A useful household emergency kit starts with enough water and food for at least three days, then adds light, reliable alerts, phone charging, first aid, sanitation supplies, tools, documents, medicines and items for pets or access needs. Flooding and power failures overlap, but each creates hazards that require separate preparations.
Use the checklist below as a baseline for a U.S. household. Adjust quantities for everyone who may shelter with you, local evacuation routes, medical equipment, climate, pets and the likelihood that you will need to leave quickly.
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Start with the three-day baseline
FEMA’s Ready Responder guidance uses one gallon of water per person per day, for three days and at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food. Those figures are a published starting point, not a guarantee that every household’s consumption or medical needs are identical.
| Household size | Minimum water for three days | Food |
|---|---|---|
| 1 person | 3 gallons | At least three days of ready-to-eat food |
| 2 people | 6 gallons | At least three days of ready-to-eat food |
| 4 people | 12 gallons | At least three days of ready-to-eat food |
| 6 people | 18 gallons | At least three days of ready-to-eat food |
Store the supplies where you can reach them without entering a flooded basement or garage. Keep a main home kit and smaller grab-and-go kits in vehicles or at work if you regularly travel. Label expiration dates and review the contents at least twice a year, and whenever your household, prescriptions or pets change.
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Water and food that remain usable without power
Water
- Store the calculated three-day amount in sealed containers that are easy to carry. Add extra water if someone is pregnant, nursing, ill, working in heat or needs water for formula or medical care.
- Reserve some water for drinking and food preparation rather than assuming every household tap will remain safe after flooding.
- Use smaller containers if a large vessel would be impossible for one person to lift during an evacuation.
Food
Choose foods requiring little or no preparation, cooking, refrigeration or added water. Examples include canned or pouched proteins, nut or seed butter, shelf-stable milk, crackers, dried fruit, cereal and energy bars. Include a manual can opener when any item has a pull-tab-free lid. Rotate items before their best-by dates and account for allergies, diabetes, texture requirements and infant feeding.
Flood evacuation can separate you from a kitchen, while an outage can remove refrigeration and cooking. Pack foods that can be eaten at room temperature, and keep disposable utensils, cups and plates with them so that contaminated water is not needed for washing.
Lighting, alerts and communications
Light
- Pack at least one flashlight per person who may need to move at night, plus spare batteries.
- Add a battery-powered lantern for a room where people will shelter. Keep lights beside beds and near the electrical panel, not buried in a closet.
- Do not rely on candles in a crowded or damaged home; open flames can ignite fuel, curtains or leaking gas.
Emergency alerts
Include a battery-powered or hand-crank radio capable of receiving NOAA Weather Radio tone alerts, with extra batteries even if the radio has a crank. Check that everyone knows how to change bands, adjust volume and use the alert function. A hand-crank NOAA Weather Radio is useful when batteries are depleted, but it still needs to be tested periodically.
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Phones and charging
Keep a phone charging cable matched to each household connector and a charged power bank or other alternative charger. Determine how many full phone charges the backup battery actually provides and recharge it after use. Text messages may work when voice calls are congested, so write down key numbers and an out-of-area contact on paper in case phones fail.
Decide which devices receive limited backup power first: phones, medical equipment, a modem or router needed for emergency information, and essential lighting generally outrank entertainment devices. Keep local maps because mobile data, navigation apps and cell towers may be unavailable.
First aid, sanitation and basic tools
First aid and personal protection
- Use a stocked first-aid kit with bandages, gauze, antiseptic supplies, gloves and any household-specific items.
- Include prescription medicines, spare glasses or contact-lens supplies, and a written list of prescriptions, doses and prescribers.
- Pack dust masks, plastic sheeting and duct tape for temporary separation from dust or minor airborne debris. These are not substitutes for professional mold remediation or structural repair.
Sanitation
- Store moist towelettes, hand sanitizer, toilet paper, soap and menstrual supplies.
- Add garbage bags and ties for waste, wet clothing and improvised sanitation. Keep separate bags for contaminated materials.
- Include diapers, wipes and infant formula when applicable. Formula preparation still requires safe water and clean equipment.
Tools
- Pack a whistle to signal for help, a non-sparking wrench or pliers for appropriate shutoff tasks, and a sturdy multi-purpose tool.
- Keep work gloves, protective eyewear and sturdy closed-toe footwear available for debris, but do not use tools near energized water or damaged electrical equipment.
- Include a manual can opener and paper copies of local maps, evacuation routes and meeting locations.
Flood-specific additions and decisions
Protect documents and digital access
Place passports, birth certificates, insurance information, property records, medication lists and emergency contacts in a waterproof, portable container. Create password-protected digital copies and store them where you can retrieve them without depending on a flooded computer or an internet connection. Keep the container light enough to carry during an evacuation.
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Plan for evacuation before water rises
Identify more than one route to higher ground and a meeting place outside the immediate flood area. Include pets in the plan: carriers, leashes, food, water, medicines, vaccination records and a list of shelters or hotels that accept them. Follow official evacuation orders, do not drive around barricades and avoid driving except in an emergency.
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Never treat floodwater as ordinary water
Do not wade or drive through floodwater. Ready.gov’s warning, “turn around, don’t drown,” reflects several hazards at once: moving water can sweep away a person or vehicle, hidden debris can injure you, contamination can cause illness, and water may be electrically charged by downed or underground power lines. Do not touch wet electrical equipment or operate equipment while standing in water.
Cleanup supplies are separate from the go-bag
If you must clean up after water recedes, use protective clothing, heavy work gloves, boots and an appropriate face covering for mold or debris. Children should not participate in disaster cleanup. People with asthma, other lung conditions or immune suppression should avoid buildings with visible or strong-smelling indoor mold or water leaks and should seek professional guidance.
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Power-outage supplies and food safety
Keep cold food cold
Open refrigerator and freezer doors as little as possible. FEMA’s 2025 outage information sheet says a refrigerator stays cold for about four hours and a full freezer for about 48 hours; actual times vary with room temperature, food load, door openings and appliance condition. Use an appliance thermometer if available.
| Situation | Action |
|---|---|
| Refrigerator has been without power for several hours | Keep the door closed and check the thermometer before deciding what to keep. |
| Refrigerated food reached 40°F or higher for more than four hours | Discard it rather than tasting it to test safety. |
| Freezer still contains ice crystals or remains at a safe temperature | Keep the door closed and follow food-safety guidance for refreezing or cooking. |
| Food safety is uncertain after flooding or prolonged warmth | When in doubt, throw it out; floodwater-contaminated food and packaging should not be eaten. |
Never use smell or appearance as the only test for dangerous bacteria. Keep shelf-stable meals available so you are not forced to open the refrigerator repeatedly.
Alternative power without carbon-monoxide poisoning
Do not heat a home with a gas stove, oven, grill or clothes dryer. Run generators, camp stoves and charcoal grills outdoors, at least 20 feet from windows, doors and garage openings, and never operate a vehicle in an enclosed garage. Keep exhaust pointed away from the building and follow the equipment manufacturer’s instructions. Plan fuel storage before an emergency and decide which loads are essential; connecting a generator to household wiring without an approved transfer setup can energize utility lines and kill workers.
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Medical devices and refrigerated medicines
If anyone depends on powered medical equipment, contact the clinician or equipment provider before an outage to determine battery duration, compatible backup power and an emergency replacement plan. For refrigerated medicines exposed to room temperature, consult the medication label and ask a pharmacist or clinician whether the medicine remains usable. Do not guess based on appearance.
Household-specific supplies people often miss
Medicines and access needs
Keep a practical reserve of essential prescriptions where legally and medically appropriate, along with dosage instructions, mobility aids, hearing-aid batteries, communication cards and backup eyeglasses. A person who cannot climb stairs, see alerts, hear a siren or open packaging may need a tailored evacuation role and equipment.
Infants, older adults and allergies
Pack formula, bottles, diapers, wipes and a safe method to prepare feeds. Include easy-open foods and mobility or continence supplies for older adults. Mark allergen-free foods clearly and separate them from shared household supplies.
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Pets and service animals
Store several days of species-appropriate food and water, bowls, a carrier or crate, leash, waste bags, medications and records. Service animals may need identification and backup equipment. Do not assume an emergency shelter will provide animal supplies.
Quick Recap
How to store and maintain the kit
- Choose accessible locations: Keep the main container above likely flood levels and near an exit, with a second cache in another safe location if possible.
- Use waterproof organization: Put documents, medication lists and electronics in sealed inner bags inside a waterproof container. Label each pouch by function.
- Record dates: Mark water, food, batteries, medicines and power banks with purchase or expiration dates.
- Test twice a year: Turn on the radio, flashlight and lantern; test the phone charger; inspect batteries for corrosion; and verify that tools and can openers work.
- Practice the plan: Conduct a short drill that includes shutting off utilities only when safe, collecting the document container, loading pets and leaving by the planned route.
- Rebuild after use: Replace consumed supplies immediately, even if the emergency was minor. A half-empty kit is not ready for the next warning.
A printable final check
- Three days of water calculated at one gallon per person per day.
- At least three days of non-perishable, low-preparation food and a can opener.
- Flashlights or lanterns, spare batteries and a hand-crank or battery NOAA Weather Radio with tone-alert reception.
- Phone cables, a charged power bank and paper contact information.
- First-aid supplies, prescription medicines, glasses and written medical details.
- Moist towelettes, sanitizer, toilet paper, garbage bags, ties, diapers and infant supplies as needed.
- Whistle, dust masks, plastic sheeting, duct tape, gloves, non-sparking wrench or pliers and local maps.
- Waterproof document container plus password-protected digital copies.
- Pet food, water, carrier, leash, medicines and records.
- Flood evacuation routes, a meeting place and a plan for people using powered medical devices.
- Safe generator and fuel plan that keeps combustion equipment outdoors and at least 20 feet from building openings.
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