The Complete 72-Hour Emergency Preparedness Checklist

A 72-hour emergency kit isn't supposed to prepare you for every disaster imaginable. Its job is simpler: it gives you a basic supply of essential items to help your household function during the first several days of an emergency.

That's an important distinction. The objective isn't to cram dozens of survival gadgets into a backpack. It's to answer the basic questions: what will we drink? What will we eat? How will we see? How will we receive information? What do we need medically? How will we stay warm and sanitary? What happens if we have to leave?

Current Red Cross guidance recommends keeping a portable go-kit with at least three days of supplies, while maintaining a larger stay-at-home reserve for emergencies that keep you at home longer. Use this checklist to build your first 72-hour foundation.

1. Water

Water should be one of your first priorities. CDC guidance recommends storing at least one gallon of water per person per day for three days, and trying to store a two-week supply when possible. For a basic 72-hour household plan: 1 person needs at least 3 gallons, 2 people at least 6 gallons, 4 people at least 12 gallons. That is a baseline, not a universal perfect number — you may need more for hot weather, pets, pregnancy, illness or other household needs.

• Emergency drinking water
• Enough for each household member
• Additional water for pets where needed
• Portable water containers
• Water-treatment or filtration backup
• Storage dates reviewed periodically

Important: filtration is not a reason to skip stored water. Store safe water first. Build backup options second.

2. Food

Choose foods that are shelf-stable, familiar and practical.

• At least three days of food
• Foods requiring little or no cooking
• Food household members will actually eat
• Manual can opener where necessary
• Utensils
• Infant food/formula where applicable
• Foods for dietary restrictions
• Pet food

If your emergency food depends on boiling water for every meal, make sure your plan also includes a safe, realistic cooking method.

3. First Aid and Medical Needs

A first-aid kit is a starting point. Your household may need much more.

• First-aid kit
• Necessary prescription planning
• Important medical supplies
• Spare glasses where appropriate
• Contact-lens supplies where appropriate
• Copies of medical information
• List of medications
• Needed equipment for household members
• Backup-power planning for electrically dependent medical equipment

The Red Cross's 2026 preparedness guidance recommends maintaining a larger supply of medications and medical supplies when possible and revisiting kits as household needs change.

4. Light

Do not make one smartphone flashlight your household's entire emergency-lighting plan.

• Flashlights
• Headlamps
• Lantern
• Spare batteries or charging source
• Backup lighting option

Headlamps can be especially useful because they keep both hands free. Store lighting somewhere everyone knows how to reach in the dark.

5. Power and Charging

For a short outage, your first power priority may simply be maintaining communication.

• Charged power bank
• Charging cables
• Vehicle charger
• Spare batteries
• Larger backup-power solution where household needs justify it
• Plan for powered medical equipment where applicable

Charge backup equipment before severe weather or other anticipated disruptions. A power bank at 5% isn't much of a backup.

6. Emergency Information and Communication

You need a way to receive information even if normal internet access becomes unreliable.

• Battery-powered or hand-crank emergency/weather radio
• Important phone numbers on paper
• Local emergency-alert enrollment
• Out-of-area contact
• Household communication plan
• Meeting location
• Local maps
• Backup charging

Ready.gov's basic-kit guidance includes a radio, flashlight, local maps, phone charging and other communication-oriented supplies.

7. Shelter and Warmth

Prepare for your actual climate.

• Warm blankets or sleeping bags
• Weather-appropriate change of clothing
• Sturdy shoes
• Rain protection
• Emergency blankets or portable warmth
• Portable shelter items where your evacuation/outdoor plan requires them
• Work gloves

A winter kit in the Upper Midwest should look different from a summer hurricane kit on the Gulf Coast. Customization is preparedness.

8. Sanitation and Hygiene

Sanitation becomes much more important when water, plumbing or waste collection are disrupted.

• Soap
• Hand sanitizer
• Toothbrush/toothpaste
• Toilet paper
• Moist wipes
• Garbage bags
• Personal hygiene supplies
• Menstrual products where relevant
• Diapers and wipes where relevant
• Basic waste-management supplies
• Pet sanitation supplies

Ready.gov includes moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties in its basic supply recommendations.

9. Important Documents

Emergencies can separate you from the files and devices you normally depend on.

• Identification copies
• Insurance information
• Emergency contacts
• Medical information
• Prescription information
• Household inventory where appropriate
• Pet documentation
• Important account/contact information
• Secure digital backups
• Waterproof document pouch

Do not carry unnecessary sensitive originals in a bag that may be easily lost or stolen. Decide what should be copied, securely backed up or physically protected.

10. Emergency Cash

Electronic payments don't work everywhere during outages. Consider keeping an appropriate amount of emergency cash in secure denominations for your household circumstances. Avoid advertising where it is stored.

11. Tools and Utility Items

You don't need a hardware store in your emergency kit. But a few practical items can help.

• Whistle
• Work gloves
• Basic multi-purpose household tool where appropriate
• Local maps
• Duct tape
• Spare batteries
• Notebook
• Pen/pencil
• Basic repair items relevant to your household

12. Household-Specific Supplies

This is the section generic kits often miss.

Children

• Formula/food
• Bottles
• Diapers
• Wipes
• Comfort items
• Necessary medications

Pets

• Food
• Water
• Leash
• Carrier
• Medication
• Bowls
• Waste supplies
• Identification/records

Older Adults and Accessibility Needs

• Medical equipment
• Mobility supplies
• Backup power
• Written instructions
• Caregiver contacts
• Hearing-device batteries
• Other individualized needs

The Red Cross explicitly recommends customizing emergency supplies for children, pets and people who may need additional help.

13. Your Go-Bag

Your entire household emergency reserve doesn't necessarily belong in one backpack. A go-bag is the portable portion. Think: what would we need if we had to leave? Keep portable essentials organized so you're not searching through cabinets during an evacuation.

14. What a 72-Hour Kit Does NOT Replace

A three-day kit is a foundation. It does not replace a longer-term household water reserve, a household emergency plan, a larger stay-at-home food supply, prescription planning, a power plan for critical devices, evacuation planning, first-aid knowledge, or practicing what to do.

Current Red Cross guidance recommends building a two-week stay-at-home supply of food and water in addition to the portable three-day go-kit. Once your first 72 hours are covered, that's a logical next milestone.

Build Your Kit in the Right Order

If you're starting from nothing, prioritize water first, then food, then first aid and personal needs, then lighting, then communication and power, then shelter/warmth, then sanitation, documents and evacuation organization. You don't need to complete it all today. Build it deliberately.