At a minimum, you should have the basic supplies listed below:

1. Water: one gallon per person, per day (3-day supply for evacuation, 2-week supply for home)
2. Food: non-perishable, easy-to-prepare items (3-day supply for evacuation, 2-week supply for home)
3. Flashlight
4. Battery-powered or hand-crank radio (NOAA Weather Radio, if possible)
5. Extra batteries
6. First aid kit
7. Medications (7-day supply) and medical items
8. Multi-purpose tool
9. Sanitation and personal hygiene items
10. Copies of personal documents (medication list and pertinent medical information, proof of address, deed/lease to home, passports, birth certificates, insurance policies)
11. Cell phone with chargers
12. Family and emergency contact information
13. Extra cash
14. Emergency blanket
15. Map(s) of the area

Consider the needs of all family members and add supplies to your kit:

• Medical supplies (hearing aids with extra batteries, glasses, contact lenses, syringes, etc)
• Baby supplies (bottles, formula, baby food, diapers)
• Games and activities for children
• Pet supplies (collar, leash, ID, food, carrier, bowl)
• Two-way radios
• Extra set of car keys and house keys
• Manual can opener

Additional supplies to keep at home or in your survival kit based on the types of disasters common to your area:

• Whistle
• N95 or surgical masks
• Matches
• Rain gear
• Towels
• Work gloves
• Tools/supplies for securing your home
• Extra clothing, hat and sturdy shoes
• Plastic sheeting
• Duct tape
• Scissors
• Household liquid bleach
• Entertainment items
• Blankets or sleeping bags

© 2023 The American National Red Cross

Plan for the emergencies that are most likely to happen where you live:

• Be familiar with natural disaster risks in your community.
• Consider how you will respond to emergencies that can happen anywhere, such as home fires and floods.
• Consider how you will respond to emergencies that are unique to your region, such as volcanoes, tsunamis or tornadoes.
• Think about emergencies that may require your family to shelter in place (such as a winter storm), vs. emergencies that may require evacuation (such as a hurricane).
• Consult our emergency resource library for tips on preparing for, responding to, and recovering from specific disasters.

Plan what to do in case you are separated during an emergency:

• Choose two places to meet up:
  • Right outside your home in case of a sudden emergency, such as a fire
  • Outside your neighborhood, in case you cannot return home or are asked to evacuate
• Choose an out-of-area emergency contact person. It may be easier to text or call long distance if local phone lines are overloaded or out of service. Everyone should carry emergency contact information in writing and saved on their cell phones. Make sure places where your children spend time also have these contact numbers, like at school or daycare.
• Your plan should account for family members who may live elsewhere during the year, such as members of the military on deployment or students away at college, or those who travel frequently.
  • How will you need to adapt your plan if they are at home?
  • What will you need to do differently if they are away?

Plan what to do if you have to evacuate:

• Decide where you would go and what route you would take to get there, such as:
  A hotel/motel
  • The home of friends or relatives a safe distance away
  • An evacuation shelter
• Practice evacuating your home twice a year. Grab your emergency kit, just like you will in a real emergency, then drive your planned evacuation route. Plot alternate routes on your map in case roads are impassable. Make sure you have locations and maps saved on devices such as cell phones and GPS units and on paper.
• Plan ahead for your pets. Keep a phone list of pet-friendly hotels/motels and animal shelters that are along your evacuation routes. Remember, if it’s not safe for you to stay home, it’s not safe for your pets either.

© 2023 The American National Red Cross

Learn the types of disasters or emergencies that may likely occur in your area. These events can range from those affecting only you and your family, like a home fire or medical emergency, to those affecting your entire community, like an earthquake or flood.

• Identify how local authorities will notify you during a disaster and how you will get information, whether through local radio, TV or NOAA Weather Radio stations or channels.
• Know the difference between different weather alerts such as watches and warnings and what actions to take in each.
• Know what actions to take to protect yourself during disasters that may occur in areas where you travel or have moved recently. For example, if you travel to a place where earthquakes are common and you are not familiar with them, make sure you know what to do to protect yourself should one occur.
• When a major disaster occurs, your community can change in an instant. Loved ones may be hurt and emergency response is likely to be delayed. Make sure that at least one member of your household is trained in first aid and CPR and knows how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED). This training is useful in many emergency situations.

© 2023 The American National Red Cross