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Build your emergency kit list
A kit for two adults isn’t the kit for a family with a baby and a dog. Set your household below and the list resizes: water, food, and the extra items each person or pet adds. Tick things off as you gather them, then print it.
The kit is the stuff. The plan is who to call and where the papers are.
We make Family Ready, an iPhone app for the other half of being prepared. It starts with a free Emergency Card: who to call first, allergies and current medications on one clear screen that opens without internet.
- This same kit checklist is built in, free and editable, with sections for children, older adults, pets and rural homes.
- Plain-language sections for contacts, documents, insurance, home and pets.
- Stored encrypted on your device. No account needed to start, no ads.
- Family Ready Plus is optional, for sharing with people you invite.
Where the amounts come from
- Water: Ready.gov recommends one gallon per person per day for several days, for drinking and sanitation. The list multiplies that by the people and days you set. A gallon is about 3.8 litres.
- Food: Ready.gov says at least a several-day supply of non-perishable food. The list shows it as three meals per person per day so you can count tins and packets against it.
- Days: Three days is the common minimum. Get Prepared (Canada) also uses 72 hours. Rural homes and places that lose power for long stretches often plan for a week or more.
- Pets: Ready.gov lists pet food and extra water for your pet without a set amount, because it depends on the animal. Use what your pet actually drinks in a day and add a margin.
Based on Ready.gov, Build A Kit (U.S. Department of Homeland Security). The household adjustments and meal counts are ours. For a water-only plan with container sizes, use the emergency water storage calculator.
Getting it done without buying it all at once
- Shop your house first. Most homes already have a torch, a tin opener, blankets and half a first aid kit. Tick those and see what’s actually missing.
- Add two items to each weekly shop. Water and tinned food first.
- One container, one place. A lidded tub in a hall cupboard beats items spread through the house.
- Put a date on it. Check food, water, batteries and medicines twice a year. The kit expiry tracker keeps the dates.
Questions people ask
How much water do I need in an emergency kit?
Ready.gov recommends one gallon of water per person per day for several days, for drinking and sanitation. For two adults over three days that is six gallons, about 23 litres.
What should be in a 72-hour emergency kit?
Water, non-perishable food, a battery or hand-crank radio, a torch, a first aid kit, spare batteries, a whistle, dust masks, sanitation items, a wrench or pliers, a manual tin opener, local maps and a phone with chargers and a backup battery. Then add what your household needs: medicines, baby supplies, pet food, documents and cash.
How often should I check my emergency kit?
Twice a year is a workable habit: replace expired food, water, batteries and medicines, and update clothing sizes and documents as the family changes.
Does this page save my list?
Your household numbers and ticks are kept in this browser so you can come back to them. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Related
- Power outage readiness quizAnswer 12 quick yes or no questions to see roughly how long your household could ride out a winter power outage, and get the exact gaps to fix this weekend.
- Emergency water storage calculatorHow much emergency water to store for your household: enter people and days, get gallons, bottles, jugs, weight and a replace-by date. Based on Ready.gov.
- Family emergency plan maker (printable)Fill in who to call and where to meet, then print a one-page family emergency plan for the fridge. Free, private, and laid out like Ready.gov's own plan.
- 7-day family emergency plan challenge (printable)A 7-day family emergency plan challenge for a new home: one 20-minute task a day, a free printable tracker, a Ready.gov kit list and an offline card.