A practical plan for a bad week

Your first four decisions

1. Know who you are planning for. Include children, older adults, pets, medications, mobility needs, and powered medical devices.
2. List the systems that can stop. Electricity, municipal water or a well pump, heat, cooking, refrigeration, internet, and transportation all fail differently.
3. Cover three days first. Build a useful 72-hour reserve before stretching toward one or two weeks.
4. Choose a meeting and check-in plan. Everyone should know where to go, who to call, and how to reconnect if phones are unreliable.

Plan first, then buy: the order that works

Each step below protects the household on its own, and each one tells you what the next purchase, if any, needs to do.

1. Write down contacts and a meeting place. Ready.gov's plan starts with how you will contact one another, how you will reconnect if separated and a meeting place that is familiar and easy to find. Use the printed record below.
2. Put three days of water aside. CDC's minimum is 1 gallon per person per day, so a household of four needs at least 12 gallons for three days, before pets, heat or illness. The water calculator does the arithmetic and checks container weight.
3. Learn the cold-food rules before the fridge goes dark. A closed refrigerator keeps food safe for up to 4 hours; a full freezer holds about 48 hours and a half-full one about 24. Read what to keep and discard from the fridge and the freezer guide.
4. Make sure you will hear warnings without the internet. Ready.gov's basic kit lists a flashlight, spare batteries, and a battery-powered or hand-crank radio with a NOAA Weather Radio tone alert. Our weather radio guide explains county alerts.
5. Only then size backup power, for what must keep running. Start with powered medical devices, phone charging and the fridge. An average refrigerator-freezer uses about 1.6 kWh a day, according to US Department of Energy figures, so a small power station covers hours, not days. Pick your loads in the power station calculator before comparing batteries.

One-page household checklist

• Water reserve sized, storage locations chosen and next replacement date recordedSize it with the water calculator →
• Food that can be eaten safely without grid powerPlan the no-power pantry →
• A thermometer in the fridge and freezer, and a cooler plan for the 4-hour markRead the cold-food rules →
• A flashlight for each person, and spare batteriesChoose lights and batteries →
• Medication list, first aid supplies, and copies of essential recordsUse the first-aid checklist →
• Weather radio, charging cables, and a backup way to charge phonesCompare weather radios →
• Safe backup heat or a cold-weather room planPlan a warm room →
• Written contacts, meeting places, and pet needsFill in the printed record →

Complete the water step: start with at least 1 gallon per person per day for 3 days, allowing more for extra needs. Use the household water calculator, check where the containers fit and who can move them, then follow the storage and replacement instructions.

If a supply may be contaminated, read the water treatment safety limits before using it.

Planning sources: Red Cross household planning guidance, Ready.gov family planning guidance, Ready.gov basic kit, CDC emergency water guidance, Ready.gov power outage guidance and the US Department of Energy refrigerator energy FAQ.

Stretching the plan to two weeks

Once three days are covered, the two-week emergency checklist extends the same list. Two things change most:

If wildfire smoke is a local concern, plan filtration for one room as well.

Common questions