Emergency kit

What It Means

An emergency kit is a collection of supplies a household keeps packed and ready for a disaster, when power, water or stores may be out for days. Ready.gov's basic list covers water, food, a radio, light, first aid and sanitation, packed in one or two containers you can carry. Many households keep a smaller version at work and in the car too.

How It Sounds at Home

• "The emergency bin is under the stairs."
• "Did anyone eat the granola bars from the kit?"
• "We need new batteries for the radio."

The Breakdown

Ready.gov's basic kit

• Water: one gallon per person per day, for several days, for drinking and washing
• Food: at least several days of non-perishable food, and a manual can opener
• A battery-powered or hand crank radio, plus a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert
• Flashlight and extra batteries
• First aid kit
• Whistle to signal for help
• Dust mask, plus plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter in place
• Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for sanitation
• Local maps
• A phone with chargers and a backup battery

Add what your household needs. Ready.gov's hurricane guidance adds medication, disinfectant supplies and pet supplies, since you may not be able to buy them for days or weeks after a storm.

Store it right

• Pack everything in one or two containers that are easy to carry, like plastic bins or a duffel bag, with items sealed in airtight plastic bags.
• Keep it in one known place at home and make sure everyone knows where.
• Keep canned food somewhere cool and dry, and boxed food in tightly closed plastic or metal containers.
• Replace expired items, and rethink the kit each year as the household changes.

Beyond the house. Ready.gov suggests a work kit for sheltering there at least 24 hours, with comfortable walking shoes, and a kit in every car's trunk.

Good to Know

Pack it so it can go with you if you have to leave. Follow evacuation orders from local officials, and in an emergency get out and call 911. Water is the heaviest and bulkiest part of the list, so work out your household's number early. As an example, four people for three days at a gallon each per day is 12 gallons.

Related Terms and Categories

• Hurricane prep

  Getting a home and household ready for a hurricane: knowing your evacuation zone, stocking supplies, protecting windows and acting on watches and warnings.

• Emergency fund

  Money set aside only for unplanned costs, like a car repair, a medical bill or a lost paycheck, kept where you can reach it quickly.

• Generator maintenance

  The routine care that keeps a home generator ready for an outage: oil changes, filter and spark plug checks, test runs and safe storage.

• Fire escape plan

  A household's agreed way out in a fire: two exits from every room, an outside meeting place, and a drill practiced at least twice a year.

• Home inventory

  A room-by-room record of what you own, with photos, values and receipts, kept to prove a loss to your insurer after a fire, theft or storm.

• Travel first aid kit

  A small, packable kit of first aid supplies, medicines and health papers a family carries on a trip so minor problems can be handled away from home.

Home maintenance and repairs