Water & food
- Stored drinking water for several days
- Nonperishable food that your household will actually eat
- Manual can opener
- Pet food and water if needed
The basics
Light & communication
- LED flashlights or headlamps
- Spare batteries
- Battery or hand-crank radio
- Charged power banks and charging cables
Health, sanitation and warmth
- Home first aid kit
- Necessary medications and copies of prescriptions
- Toilet paper, wipes, hand sanitizer and trash bags
- Blankets or sleeping bags
- Season-appropriate clothing and sturdy shoes
- Dust masks and work gloves for cleanup situations
Documents and money
- Copies of identification and insurance information
- Emergency contact list on paper
- Some cash in small denominations
- Copies of important medical and household information
Useful household gear
- Fire extinguisher appropriate for the home
- Basic hand tools
- Whistle
- Matches or lighter stored safely
- Maps of the local area
- Extra keys
Plan for your specific household
Add infant supplies, mobility equipment, hearing-aid batteries, pet carriers, backup medical-device power or anything else your household depends on. The most useful emergency kit is built around real needs rather than a generic shopping list.
Rotate it
Review the kit every six months. Replace expired food, medications and batteries; recharge power banks; update documents; and adjust clothing or supplies as household needs change.
Pair supplies with a plan
Know where family members will meet, how you will communicate if cellular networks are overloaded and when you would shelter at home versus evacuate. Keep evacuation routes and local emergency information accessible offline.
General educational information only. Follow local emergency-management guidance for the hazards in your area. Generator fuel, open flames and combustion appliances require special care during outages.