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Build your household stock from what people in your home actually eat and need, then keep track of what you already have. Set aside a practical emergency reserve without treating preparedness recommendations as a mandate to buy a large pantry: plan for at least three days of food, and use CDC’s water guidance as a separate baseline. For prescription quantities and medicine storage, follow the label and ask a pharmacist or prescriber.

Start with your household, not a generic shopping list

A useful stock plan reflects the people, animals, and health needs in your home. List household members and pets, then note dietary requirements, allergies, infants’ needs, medical conditions, medicines, and medical devices. Include local disruptions that could affect access to shops, pharmacies, power, or safe water.

CDC treats these as personal needs to account for when preparing a kit, rather than assuming every household needs the same supplies: CDC guidance on planning for personal needs.

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Take inventory before you buy

Check cupboards, refrigerators, freezers, medicine storage areas, and other places where supplies may be kept. Record each item, its quantity, where it is stored, and any date or storage instruction that matters. For medicines, note the quantity on hand and keep an up-to-date medicine list and copies of prescriptions.

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This inventory separates what your household already has from what it may need. It also helps prevent buying duplicates and makes it easier to use suitable older stock before opening newer supplies.

Set a food reserve that fits the way you eat

FoodSafety.gov recommends planning for at least a three-day emergency food supply and choosing foods with a long storage life. The FDA also advises keeping several days of ready-to-eat food that does not depend on cooking or refrigeration, accounting for dietary needs, and checking dates routinely. These are preparedness references, not a required surplus for every pantry.

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Choose familiar shelf-stable foods that household members can eat and that fit any dietary restrictions. Include some options that can be eaten without cooking or cooling, since a power outage or other disruption may make those methods unavailable. Use ordinary consumption to decide how much to buy for routine groceries; build the emergency reserve around likely disruptions and available storage rather than buying foods your household will not use.

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See FoodSafety.gov’s emergency food guidance and the FDA’s food and water safety advice for power outages and floods.

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Plan water separately from groceries

CDC’s June 27, 2025 guidance says: “Store at least 1 gallon of water per person, per day for 3 days.” It also advises trying for a two-week supply if possible. Treat the three-day figure as a minimum planning reference, not an estimate of every household’s total water needs; household circumstances and local risks affect what is practical.

If you fill containers at home, use food-grade containers and replace the stored water every six months. For commercially bottled water, follow the date on the container. Read CDC’s emergency water storage guidance for handling and storage details.

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Keep medicines safe and coordinate quantities with a professional

Keep medicines in the conditions stated on their labels. Maintain a current medicine list and copies of prescriptions, and know what quantity is on hand. FDA guidance says: “Talk with your pharmacist or health care provider about maintaining an emergency supply and learn about your state’s emergency refill laws.” Refill rules vary by state, so ask a pharmacist or prescriber whether an early refill or emergency supply is possible for your situation. Do not change a prescribed dose or stockpile prescription medicines without professional guidance.

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FDA’s general storm guidance recommends maintaining at least a week’s supply of each medication, but that is not a prescription for every person or a guarantee that state rules allow an early refill. Discuss your own needs and options with a pharmacist or prescriber. CDC reports that 31% of storm-related emergency department visits in North Carolina during Hurricane Florence were for refills; that figure describes that specific event and location, not all storms or households.

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For medicines that require refrigeration, plan for a power outage. FDA suggests having a cooler and ice or frozen gel packs if needed. If a medicine has been outside its recommended temperature range, check its storage instructions and contact a pharmacist, health care provider, or manufacturer for product-specific advice; do not assume it is still safe or extend its use based on guesswork. FDA’s guidance is in Safe Drug Use After a Natural Disaster, and CDC’s refill discussion is in CDC’s medical supplies preparedness guidance.

Rotate stock and review the plan

Use suitable older food first and replace what you consume or what is no longer suitable. Check dates routinely, but do not apply one universal rotation schedule: shelf life and storage instructions vary by product. Keep items in the conditions specified on their packaging, and set a reminder to review quantities and dates, especially before a likely hazard season.

For medicines, follow each label and get professional advice before changing storage or quantities. If food safety is uncertain after floodwater exposure, follow official directions and discard food when advised; do not taste it to test whether it is safe. FDA says medicines exposed to floodwater or unsafe water should be discarded.

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Include power outages in your safety plan

CDC advises keeping refrigerators at or below 40°F and freezers at or below 0°F. During an outage, closed doors can keep food safely cold for up to four hours in a refrigerator, 48 hours in a full freezer, or 24 hours in a half-full freezer. Those intervals assume the doors stay closed; use a food thermometer and follow official instructions when deciding what to keep or discard.

These limits matter when choosing how much refrigerated or frozen food to rely on as emergency stock. For outage and flood safety instructions, consult CDC’s food safety guidance after an emergency.

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