Build a modest emergency food supply around foods your household already eats, choosing items that keep without refrigeration and need little or no cooking water. FEMA recommends at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food as a basic emergency-kit starting point—not as a prediction that a drought will cause shortages or a guarantee that three days will cover every disruption.
What to keep in a drought-preparedness food supply
FEMA’s basic emergency supply-kit checklist calls for “at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food.” Choose foods that household members will actually eat and that do not require refrigeration or cooking and need little or no water. Those criteria matter when drought and heat coincide or when utilities and normal shopping are disrupted. FEMA’s basic emergency supply-kit checklist and its food-selection guidance provide the baseline.
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Use familiar shelf-stable foods that fit your household’s dietary and medical needs. Before adding an item, consider whether it can be eaten as stored, how much water or preparation it needs, whether everyone can safely eat it, how much storage space it takes, and whether opening it requires a tool. The guidance does not rank particular foods or brands, so choose based on your household rather than a universal shopping list.
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- Choose a mix that household members will use, including options suited to children, older adults, and anyone with dietary or health-related needs.
- Account for pets and anyone who may need help obtaining or preparing food.
How much food and water to plan for
FEMA’s three-day food supply is a general emergency-preparedness baseline. It is not a drought forecast, a recommended maximum, or a promise that a disruption will end after three days. FEMA advises adapting preparedness plans to the household and local hazards; local emergency-management agencies may provide more specific directions.
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FEMA’s checklist also advises keeping one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation. That is water-preparedness guidance, not a food quantity. Check local guidance for your circumstances, particularly if household needs or conditions call for a different plan.
Plan for heat, power interruptions, and food safety
FEMA advises households to consider that droughts and heatwaves can occur together, and to account for personal factors such as age and health when preparing. A pantry supply that can be eaten without cooking is useful if a heat event or power interruption makes normal food preparation difficult.
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For refrigerated food during an outage, FEMA’s climate-hazards fact sheet estimates that a closed refrigerator keeps food cold for about four hours and a full, closed freezer stays at a safe temperature for about 48 hours. These are outage food-safety estimates, not pantry shelf-life guidance or guarantees for every appliance and condition. FEMA P-2312, “How to Prepare for the Effects of Climate Change on Disasters”, covers these figures and drought-and-heat planning.
Make the plan local and keep assistance contacts current
General preparedness advice cannot establish whether a particular community will face a food shortage, which foods may be affected, how prices could change, or how long an interruption might last. Check local and state emergency-management updates for current drought information and directions, rather than treating a general emergency-kit checklist as a regional forecast.
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If food access becomes difficult, consult current official assistance information. USDA identifies programs including SNAP and WIC; eligibility and available services depend on the program and the household, and a general USDA overview does not establish what is available locally. Start with USDA’s programs and support information, then check current federal, state, and local program details and referrals for your area.
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