"72-hour kit" sounds dramatic, but the idea is simple. After an emergency, help and services might not reach you right away. Ready.gov puts it plainly: you may need to survive on your own for several days. A kit is just a bin or bag of basics so that, if it happens, you're inconvenienced instead of stuck.
Here's a checklist built from Ready.gov’s basic disaster supplies kit and the Red Cross survival kit list, plus the things people usually forget.
The core checklist
- Water: one gallon per person per day for several days, for drinking and sanitation. For a family of four over three days, that's at least 12 gallons.
- Food: at least a several-day supply of non-perishable food, plus a manual can opener.
- Radio: a battery-powered or hand-crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert.
- Light: a flashlight (one per person is better) and extra batteries.
- First aid kit
- Whistle to signal for help
- Dust mask to help filter contaminated air
- Plastic sheeting, scissors and duct tape for sheltering in place
- Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for sanitation
- Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
- Local maps
- Phone charger and backup battery
What people forget
Pre-made kits handle the generic stuff well. The personal items are what people miss, and Ready.gov's list calls out several of them:
- Prescription medications and anything you'd struggle without, like glasses, contact solution or hearing aid batteries.
- Infant supplies: formula, bottles, diapers and wipes.
- Pet food and extra water. Ready.gov has a pet kit list.
- Important documents such as IDs, insurance policies and bank records. Ready.gov suggests keeping copies saved electronically or in a waterproof, portable container.
- Cash, because card readers and ATMs may not work without power.
- A change of clothes and sturdy shoes for each person, plus blankets or sleeping bags.
Home, work and car
You won't always be home when something happens. Ready.gov recommends keeping a kit at home, a work kit to shelter at work for at least 24 hours with comfortable walking shoes, and a kit in your car in case you're stranded. They don't need to be big, just matched to where you spend time.
How to pack it
Ready.gov suggests storing items in airtight plastic bags and keeping the whole kit in one or two easy-to-carry containers, like plastic bins or a duffel bag. Put the heaviest items, usually water, in a separate container that you can grab or leave depending on the situation. Keep the kit somewhere cool and dry where everyone in the house can reach it.
Keep it fresh
A kit you packed five years ago is likely to let you down. The Ready.gov maintenance tips include keeping canned food somewhere cool and dry, replacing expired items, and rethinking your needs every year as your family changes. One easy habit is to check your kit when the clocks change in spring and fall. Swap out food and water near its date, test flashlights and the radio, and update medications and documents.
Sizing your kit to your household
Start with how many people (and pets) live with you, then do the math. Water is the big one: one gallon per person per day, so two people for three days need at least 6 gallons, and four people need at least 12. Ready.gov notes that children, nursing mothers, sick people and people in hot climates may need more, so round up. Do the same for food. Think in meals per person per day, and pick foods your family will actually eat that don't need refrigeration and need little or no cooking (Ready.gov food guidance). If someone in your home has a disability, a medical device or special dietary needs, build those into the kit first rather than adding them later.
If your kit includes candles or a stove
Some kits include candles, stoves or fuel. The Red Cross recommends flashlights over candles during outages because of fire risk. Ready.gov says to use camp stoves and grills only outdoors and at least 20 feet from windows, never indoors, to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning.
A word on generators
If you use a portable generator, run it outside only. The CDC says never to use a generator inside your home or garage, even with doors and windows open, and the CPSC adds crawlspaces and sheds to that list. Ready.gov says generators and fuel should be at least 20 feet away from windows, doors and attached garages. The CDC calls carbon monoxide an odorless, colorless gas that can cause sudden illness and death and recommends a battery-powered or battery backup CO detector in your home whenever you use a generator. Ready.gov says to let the generator cool before refueling. Never plug a generator into a wall outlet. The CPSC calls this "backfeeding" extremely dangerous: it creates an electrocution risk for utility workers and neighbors served by the same transformer, and it bypasses some of your home's built-in circuit protection. If you want a generator connected to your home's wiring, talk to a licensed electrician about a properly installed transfer switch. That's not a DIY job.
Make a plan to go with it
A kit covers the supplies, and a plan covers who does what. Ready.gov’s Make a Plan page walks you through how you'll get alerts, where you'll shelter, your evacuation route and how your household will contact each other. Ten minutes at the kitchen table is enough to start.
Build it or start from a kit
You can build everything on this checklist yourself, and plenty of people do. If you'd rather start from a packed base and then add your personal items, PrepWell has a 2-Person 72-Hour Emergency Kit and a 4-Person 72-Hour Emergency Kit. Families who want a more complete setup can look at the 4-Person Family Prep Kit, and if you need something you can carry, there's the 4-Person Urban Bug-Out Bag. Whatever you choose, check it against this list and fill in the gaps.