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Build your home emergency kit around a several-day supply of water, food, medicine, light, communications and sanitation, then tailor it to your local hazards and everyone in your household. FEMA’s baseline is one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, plus at least three days of non-perishable food. Keep supplies accessible, and make a smaller portable kit if you may need to evacuate.

Start with the core supplies

FEMA’s basic checklist is a practical starting point for a household that could be isolated by severe weather. Scale quantities for the number of people, pets and likely time without normal services.

  • Water: Store one gallon per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation. Add water for pets and account for household circumstances that increase needs. FEMA’s basic emergency supply kit checklist gives this baseline.
  • Food: Keep at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food. Include items household members can eat, and add a manual can opener if you store canned food.
  • First aid and medication: Pack a first aid kit and the prescription medicines your household may need. Include glasses and other essential medical supplies.
  • Light and signaling: Keep a flashlight, spare batteries and a whistle to signal for help.
  • Communications: Store a battery-powered or hand-crank radio that receives NOAA Weather Radio tone alerts, with extra batteries. Keep phones charged and have a portable charger or spare battery. Follow local official alerts as well as radio broadcasts.
  • Sanitation and shelter-in-place supplies: Pack moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties. FEMA’s basic checklist also includes a dust mask, plastic sheeting and duct tape.
  • Tools and information: Include a wrench or pliers for utility shutoffs and local maps. Use shutoff tools only when utility or emergency officials direct you to do so.

FEMA’s newer checklist describes a supply for “several days,” while its basic checklist specifies the quantities above. The three-day figures are preparedness guidance, not a guarantee that every household or location will be covered.

Adapt the kit to your household

A checklist cannot account for every person’s needs. Add supplies that let each household member stay as safe and independent as possible, and consider what you would need if power, mobility or access to services were disrupted.

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FosPower NOAA Emergency Weather Radio A1 7400mWh Solar Hand Crank (Orange)
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  • Infants and children: Add formula, diapers and any other essential care supplies.
  • Pets and service animals: Pack food, water and supplies needed to care for them.
  • Disability and medical needs: Plan for assistive technology, medical equipment, backup batteries and supplies for service animals. If medication needs refrigeration, plan how to manage that during an outage.
  • Documents: Protect important family documents so they can be retrieved or carried if needed.
  • Evacuation and mobility: Keep a smaller portable version of essential supplies if leaving home may be necessary.

FEMA’s disability preparedness guidance emphasizes planning around each person’s needs and independence. A household communication and evacuation plan should complement the supplies; a kit does not replace following emergency instructions.

Add supplies for the weather your area faces

Winter storms

For cold-weather hazards, FEMA’s winter-storm checklist adds supplies that help protect against cold and support travel or sheltering:

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  • Extra warm clothes, sturdy shoes, gloves and hygiene supplies.
  • Blankets or sleeping bags rated for low temperatures.
  • Local maps, a multi-tool, and matches or a lighter stored in a waterproof container.
  • Protection for important documents.
  • Medical equipment and backup batteries, medication refrigeration planning, and pet supplies.

These are hazard-specific additions, not requirements for every climate. See FEMA’s winter weather guidance for the winter checklist.

Flooding

For flooding, alerts and safe decisions matter as much as stored supplies. Monitor NOAA Weather Radio, the Emergency Alert System or local alert systems, and follow authorities’ instructions. Ready.gov/FEMA’s warning is direct: “Do not walk, swim or drive through flood waters. Turn Around. Don’t Drown!” A home kit does not make it safe to remain in an area when officials say to evacuate. See Ready.gov’s flood guidance.

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Keep alerts and charging in your plan

A radio with NOAA Weather Radio tone-alert reception can provide warnings when internet or mobile service is unavailable, while local alert systems add area-specific instructions. Keep spare radio batteries with the kit and a charged portable phone battery or charger available for outages. FEMA says its app can provide real-time National Weather Service weather and emergency alerts for up to five locations nationwide; that is an app capability, not a substitute for having power-independent alert options. The feature was described on FEMA’s page last updated October 29, 2024: FEMA app information.

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Make the kit usable when it matters

  1. Choose an accessible storage place. Keep the home supplies together where household members can reach them, and make portable essentials easy to take.
  2. Check household-specific items. Confirm that food, water, medicines, infant supplies and pet supplies reflect the people and animals who rely on them.
  3. Plan for the relevant hazards. Add cold-weather gear or other locally appropriate supplies, and know which official alert sources to monitor.
  4. Know what the tools are for. Keep maps, a can opener and utility shutoff tools with the supplies, but follow officials’ directions before operating shutoffs.
  5. Pair supplies with a plan. Decide how household members will communicate and where they would go if evacuation is necessary; heed emergency officials’ instructions.

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