When considering your preparedness, make sure you have enough resources to sustain yourself independently for a minimum of three days, and potentially even longer. Prioritize essential needs such as clean drinking water, nourishment, and unpolluted air. Assemble two sets of supplies: one for remaining in your current location and self-sufficiency, and another that is portable, allowing you to evacuate if necessary.

Emergency Supply Kit Checklist

1. Water & Food

Water

• Keep at least a three-day supply of water per person; each person will need a gallon each day
• Children, nursing mothers, and sick people may need more water
• If you live in a warm weather climate more water may be necessary
• Store water tightly in clean plastic containers such as soft drink bottles

Food

• Store at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food
• Select foods that require no refrigeration, preparation or cooking and little or no water
• Pack a manual can opener, paper cups, plates and plastic utensils
• Choose foods your family will eat such as:
• Ready-to-eat canned meats, fruits and vegetables
• Protein or fruit bars
• Dry cereal or granola
• Peanut butter
• Dried fruit
• Nuts
• Crackers
• Canned juices
• Non-perishable pasteurized milk
• High-energy foods
• Food for infants
• Comfort/stress foods

2. First Aid Kit

In the event of an emergency, it is possible for a member of your family to experience cuts, burns, or other injuries. Being equipped with these essential supplies can enhance your ability to aid your loved ones when they are injured. Please keep in mind that numerous injuries are not critical and do not demand immediate medical care. Being knowledgeable about treating minor injuries can have a significant impact during an emergency. It may be worth considering enrolling in a first aid course, but possessing the following items can also aid you in stopping bleeding, avoiding infection, and assisting with decontamination.

Things You Should Have:

• Two pairs of sterile gloves
• Sterile dressings to stop bleeding
• Soap and antibiotic towelettes to disinfect
• Antibiotic ointment to prevent infection
• Burn ointment to prevent infection
• Adhesive bandages in a variety of sizes
• Eye wash solution to flush the eyes
• Thermometer
• Prescription medications you take every day (you should periodically rotate medicines to account for expiration dates)
• Prescribed medical supplies such as glucose and blood pressure monitoring equipment and supplies
• Medicine dropper
• First Aid book
• Non-prescription drugs (aspirin or non-aspirin pain reliever, anti-diarrhea medication, antacid, laxative)

3. Other Items

• Cell phone
• Scissors
• Tweezers
• Petroleum jelly
• Battery-powered radio
• Flashlight
• Extra batteries
• Whistle to signal for help
• Dust mask or cotton t-shirt, to help filter the air
• Moist towelettes for sanitation
• Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
• Plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
• Infant formula and diapers
• Garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
• Cash or traveler’s checks, change
• Paper towels
• Fire extinguisher
• Tent
• Compass
• Matches in a waterproof container
• Signal flare
• Paper, pencil
• Feminine supplies
• Personal hygiene items
• Disinfectant
• Household chlorine bleach
• You can use bleach as a disinfectant (diluted nine parts water to one part bleach), or in an emergency you can also use it to purify water
• Use 16 drops of regular household liquid bleach per gallon of water
• Copies of important family records in a waterproof portable container

4. Clothing and Bedding

• One complete change of warm clothing and shoes per person, including:
• A jacket or coat
• Long pants
• A long sleeve shirt
• Sturdy shoes
• A hat and gloves
• A sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person
• Rain gear

Special Needs Items

It is important to consider the specific needs of your family members when planning for a terrorist attack. This includes giving equal attention to infants, the elderly, and individuals with disabilities, who may require additional preparations.

1. For Infants

In your emergency supply kit, ensure that you include the following items step by step:

• Formula
• Diapers
• Bottles
• Powdered milk
• Medications
• Moist towelettes
• Diaper rash ointment

2. For Adults

It is recommended to consult your doctor regarding the storage of prescription medications like heart and high blood pressure medication and insulin. Take into account the following items for your emergency supply kit:

• Denture needs
• Contact lenses and supplies
• Extra eye glasses

3. For Seniors and People with Disabilities

Create an evacuation or distress signal plan. Coordinate emergency protocols with home health care agencies or personnel. Inform others of the location of your emergency supplies. Get in touch with the emergency information management office of your city or county government. These offices often maintain registries of individuals with disabilities to facilitate swift location during emergencies. Wear medical alert tags or bracelets to indicate your disability. If you rely on dialysis or other life-sustaining treatment, familiarize yourself with multiple facilities and their availability. Educate others on operating essential equipment. Label equipment, such as wheelchairs, canes, and walkers. Additional supplies may include:

• A list of prescription medications including dosage and any allergies
• Extra eye glasses and hearing-aid batteries
• A list of the style and serial numbers of medical devices such as pacemakers
• Extra wheelchair batteries and oxygen
• Copies of medical insurance and Medicare cards
• A list of doctors and emergency contacts

Portable Emergency Supply Kit

• Food (at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food)
• Battery-powered radio
• Flashlight
• Extra batteries
• First Aid Kit
• Whistle to signal for help
• Dust mask or cotton t-shirt, to help filter the air
• Moist towelettes for sanitation
• Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
• Manual can opener
• Plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
• Unique family needs, such as daily prescription medications, infant formula or diapers and important family documents
• Garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation

Emergency Preparedness Essentials to Stock Up On

If you need specific recommendations, please consult the list provided below and consider the following steps:

A fully stocked first-aid kit

When someone slips and breaks their wrist during an ice storm, pre-packed first-aid kits available at drugstores and big-box stores that only contain Band-Aids and aspirin won’t be very useful. To effectively handle such situations, it is important to have a kit that includes a variety of bandages and topical creams, especially those designed for treating burns, which are commonly occurring injuries in disaster scenarios. Army veteran and Steel to Reel survival subscription box gear tester, Rusty Wheeler, suggests the Recon kit from My Medic as the ultimate first-aid kit. This kit consists of 250 first-aid and trauma supplies to address bleeding, burns, sprains, broken bones, dehydration, and more. Most of the supplies packed in the easily portable backpack may not be necessary, but having them offers peace of mind and support in situations where immediate medical assistance is unattainable.

A way to cook

If you reside in an area with a high concentration of overhead power lines, where falling trees can result in prolonged power outages, it would be wise to consider purchasing a portable stove. By having firewood readily available and access to an open outdoor space, you can utilize BioLite’s advanced wood-burning stove as a means of cooking, generating heat, and serving as a charging station. The stove’s internal fan system effectively converts heat into electricity, capable of powering any USB-compatible device. However, it is crucial to note that experts, including Wurst, strongly advise against using such a device indoors due to the severe risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.

HEPA-equipped air purifier

Flashlights (plural)

While any flashlight would suffice, Streamlights are essentially invincible. They possess adjustable brightness and beam width, and the manufacturer provides a lifetime warranty for their products, which are frequently utilized by military, police, and rescue personnel. Having one in each primary room can help avoid stumbling around the house during darkness.

One more creative lighting trick is to purchase basic solar-powered landscape lights. Under normal circumstances, they illuminate your walkway. In case of power failures, just remove them from the ground after dark and position them in important areas inside your house. Then, in the morning, take them back outside to recharge. Repeat as needed, but hopefully not excessively.

A multi-tool

Have you ever noticed that you can only locate flathead screwdrivers in your drawers when you require a Phillips head screwdriver? Now envision the consequences of a storm that has caused the doors of your house to hang off. Multi-tools usually comprise 10 or more tools, such as screwdrivers, pliers, knives, bottle openers, and others, which can be folded into the handle. A valuable tip from experts is to acquaint yourself with all the parts of the multi-tool at the time of purchase, prior to needing it.

Shelf-stable food

By having a stock of shelf-stable foods such as crackers, pasta, and canned goods, you can avoid having to compete for whatever is left on the grocery store shelves. In general, it is recommended to plan for approximately 2,500 calories per day for men, 2,000 calories for women, and 1,200 to 2,200 calories for children. However, you can also consider the number of meals you will need. Calculate the amount of food required to provide three meals a day for everyone in your household, and then multiply that by a minimum of three days. The CDC suggests prioritizing foods that require minimal or no preparation. For example, avoid relying heavily on black beans unless you are comfortable eating them cold in case there is a power outage.

There are several companies that produce freeze-dried foods for survival and hiking purposes. These foods are conveniently packed in individual pouches, making them easy to store. According to Matt Wright, who is known for his appearances on TV’s “Naked and Afraid” and is the founder of Extreme Instinct knives and survival school, the freeze-dried foods from Wise Company taste quite good. Wright also highlights that during an ongoing emergency, having the ability to prepare lasagna or pot pie simply by adding water to a packet can uplift morale. This novelty may particularly appeal to children, who might be amazed or slightly disgusted by the company’s claim that the packaged food will still be edible even after 25 years.

More than one way to start a fire

The advice given by all the experts we spoke with can be summarized as follows: It is important to have multiple backup options. Depending solely on a matchbook you took from a restaurant five years ago is not a reliable plan. For basic needs such as lighting a gas stove or candles, using Bic wand lighters is a cheap and simple choice. Some experts suggested using quick-lighting starters that are specifically designed for grills or fire pits, as these can easily ignite even when the wood is wet or damp. It may also be wise to include waterproof matches in your collection of fire-starting tools.

Prepackaged wipes

When there is a power failure, the ability to take a hot shower, or sometimes any shower, is lost. However, one can rely on Epic Wipes to provide a solution. These wipes are essentially large baby wipes designed for the body. They measure 2 feet in width and come in a compact 3 by 5-inch package, making them space-efficient under the sink or in a backpack. Made from bamboo and having a eucalyptus scent, these wipes are environmentally friendly and easily decompose. Additionally, Wheeler assures that they do not leave a soapy residue after use.

Batteries of all sizes

Sitting in the dark for a long time can become tiresome quickly, and candles can make a bad situation worse if not monitored closely (as house fires are common during blackouts). Wurst believes it is beneficial to keep a diverse collection of batteries since it can be challenging to remember which flashlight requires Cs or Ds. Additionally, there are likely numerous household items that require batteries of different sizes. If you have a solar-powered charging method (which we will discuss later), having extra rechargeable batteries can be advantageous. Remember that all batteries have an expiration date, so it is important to refresh your stock every few years.

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