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Build your hurricane kit around three immediate needs: safe water and food, reliable information and light, and the medical and personal supplies your household cannot do without. FEMA’s Ready Responder Toolkit (2025) uses a practical baseline of one gallon of water per person per day for three days and at least three days of nonperishable food. Treat that as a starting point, then extend it for pets, infants, medical conditions, dietary restrictions, likely evacuation, and local hazards.
Pack the supplies in containers you can carry, keep a complete set at home, and maintain smaller portable sets for vehicles or workplaces. A kit works best when it is paired with a family communication and evacuation plan rather than stored as an isolated box.
What a hurricane kit needs to do
A useful kit should let your family drink, eat, receive official information, see in a dark house, manage routine medical needs, maintain basic hygiene, protect important records, and leave quickly if officials order an evacuation. Power, refrigeration, tap water, fuel, mobile service, and stores may be unavailable, so choose supplies that work with little or no electricity and minimal preparation.
FEMA’s hurricane guidance says, “This list is only a starting point.” The correct contents depend on the people, animals, home, and evacuation options in your household. Count everyone who may shelter with you, including guests or relatives who routinely stay during storms.
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- Comprehensive Hurricane Kit: This pre-packed hurricane kit includes all the essential hurricane preparedness items for home safety, such as a hurricane lantern, hurricane food, and a hurricane radio weather radio, ensuring you are fully prepared for any emergency.
- Waterproof and Durable Bag: Conveniently packed in a waterproof bag, this hurricane emergency kit is designed to protect your hurricane supplies for home from water damage, ensuring that all your essential hurricane preparedness items remain dry and functional.
- Designed for Two People: Our hurricane kit emergency for home is thoughtfully designed to cater to the needs of two people, including enough hurricane preparedness items food, water and hurricane lights for indoor use, providing peace of mind for you and your loved ones.
- Essential Hurricane Gear: This kit includes a variety of essential hurricane items such as a led hurricane camping lantern, hurricane phone charger, and emergency hurricane supplies to ensure that you have all the necessary tools for effective hurricane preparedness.
- Emergency Communication Tools: Stay informed with the included hurricane radio weather radio, an indispensable part of your hurricane supplies. This radio ensures that you receive critical updates and alerts, making it a vital component of your hurricane emergency kit.
Start with water and food
Calculate your water requirement
The FEMA Ready Responder Toolkit (2025) recommends one gallon of water per person per day for three days. Multiply that baseline before choosing containers:
| People | Three-day baseline | How to use the figure |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 gallons | Drinking and limited food preparation |
| 2 | 6 gallons | Increase for heat, illness, pregnancy, or extra cooking |
| 4 | 12 gallons | Keep some in containers that one person can carry |
| 6 | 18 gallons | Separate household and pet water so it is not accidentally consumed |
This is a planning baseline, not a guarantee that three days will cover every storm or household. Add water for pets and for anyone whose medical or dietary needs increase consumption. If your local officials advise a longer period, follow their instruction. Store commercially packaged water or food-grade containers in a cool, dark place, away from chemicals and direct sunlight. Do not rely on a refrigerator or freezer to remain powered.
Choose food that needs little preparation
FEMA recommends at least a three-day supply of nonperishable food. Select items your family already eats and can open safely without refrigeration:
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- Peanut butter and other shelf-stable protein foods
- Granola, cereal, crackers, and meal or snack bars
- Ready-to-eat foods for people with allergies, diabetes, swallowing limitations, or other dietary requirements
- Infant formula, baby food, and age-appropriate snacks
Include a manual can opener, sturdy disposable or reusable utensils, cups, plates, and a way to prepare food that local safety guidance permits. Avoid building the plan around cooking appliances that require mains electricity. Check expiration dates and rotate older food into normal meals; replace anything swollen, leaking, rusted, water-damaged, or past its safe date.
Communication, weather information, light, and power
Receive official alerts
Pack a battery-powered or hand-crank NOAA Weather Radio that receives NOAA Weather Radio tone alerts. Keep spare batteries in their original packaging and test the radio before hurricane season. A hand-crank model reduces dependence on disposable batteries, while a battery model can be simpler to operate; either is useful only if it is stored where everyone can find and use it.
Keep the home visible and phones usable
- Flashlights or headlamps for each household area, plus extra batteries
- A spare phone battery or portable charger, with the correct charging cable
- Written phone numbers, an out-of-area contact, meeting locations, and medical or school contacts in case phones cannot connect
A charger is a backup power source, not a promise of continuous cellular service. Conserve phone power by lowering screen brightness, closing unused apps, and using text messages when voice calls are congested. Never use candles, grills, camp stoves, or gasoline equipment indoors; carbon monoxide can accumulate without an obvious smell.
First aid, medicines, and health equipment
Use a first-aid kit as a supplement to, not a replacement for, prescribed care. Pack bandages, sterile gauze, adhesive tape, antiseptic supplies, disposable gloves, scissors, and any other items your household normally uses. Keep instructions with unfamiliar equipment.
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- A written medication list with doses, prescribers, allergies, and pharmacy details
- Glasses, contact-lens supplies, hearing-aid batteries, mobility-device chargers, and spare medical equipment where applicable
- Copies of medical records or care plans needed by a caregiver or emergency clinician
- Cold-chain medicines in an appropriate insulated container, following the medicine’s storage instructions
Ask a clinician or pharmacist how to protect medicines that require refrigeration or electricity. Do not substitute a generic kit for an individual treatment plan, and do not stop or change prescribed medicine without professional advice.
Sanitation, protective clothing, and basic tools
After flooding or power loss, ordinary household systems may not work. Add supplies for cleaning, waste, minor repairs, and personal protection:
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- Moist towelettes, hand sanitizer, soap, toilet paper, menstrual products, diapers, and other personal-hygiene items
- Heavy-duty garbage bags and plastic ties for waste and temporary sanitation
- A dust mask for airborne debris, plus work gloves and sturdy, closed-toe protective footwear
- Warm clothes, rain protection, blankets, and spare socks
- A whistle to signal for help
- A non-sparking wrench or pliers for utility shutoffs, only if you know the correct procedure and local authorities advise it
- Duct tape, a multipurpose tool, tarpaulin or plastic sheeting, and basic repair materials
Do not enter floodwater to reach a tool or supply. Floodwater can hide electrical hazards, sharp debris, sewage, and unstable surfaces. Follow utility and emergency-management instructions before shutting off or restoring services.
Protect documents and money
Place important documents in a waterproof, portable container so they remain dry and accessible. Consider paper copies and encrypted digital copies stored on a device that can be carried without relying on an internet connection:
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- Government identification and household contact information
- Insurance policies, claim contacts, and an inventory of major property
- Prescriptions, medical records, custody or caregiving documents, and emergency instructions
- Bank-account information and a small amount of cash in useful denominations
- Vehicle, housing, and school records needed after an evacuation
Keep originals secured when possible and carry only what is necessary. Test that waterproof pouches actually seal; a plastic bag inside a rigid container provides an additional layer but is not a substitute for checking damage after storage.
Adapt the kit for infants, children, older adults, and disabilities
Infants and young children
Add formula, bottles, clean water for preparation, diapers, wipes, diaper cream, comfort objects, age-appropriate food, and spare clothing. Include a child’s identification and a recent photo in the document container. Pack quiet activities, books, or games that work without internet and help children follow the family’s plan.
Older adults and people with disabilities
Plan for mobility, communication, sensory, and cognitive needs rather than assuming a general kit is sufficient. Include backup batteries or chargers for powered equipment, transfer aids, continence supplies, canes or other essential devices, and instructions a helper can understand. Arrange transportation and a support person before a storm; an emergency kit cannot solve an evacuation barrier by itself.
Dietary and medical needs
Store foods that match allergies, religious restrictions, texture requirements, or therapeutic diets. Label specialized supplies clearly and keep a written list of substitutions that a caregiver or shelter worker can use.
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Pets need their own food, water, medication, and records. FEMA’s National Preparedness Month 2025 toolkit highlights pet food and water, medications and medical records, first aid, and identification and leash or harness supplies. Pack:
- Several days of familiar food and a manual can opener if needed
- Water in addition to the human supply
- Medication, vaccination records, microchip information, and a recent photo
- Collar with identification, a harness, leash, carrier, and waste bags
- Bowls, bedding, sanitation items, and a familiar comfort object
The same 2025 toolkit mentions a seven-day food and water supply in pet-preparedness material. Treat that as a pet-planning context, not a replacement for FEMA’s general three-day household baseline. Confirm in advance which shelters, hotels, relatives, or boarding facilities accept your animals; never assume a public shelter will do so.
Choose supplies for your actual scenario
Use the same checklist differently depending on whether you expect to stay home or leave. A home kit can hold bulk water, food, blankets, tools, and sanitation supplies, but it should still be divided into labeled containers so critical items can be lifted quickly. An evacuation bag favors compact, lighter versions of the same essentials: water, ready-to-eat food, medicines, identification copies, light, a charger, hygiene items, and contact information.
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When choosing a weather radio, compare battery-powered and hand-crank operation rather than assuming one is universally better. Battery models may be straightforward to operate; hand-crank models reduce reliance on spare batteries. Whichever you choose must receive NOAA Weather Radio tone alerts, and every household member should know how to turn it on. Likewise, compare flashlights and headlamps by who will use them and where: a hands-free light can help someone carry a child or pet, while a standard flashlight may be easier for a young child to hold.
Separate supplies by duration and function. Keep the three-day FEMA baseline together, then mark any additional food, water, medicines, or pet supplies intended for a longer outage. Do not treat the baseline as a promise that stores, utilities, roads, or shelters will be restored in three days. Local emergency officials may issue different instructions for your area and event.
Build both a home kit and portable kits
Full home kit
Keep the main supply in a cool, accessible location above likely flood levels. Use labeled bins so food, water, medical supplies, documents, tools, and pet items can be found quickly. Store heavy containers low enough to prevent injury but not where water can reach them.
Portable evacuation kit
FEMA advises considering smaller kits for work, vehicles, and other places family members spend time. A portable kit should contain water, ready-to-eat food, medications, identification copies, a flashlight, charger, basic first aid, hygiene supplies, and contact information. Choose bags that one person can carry and keep one in each vehicle if safe storage is possible.
Keep supplies in forms that can leave with you. If officials order evacuation, do not wait to repack a large household bin or search for documents.
Make the family plan alongside the supplies
- Identify official information channels. Save local emergency-management websites, alert services, NOAA radio frequencies, and municipal instructions before a storm threatens.
- Choose destinations. List a nearby safe location, an out-of-area relative or friend, and pet-friendly options. Follow the evacuation destination and shelter directions issued for your area.
- Set contact rules. Select an out-of-area contact, decide how household members will check in, and write the plan on paper. Include arrangements for children, older adults, people with disabilities, and pets.
- Plan transportation. Keep vehicles fueled when a storm may approach, identify more than one route, and account for anyone who cannot drive or walk independently.
- Assign responsibilities. Decide who collects documents, medicines, children, pets, and portable kits. Practice the sequence so no one assumes another person handled a critical item.
Ready.gov advises knowing where to go if asked to evacuate quickly and how the family will get there. Routes, shelters, curfews, bridge closures, and pickup points vary by location and event, so use current instructions from local officials rather than a generic route.
Assemble and maintain the kit
- Make a household inventory. List every person, pet, medication, device, dietary requirement, and likely evacuation constraint.
- Calculate the baseline. Multiply one gallon per person per day by three, then add pet water and any longer duration your local plan requires.
- Purchase by function. Fill water and food needs first, then communications and light, medicines, sanitation, documents, tools, and personal additions.
- Label containers. Mark contents, expiration dates, battery types, and the person or pet each specialized item serves.
- Test everything. Turn on the radio and flashlights, charge the power bank, open the can opener, check seals, and verify that children or caregivers can use essential items.
- Review at least twice a year. Replace expired food, water containers that show damage, dead batteries, outgrown clothing, discontinued medicines, and documents with changed information. Recheck after every storm or household change.
Keep a short inventory on the outside of each bin and a copy in the waterproof document container. During a warning, you can see immediately what is missing instead of unpacking every box. Test the portable bags in a vehicle or at work as well as at home: confirm that heat, cold, or vibration has not damaged food, batteries, cables, medicine labels, or document seals. Ask each adult and older child to locate the radio, flashlight, water, and evacuation bag without help.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Planning only for the average adult. A kit without infant supplies, pet equipment, accessibility items, or medically appropriate food is incomplete for that household.
- Counting on refrigeration. Choose foods and medicines according to their storage requirements and prepare for an extended outage.
- Putting everything in one heavy box. Separate portable essentials so one person can evacuate with critical supplies.
- Forgetting documents and contact information. Phones may be lost, damaged, or out of power when insurance or medical details are needed.
- Buying equipment without testing it. An untested radio, incompatible cable, or missing can opener can fail at the worst time.
- Waiting for the forecast to become severe. Stores, fuel stations, roads, and pharmacies may be disrupted before the storm arrives.
- Assuming a three-day supply fits every event. FEMA’s figure is a baseline; official local instructions and household-specific needs may require more.
- Assuming a shelter accepts pets or medical equipment. Confirm policies and accessibility before evacuation, and keep alternatives in the family plan.
- Storing the kit where flooding can reach it. A perfect checklist is useless if water damages the radio, medicines, documents, or food.
A practical final check
Before hurricane season, place the following questions beside your kit: Can every person get safe water? Can we eat without refrigeration or electricity? Can we receive an alert and see after dark? Do we have required medicines, records, sanitation supplies, and protective clothing? Can we carry the essentials if ordered to evacuate? Are infants, children, older adults, people with disabilities, and pets covered? If any answer is no, add or revise that category rather than buying a generic preassembled box and assuming the job is finished.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much water should I store for a hurricane?
Use FEMA’s Ready Responder Toolkit (2025) baseline of one gallon per person per day for three days. Add separate water for pets, medical needs, heat, pregnancy, or any longer period directed by local officials.
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What food belongs in a family hurricane kit?
Pack at least three days of nonperishable food that needs little or no preparation, such as canned meats, beans, vegetables, fruit, peanut butter, cereal, granola, crackers, and bars. Include a manual can opener and foods for allergies, therapeutic diets, infants, and children.
Is a battery radio or hand-crank radio better?
Both can work. Choose a model that receives NOAA Weather Radio tone alerts. Battery models may be simpler to operate; hand-crank models reduce dependence on spare batteries. Test the radio and keep it accessible.
What medicines and medical items should be included?
Pack labeled prescription and essential over-the-counter medicines, a medication list, glasses, hearing-aid batteries, mobility-device chargers, required medical equipment, and needed records or care plans. Ask a clinician or pharmacist about medicines that require refrigeration.
What should I pack for pets?
Provide separate food, water, medicines, vaccination and medical records, identification, a recent photo, collar, harness, leash, carrier, bowls, bedding, and waste supplies. Confirm which shelters or lodging options accept animals; the 2025 FEMA pet material discusses a seven-day pet food and water context.
Should I keep one large kit or several smaller kits?
Keep a complete home kit plus smaller portable kits for vehicles, workplaces, or other places family members spend time. Divide critical supplies so one person can carry them during an evacuation.
Where should a hurricane kit be stored?
Use a cool, accessible location above likely flood levels and away from chemicals and direct sunlight. Keep documents in a waterproof portable container and label bins so essential items can be found quickly.
When should I replace or test supplies?
Review the kit at least twice a year and after every storm or household change. Test radios, flashlights, chargers, can openers, container seals, and specialized equipment; rotate food and replace damaged, expired, dead, or outgrown items.
The Bottom Line
Start with FEMA’s three-day baseline—one gallon of water per person per day and three days of nonperishable food—then build around your actual household. Add reliable alerts and light, medicines, sanitation supplies, documents, infant and accessibility items, pet provisions, and portable bags. Store everything where it stays dry, test it twice a year, and pair it with a current evacuation and communication plan from local officials.
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