A 72-Hour Home Emergency Plan

Plan around likely disruptions such as storms, outages and water interruptions.

What matters

Plan around likely disruptions such as storms, outages and water interruptions.

Who this suits

Store drinking water for people and pets.

What to watch

Choose shelf-stable meals that need little cooking.

Practical takeaway

Keep contacts, local alert sources and a battery-powered information option.

Bottom line

Plan for prescriptions, mobility needs, infants and pets.

The point of 72 hours

A three-day plan is a manageable first milestone. Ready.gov’s basic emergency-kit guidance includes water, non-perishable food, a battery-powered or hand-crank radio, flashlights, first-aid supplies and sanitation items. Your household may need more depending on climate, location and medical needs.

Water first

Using the common one-gallon-per-person-per-day baseline, two people need six gallons for three days and four people need twelve gallons, before extra allowances for heat, pets or health needs.

Food you can actually prepare

Choose meals that remain useful if electricity is unavailable. Include a manual can opener where needed. Avoid making the plan dependent on long cooking times unless you have a safe outdoor cooking method and adequate fuel.

Information and contact

Keep important phone numbers and local alert sources somewhere other than a single unlocked phone. Know how family members will communicate if normal networks are congested.

Special requirements

Prescription medication, mobility equipment, infant supplies, pet food and powered medical devices need their own plan. Generic emergency-kit lists cannot know what your household depends on.

Test it

Try one evening using only the lighting, food preparation and charging methods in your plan. The missing cable, dead battery or unusable can opener will reveal itself cheaply.