge keeps food cold for about four hours and a full freezer for about 48 — plan meals around that if the power goes out. For babies: formula, diapers, and wipes for three days. For pets: food, water, a leash or carrier, and vaccination records. Children cope better when they have a job: let them carry their own small go-bag and check the kit with you.
Two kits, not one
Most households need two versions. A stay-put kit lives at home — the full three-day supply above, in a closet or garage you can reach in the dark. A go-bag lives by the door — a lighter version with water, snacks, medicines, documents, cash, and a phone charger, ready to grab in minutes. The go-bag is what you take when an evacuation order comes; the stay-put kit is what you live on when you shelter at home.
Tweaks by disaster
One kit covers most situations, but a few items matter more depending on where you live. In earthquake country, add sturdy shoes and work gloves by the bed — broken glass is the first hazard after a quake — and secure heavy furniture so the kit itself is not buried. In wildfire areas, keep N95 masks in the go-bag and keep the bag by the door during fire season, because evacuation orders can come with little notice. In flood-prone areas, keep documents in waterproof bags on a high shelf, and know how to shut off your electricity and gas. In winter-storm regions, add blankets, hand warmers, and a way to charge a phone without mains power.
Common mistakes
Storing everything where you cannot reach it. A kit in a flooded basement or a garage blocked by debris is no kit at all. Keep the go-bag by an exit and the stay-put kit somewhere reachable in the dark.
Forgetting the animals. Pet food, water, and carriers are easy to overlook until the moment you need them. Pack for every member of the household, including the four-legged ones.
Letting medicines expire. Prescription supplies and first-aid items have dates. Rotate them on the same six-month schedule as food and water.
No cash. Card readers and ATMs stop working in an outage. Small bills — ones, fives, tens — are the most useful.
Keeping the kit ready
A kit you never check is a kit that fails. Check it every six months — pick dates you will remember, like the start and end of daylight saving time. Replace stored water, rotate food and medicines, test flashlights and radios, and update documents and contact lists. After any use, restock within a week, while you still remember what ran out.
For the bigger picture — how alerts work and how to read emergency guidance — see our reader’s guide to U.S. weather alerts and emergency preparedness.
Sources: Ready.gov, “Build a Kit” (ready.gov/kit); CDC water-storage guidance. This guide is general preparedness information, not professional emergency advice; follow instructions from local authorities during an actual emergency.
