What matters in which emergency
Prep isn't one list. Pick an emergency to see what's critical, what helps and what can wait.
Power outage, 1 to 3 days. Storm, heat wave or grid failure knocks out power. Water and stores mostly still work.
Critical
- Phone power banksYour phone is your map, flashlight, radio and alert system. A charged bank keeps it alive for days.Power stations and generators
- Headlamps and batteriesHands-free light is the difference between handling a dark house and tripping through it.Lighting and staying warm
- Battery CO alarmGenerators, heaters and stoves used during outages are a leading cause of carbon monoxide deaths.Power stations and generators
Important
- Stored drinking waterYou can last weeks without food but about three days without water. Mains break in quakes and pumps stop in outages.Water storage and filters
- No-cook shelf-stable foodGrocery shelves empty within a day of a big warning. Food you can eat cold works in every scenario.Emergency food and cooking
- Power station or generatorKeeps a fridge, CPAP, router or medical device running. Most valuable for long outages.Power stations and generators
- NOAA weather / crank radioWorks when cell towers and internet fail. Official alerts and evacuation orders still reach you.Radios and communication
- Warmth without powerA house without heat loses its warmth within a day in winter. Sleeping bags rated for the season solve most of it.Lighting and staying warm
- Cash in small billsCard readers and ATMs need power and network. Cash keeps working.Go-bags and evacuation
Useful
- Portable water filterTurns a creek, pool or rain barrel into drinking water once your stored supply runs out.Water storage and filters
- Purification tablets or bleachFilters miss viruses. Tablets or unscented bleach cover that gap and weigh almost nothing.Water storage and filters
- Off-grid cookingWarm food and boiled water matter a lot after day three. Outdoor use only for gas and charcoal.Emergency food and cooking
- Stocked first-aid kitWhen 911 is overloaded, minor cuts and burns become your problem to handle well.First aid and medical
- Prescription reservePharmacies close or run out. A two-week buffer of essential meds is one of the highest-value preps there is.First aid and medical
- Two-way radio or satellite messengerLets your household coordinate when phones are down, and gets an SOS out from anywhere.Radios and communication
Long grid-down, 2+ weeks. Power, fuel deliveries and store shelves are unreliable for weeks. You are on your own supplies.
Critical
- Stored drinking waterYou can last weeks without food but about three days without water. Mains break in quakes and pumps stop in outages.Water storage and filters
- Portable water filterTurns a creek, pool or rain barrel into drinking water once your stored supply runs out.Water storage and filters
- No-cook shelf-stable foodGrocery shelves empty within a day of a big warning. Food you can eat cold works in every scenario.Emergency food and cooking
- Off-grid cookingWarm food and boiled water matter a lot after day three. Outdoor use only for gas and charcoal.Emergency food and cooking
- Power station or generatorKeeps a fridge, CPAP, router or medical device running. Most valuable for long outages.Power stations and generators
- Stocked first-aid kitWhen 911 is overloaded, minor cuts and burns become your problem to handle well.First aid and medical
- Prescription reservePharmacies close or run out. A two-week buffer of essential meds is one of the highest-value preps there is.First aid and medical
- NOAA weather / crank radioWorks when cell towers and internet fail. Official alerts and evacuation orders still reach you.Radios and communication
- Headlamps and batteriesHands-free light is the difference between handling a dark house and tripping through it.Lighting and staying warm
- Warmth without powerA house without heat loses its warmth within a day in winter. Sleeping bags rated for the season solve most of it.Lighting and staying warm
- Emergency toiletIf mains break, flushing stops. Sanitation failures cause more illness after disasters than most people expect.Sanitation and hygiene
- Cash in small billsCard readers and ATMs need power and network. Cash keeps working.Go-bags and evacuation
- Battery CO alarmGenerators, heaters and stoves used during outages are a leading cause of carbon monoxide deaths.Power stations and generators
Important
- Purification tablets or bleachFilters miss viruses. Tablets or unscented bleach cover that gap and weigh almost nothing.Water storage and filters
- Phone power banksYour phone is your map, flashlight, radio and alert system. A charged bank keeps it alive for days.Power stations and generators
- Tourniquet and bleeding controlSevere bleeding kills in minutes, faster than any ambulance. Pair it with a free Stop the Bleed class.First aid and medical
- Two-way radio or satellite messengerLets your household coordinate when phones are down, and gets an SOS out from anywhere.Radios and communication
Useful
- Packed go-bagWith 15 minutes of notice there is no time to pack. A bag by the door decides what you leave with.Go-bags and evacuation
- N95 masksWildfire smoke, quake dust and illness. Cheap, light and badly needed when you need them.Go-bags and evacuation
- Document copiesInsurance claims, aid applications and re-entry checkpoints all ask for ID and proof of address.Go-bags and evacuation
Evacuate now, 15 minutes notice. Wildfire, flood or chemical spill. You leave with what you can carry or fit in the car.
Critical
- Phone power banksYour phone is your map, flashlight, radio and alert system. A charged bank keeps it alive for days.Power stations and generators
- Prescription reservePharmacies close or run out. A two-week buffer of essential meds is one of the highest-value preps there is.First aid and medical
- Packed go-bagWith 15 minutes of notice there is no time to pack. A bag by the door decides what you leave with.Go-bags and evacuation
- N95 masksWildfire smoke, quake dust and illness. Cheap, light and badly needed when you need them.Go-bags and evacuation
- Document copiesInsurance claims, aid applications and re-entry checkpoints all ask for ID and proof of address.Go-bags and evacuation
Important
- Stored drinking waterYou can last weeks without food but about three days without water. Mains break in quakes and pumps stop in outages.Water storage and filters
- Portable water filterTurns a creek, pool or rain barrel into drinking water once your stored supply runs out.Water storage and filters
- Stocked first-aid kitWhen 911 is overloaded, minor cuts and burns become your problem to handle well.First aid and medical
- NOAA weather / crank radioWorks when cell towers and internet fail. Official alerts and evacuation orders still reach you.Radios and communication
- Two-way radio or satellite messengerLets your household coordinate when phones are down, and gets an SOS out from anywhere.Radios and communication
- Headlamps and batteriesHands-free light is the difference between handling a dark house and tripping through it.Lighting and staying warm
- Cash in small billsCard readers and ATMs need power and network. Cash keeps working.Go-bags and evacuation
Useful
- Purification tablets or bleachFilters miss viruses. Tablets or unscented bleach cover that gap and weigh almost nothing.Water storage and filters
- No-cook shelf-stable foodGrocery shelves empty within a day of a big warning. Food you can eat cold works in every scenario.Emergency food and cooking
- Tourniquet and bleeding controlSevere bleeding kills in minutes, faster than any ambulance. Pair it with a free Stop the Bleed class.First aid and medical
- Warmth without powerA house without heat loses its warmth within a day in winter. Sleeping bags rated for the season solve most of it.Lighting and staying warm
- Emergency toiletIf mains break, flushing stops. Sanitation failures cause more illness after disasters than most people expect.Sanitation and hygiene
Shelter in place, 1 to 4 weeks. Quarantine, blizzard or unrest keeps you home. Utilities mostly work, but you can't go out.
Critical
- No-cook shelf-stable foodGrocery shelves empty within a day of a big warning. Food you can eat cold works in every scenario.Emergency food and cooking
- Prescription reservePharmacies close or run out. A two-week buffer of essential meds is one of the highest-value preps there is.First aid and medical
Important
- Stored drinking waterYou can last weeks without food but about three days without water. Mains break in quakes and pumps stop in outages.Water storage and filters
- Stocked first-aid kitWhen 911 is overloaded, minor cuts and burns become your problem to handle well.First aid and medical
- NOAA weather / crank radioWorks when cell towers and internet fail. Official alerts and evacuation orders still reach you.Radios and communication
- N95 masksWildfire smoke, quake dust and illness. Cheap, light and badly needed when you need them.Go-bags and evacuation
Useful
- Portable water filterTurns a creek, pool or rain barrel into drinking water once your stored supply runs out.Water storage and filters
- Purification tablets or bleachFilters miss viruses. Tablets or unscented bleach cover that gap and weigh almost nothing.Water storage and filters
- Off-grid cookingWarm food and boiled water matter a lot after day three. Outdoor use only for gas and charcoal.Emergency food and cooking
- Phone power banksYour phone is your map, flashlight, radio and alert system. A charged bank keeps it alive for days.Power stations and generators
- Power station or generatorKeeps a fridge, CPAP, router or medical device running. Most valuable for long outages.Power stations and generators
- Tourniquet and bleeding controlSevere bleeding kills in minutes, faster than any ambulance. Pair it with a free Stop the Bleed class.First aid and medical
- Headlamps and batteriesHands-free light is the difference between handling a dark house and tripping through it.Lighting and staying warm
- Warmth without powerA house without heat loses its warmth within a day in winter. Sleeping bags rated for the season solve most of it.Lighting and staying warm
- Emergency toiletIf mains break, flushing stops. Sanitation failures cause more illness after disasters than most people expect.Sanitation and hygiene
- Cash in small billsCard readers and ATMs need power and network. Cash keeps working.Go-bags and evacuation
- Battery CO alarmGenerators, heaters and stoves used during outages are a leading cause of carbon monoxide deaths.Power stations and generators
Unsafe tap water, days to weeks. Boil-water notice, main break or contamination. Everything else works but the tap.
Critical
- Stored drinking waterYou can last weeks without food but about three days without water. Mains break in quakes and pumps stop in outages.Water storage and filters
- Purification tablets or bleachFilters miss viruses. Tablets or unscented bleach cover that gap and weigh almost nothing.Water storage and filters
Important
- Portable water filterTurns a creek, pool or rain barrel into drinking water once your stored supply runs out.Water storage and filters
- Off-grid cookingWarm food and boiled water matter a lot after day three. Outdoor use only for gas and charcoal.Emergency food and cooking
- Emergency toiletIf mains break, flushing stops. Sanitation failures cause more illness after disasters than most people expect.Sanitation and hygiene
Useful
- No-cook shelf-stable foodGrocery shelves empty within a day of a big warning. Food you can eat cold works in every scenario.Emergency food and cooking
- Stocked first-aid kitWhen 911 is overloaded, minor cuts and burns become your problem to handle well.First aid and medical
- NOAA weather / crank radioWorks when cell towers and internet fail. Official alerts and evacuation orders still reach you.Radios and communication
Major earthquake, 72 hours to 2 weeks. No warning. Roads, water mains, gas lines and cell networks can all fail at once.
Critical
- Stored drinking waterYou can last weeks without food but about three days without water. Mains break in quakes and pumps stop in outages.Water storage and filters
- No-cook shelf-stable foodGrocery shelves empty within a day of a big warning. Food you can eat cold works in every scenario.Emergency food and cooking
- Phone power banksYour phone is your map, flashlight, radio and alert system. A charged bank keeps it alive for days.Power stations and generators
- Stocked first-aid kitWhen 911 is overloaded, minor cuts and burns become your problem to handle well.First aid and medical
- Prescription reservePharmacies close or run out. A two-week buffer of essential meds is one of the highest-value preps there is.First aid and medical
- Tourniquet and bleeding controlSevere bleeding kills in minutes, faster than any ambulance. Pair it with a free Stop the Bleed class.First aid and medical
- NOAA weather / crank radioWorks when cell towers and internet fail. Official alerts and evacuation orders still reach you.Radios and communication
- Headlamps and batteriesHands-free light is the difference between handling a dark house and tripping through it.Lighting and staying warm
- Emergency toiletIf mains break, flushing stops. Sanitation failures cause more illness after disasters than most people expect.Sanitation and hygiene
Important
- Portable water filterTurns a creek, pool or rain barrel into drinking water once your stored supply runs out.Water storage and filters
- Purification tablets or bleachFilters miss viruses. Tablets or unscented bleach cover that gap and weigh almost nothing.Water storage and filters
- Off-grid cookingWarm food and boiled water matter a lot after day three. Outdoor use only for gas and charcoal.Emergency food and cooking
- Power station or generatorKeeps a fridge, CPAP, router or medical device running. Most valuable for long outages.Power stations and generators
- Two-way radio or satellite messengerLets your household coordinate when phones are down, and gets an SOS out from anywhere.Radios and communication
- Warmth without powerA house without heat loses its warmth within a day in winter. Sleeping bags rated for the season solve most of it.Lighting and staying warm
- Packed go-bagWith 15 minutes of notice there is no time to pack. A bag by the door decides what you leave with.Go-bags and evacuation
- N95 masksWildfire smoke, quake dust and illness. Cheap, light and badly needed when you need them.Go-bags and evacuation
- Cash in small billsCard readers and ATMs need power and network. Cash keeps working.Go-bags and evacuation
- Document copiesInsurance claims, aid applications and re-entry checkpoints all ask for ID and proof of address.Go-bags and evacuation
- Battery CO alarmGenerators, heaters and stoves used during outages are a leading cause of carbon monoxide deaths.Power stations and generators
Useful
- Nothing in this group.
The full matrix
Every item against every emergency. Scroll sideways on a phone.
| Item | Outage | Grid down | Evacuate | Shelter | Bad water | Earthquake |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stored drinking water | ||||||
| Portable water filter | ||||||
| Purification tablets or bleach | ||||||
| No-cook shelf-stable food | ||||||
| Off-grid cooking | ||||||
| Phone power banks | ||||||
| Power station or generator | ||||||
| Stocked first-aid kit | ||||||
| Prescription reserve | ||||||
| Tourniquet and bleeding control | ||||||
| NOAA weather / crank radio | ||||||
| Two-way radio or satellite messenger | ||||||
| Headlamps and batteries | ||||||
| Warmth without power | ||||||
| Packed go-bag | ||||||
| N95 masks | ||||||
| Emergency toilet | ||||||
| Cash in small bills | ||||||
| Document copies | ||||||
| Battery CO alarm |
Critical Important Useful
How many days could you last?
Check off what you have. Get a score, your top gaps and a card to share. About 3 minutes, no sign-up.