Northeast · 3 days · 4 people

Drinking, cooking, and basic hygiene. Rotate every 6 months.

Counts toward your stored-gallon total.

Light and packable. Backup to the main filter.

For hauling water from distribution points. Light when empty.

Fills in your tub before a forecast storm. 100 clean gallons.

Your water heater holds 40 to 50 clean gallons. Stage the hose.

Canned, dry, and ready-to-eat food you already eat.

Keep one in the kitchen and one in the kit.

Wound care beyond band-aids. Check contents yearly.

Pain, allergy, stomach, and cold basics.

Protects against smoke, dust, and illness.

Thyroid protection in a nuclear-plant emergency. Only works if on hand.

Standardize on AA where you can, then stock deep.

Keeps phones alive for the first three days. Top off every few months.

Catches what you can't see or smell. Test monthly.

Quiet and safe indoors. Recharges phones, radios, and medical gear.

Runs small devices off your car outlet.

Safety warning: Never run the car in a garage for power or heat. Exhaust can kill in minutes. Outdoors only.

Hands-free light. One per person.

Fills a room with light. Safer than flame.

Charge in the socket on grid power. They run for hours when it fails.

Spares for the drawer, the car, and the kit.

Official broadcasts with no batteries. Crank it.

Three blasts means distress.

An out-of-state contact is the family switchboard. Kids carry a card.

Evacuation routes without GPS. Mark yours now.

Heat the person, not the house.

Safe indoor heat with the right model and fresh air.

Safety warning: Use only indoor-safe models with a low-oxygen shutoff. Crack a window while it runs and keep a battery CO alarm in the room.

One canister lasts 3 to 5 hours on low.

Safety warning: Store spare propane outside your living space. Never store 20-lb tanks indoors.

Roof patches, shade, shelter, and rain catch.

Seals a room against smoke or chemicals.

Warm even when damp.

Cheap insurance in every kit and glovebox.

Instant heat for hands, boots, and sleeping bags.

Base, insulation, shell. Staged where you can find it in the dark.

Safe steps and an open path during ice.

Stock a deep reserve.

Waste, ponchos, ground cover, and window patches.

Clean hands prevent illness.

Two burners for real cooking. Outdoors or ventilated only.

Safety warning: Cook outdoors or with strong ventilation only. Never inside a closed room or a tent.

About one canister per two days of cooking.

Safety warning: Use the stove outdoors. Store canisters away from heat and flame.

Three separate ways to make fire.

Compact burner for a balcony or open window.

Safety warning: Use it with a window open and never leave it burning unattended.

Keeps fridge contents 2 to 3 more days. Freeze water jugs ahead.

Fire risk rises when the fire department is busiest.

Fresh batteries, tested monthly.

Pliers, blades, and drivers in your pocket.

Protects hands from debris.

Fixes almost anything for a while.

Opens jammed doors and moves debris.

Pre-cut and labeled before the storm.

Holds back rising water at doors and low spots.

One per vehicle. Jump starter, tire plugs, compressor.

A free habit that beats any gas can.

IDs, insurance, deeds, and medical records in one waterproof folder.

Card readers die with the grid. Small bills only.

Rally points, contacts, and shutoffs, written down for everyone.

Documents and photos, scanned and password-protected.

Ten minutes of phone video proves an insurance claim.

Standard policies exclude flood. Review yearly.

Staged spares.

Reinforces the frame, which fails before the lock.

Legal almost everywhere. Practice with the trainer unit.

Secure storage for firearms, meds, cash, and documents.

Take a real course and practice.

Renter-friendly, no drilling.

Requires training and secure storage. Know your state's laws.