Preparing Your Family in 3 Steps

Helping to prepare families and providing them with security and peace of mind is why we do what we do here at Emergency Zone. We offer a broad range of 72-Hour Survival Kits, Hygiene and Sanitation Kits, Water Storage, and Food Storage products to cover all your family’s needs.

We know emergency preparedness requires a significant investment of research, time, and resources. Deciding things like what supplies you need, how long to prepare for, how much to spend, can all make it feel like an overwhelming endeavor, so to make it more manageable we’ve broken it down into 3 easy steps to get you started:

Step 1: Identify your Needs

Review the emergency preparedness checklists below and determine what general emergency supplies you will need for your specific location and lifestyle. This Emergency Preparedness Checklist is also available as a printable PDF for your convenience, Download Here . If you are unsure of what natural disasters your area may be vulnerable to, check out this page on FEMA.gov to see what major disasters have historically occurred in your state.

Essentials


Water—one gallon per person, per day (3-day supply for evacuation, 2-week supply for home)
Food—non-perishable, easy-to-prepare items (3-day supply for evacuation, 2-week supply for home)
Flashlight
Radio Battery-powered or hand-crank (NOAA Weather Radio, if possible)
Extra batteries
First aid kit
Medical items, including Medications (7-day supply)
Multipurpose tool
Sanitation and personal hygiene items
Copies of personal documents (medication list and pertinent medical information, proof of address, deed/lease to home, passports, birth certificates, insurance policies)
Cell phone with chargers
Family and emergency contact information
Extra cash
Emergency blanket
Map(s) of the area
Matches

Further Supplies to Consider


Fuel cans
Medical supplies (hearing aids with extra batteries, glasses, contact lenses, syringes, cane)
Baby supplies (bottles, formula, baby food, diapers)
Hand sanitizer
Games and activities for children
Pet supplies (collar, leash, ID, food, carrier, bowl)
Two-way radios
Extra set of keys (car and house)
Manual can opener
Extra clothing, hat and sturdy shoes
Plastic sheeting
Duct tape
Scissors
Household liquid bleach
Entertainment items
Blankets or sleeping bags
Portable Toilet Sets

Recommendations Based on Natural Disaster

Earthquakes


Sturdy Shoes
Work Gloves
Garden Hose
Knife
Fire Extinguisher
Ax
Shovel
Tools; i.e. screwdriver, pliers, hammer, adjustable wrench
Strong Rope
Whistle / Emergency Signaling Device
Hard Hat
N95 Mask
Safety Goggles
Wall Fasteners
Carbon Monoxide Detector
Tool to shut off utilities (not all houses will need this)

Hurricanes / Flooding/ Severe Weather


Sturdy Shoes
Work Gloves
Rubber Gloves
Sand Bags
Storm Shutters / Wood, Nails, and a Hammer
Rain Gear
Towels
Weather Band Radio
Fire Extinguisher
Power Generator
Insect Repellant
Whistle / Emergency Signaling Device
Wall Fasteners
Carbon Monoxide Detector
Tool to shut off utilities (not all houses will need this)

Tornado


Sturdy Shoes
Wood, Nails, and a Hammer / Storm Shutters
Weather Band Radio
Wall Fasteners
Whistle / Emergency Signaling Device
Carbon Monoxide Detector
Tool to shut off utilities (not all houses will need this)

Wildfire


Sturdy Shoes
N95 Mask
Tool to shut off utilities (not all houses will need this)

Winter Storms


Ice Scraper
Shovel
Tire Chains
Tow Rope
Kitty Litter or Sand
Jumper Cables
Whistle / Emergency Signaling Device
Waterproof Matches
Winter Clothes
Carbon Monoxide Detector
Tool to shut off utilities (not all houses will need this)

Step 2: Gather Supplies

Once you’ve decided what emergency preparedness items you need for your particular situation, it’s time to start preparing and building up your emergency supply! Getting to where you feel like you are adequately prepared will vary from person to person, and you really can spend as much as you want. We like to think of preparedness as a journey you work on over time, so don’t feel the need to buy everything all at once.

We recommend prioritizing the order in which you purchase items by duration:

3 Days

Government and preparedness agencies recommend being prepared for at least 3 days, so first ensure you have a 72-Hour kit.

Prepare for 3 Days

2 Weeks

Next look at getting prepared for 2 weeks. FEMA recommends to have 2 weeks supply of food and water as it can take a while for assistance to arrive, water line repairs, electricity to be restored, and stores to get restocked.

Prepare for 2 Weeks

Long-Term

The future is unknown, and sometimes unfortunate circumstances can occur, like the loss of a job, food shortages, civil unrest, etc. Long-term home storage can provide you and your family with security and protection in preparation for such events.

Prepare Long-Term

Step 3: Make a Plan

Having a plan of action for when disaster strikes will help you and your family make better, safer decisions in the chaos of an emergency, and is one of the most important steps you can take toward getting prepared. Below we have provided some recommendations and free resources to help you come up with your own plan best suited for your family.

Things to Consider When Making a Plan

Where Will You Be?

A disaster can happen any day at any time. If you work an 8 hour job, then 1/3 of your time is spent at your work. If your child attends school, then they are there between 6-7 hours a day. If they are in extracurricular activities then they are there even longer. Statistically, there is about a 33% chance you won’t be with your family when an emergency strikes. Make sure your entire family knows what to do if the time ever come.

Where Will Your Kit Be?

Have a designated spot for your emergency kit that everyone in your family knows about. This way it won’t be forgotten if you need to evacuate, and you won’t be running around in a potentially hazardous situation trying to find your kit.

What Will You Do?

FEMA recommends that family drills should be conducted, so everyone is familiar with the plan laid out. Make sure everyone knows where they can safely take shelter (if needed) during the disaster, and where to meet up afterwards. We recommend that you have a map of your area showing different routes to your evacuation/emergency shelter from places you are commonly at.

Where Will Your Pets Go?

If you plan on going to an emergency shelter, and have a pet, make sure you plan ahead of time where to shelter your pet, or find a pet-friendly shelter.

Who Will You Call?

Depending on the magnitude of the disaster, it can take a while for relief agencies to help. After the disaster occurs, emergency response lines tend to be busy. Identify other resources in your community ahead of time that you can use while waiting for FEMA, 911, etc.

Other Resources

Ready Gov Family Page

FEMA Family Plan

NOAA Radio Home Page

Prepare For Life: Emergency Preparedness Guidebook

Through the years, we've noticed that people swing from extremes of apathy and ignorance to panic and alarm when it comes to disasters.

We would like to offer a third way. Only by preparing in a way that escapes the mentality of fear will you be truly prepared for emergencies, and that is why we are now distributing our emergency guidebook to the public—free of charge, no strings attached.

They say “Prepare for the worst, hope for the best,” but this guide will show you how. You don’t need to pretend that a hurricane, earthquake, wildfire, flood or other disaster will never happen to you; you just need to know what your part will be— and what supplies you need to have ready.

Get Your FREE Guidebook

Printable Family Emergency Plan

Having a plan can help when the chaos of emergencies occur. When you and your family know what to do ahead of time, you won’t have to decide in the moment.

Printable Family Emergency Plan

Don’t Stop Here!

If you’ve gotten this far congratulations, you probably have a pretty good idea of what you’re doing now! As we mentioned before, we consider preparedness to be a lifelong and very personal endeavor, so think of these steps as a guide to jump start you into the process. As you work on getting prepared, look for items you think you could add for your own individual situation, stay educated as guidelines and recommendations are always being updated, make accommodations as necessary with your lifestyle changes, and rotate out items from your supply as they expire.