With the east coast blizzard of 2016 all over the weather news, it has reminded me to think about what our family should have on hand in case of an emergency.
I live in Upstate NY, so we will miss the blizzard this time. But that doesn’t mean we could be without power for a few days in a future weather related event!
The longest I’ve been without power was during an ice storm in the 90’s – 5 days without power. It seemed like an eternity. At the time, I was thankful my parents were prepared and we were warm during our 5 day indoor campout. 🙂
As an adult with my own family now, I need to be responsible and think about what if that happened again and I needed to be prepared to keep my family safe, warm, and fed.
Here is a list of items that is a good idea to store in a large Rubbermaid container or two, and have on hand in case of an emergency. It’s is great to take inventory on these items, and pick them up when we find a great sale or coupon deal to have on hand. I found this list from Tops Friendly Markets (link no longer available) and modified and updated it a bit.
3-Day Emergency Supply Checklist:
- Water: 1 gallon per person per day. Fill plastic containers, such as soft-drink bottles or emptied and clean milk jugs.
- Bleach for water purifying (use eight drops of regular bleach per gallon of water.) – Or purchase a portable water filter that are popular for camping.
- Essential prescription or OTC medications
- First-aid kit that includes:
- 20 bandages of various sizes
- Alcohol-based sanitizer and wipes
- Medical grade latex or non-latex gloves
- Anti-bacterial ointment
- Cold pack – chemically activated
- Small scissors
- Tweezers
- Ready-to-eat, non-perishable foods, such as canned meats, fruits and vegetables, granola bars, instant soup and cereals, canned or box juices, peanut butter, jelly, crackers, trail mix, and any special dietary items you and your family need. (like coffee or chocolate 😉 )
Consider investing in an Emergency Supply of Food that can last your and your family up to a month.
- Manual can opener
- Baby supplies: formula, bottle, pacifier, soap, clothing, blankets, baby wipes, disposable diapers, canned baby food and juices.
- Pet supplies: food, water, leash and carrier. (If you need to go to a shelter, remember that most do not allow pets.)
- Large, plastic trash bags for waste, and to be used as possible tarps or rain ponchos
- Towelettes or anti-bacterial wipes (or get a set of chemical free e-cloth disinfecting wipes)
- Bar soap and liquid detergent
- Shampoo
- Feminine hygiene supplies
- Toilet paper
- Toothpaste and toothbrush
- Blanket or sleeping bag per person
- Battery-powered, portable radio or portable TV and plenty of extra batteries
- Flashlight and extra batteries
- Prescription eyeglasses
- Spare set of car and/or house keys
- Fire extinguisher
- Cash and change
- Seasonal change of clothing per person, including sturdy shoes
- Power bank for cell phone charging
Get Your Free Checklist
This is a general list for any emergency preparedness situations. Get this printable today and see what you may need during this national emergency.
How about you? How prepared are you? Do you have emergency supplies like the ones listed above? What would you do if you were without power for 3 or more days?
Here are some other emergency preparedness essentials you may want to consider:
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Here are some other interesting Emergency Preparedness ideas:
Car Emergency Essentials – Printable List of What To Have In Your Trunk In Case Of Emergency
21 DIY Emergency Preparendess Hacks
36 DIY Weekend Preparedness Projects
24 Food Storage Tips from 100 Years Ago
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Cindy says
Old towels can have lots of uses. A small tool kit, also. I would prepare for a week, because a 3 day kit will take you to the SuperDome, so the Louisianians said.
Maura says
Old towlels – can you give us some examples??? I always just wanted to donate old towels to animal shelters – or let my hubby use them to change the oil. 🙂
Emily says
Thank you for keeping it simple and providing a printable list! This makes it easy to keep in a prep binder. We just wrote a blog about prepping your phone for emergencies too, check it out! http://weinsteinsecurity.com/blog Thanks!
Peggy says
Having survived an ice storm in 2015 that left us without electricity for over a week, I have a few suggestions if you are able to stay in your home. Unless you have a gas hot water heater, forget the shampoo. No one wants to wash their hair in cold water in the middle of winter. We finally found waterless shampoo that did an okay job of helping us keep our sanity. (We got very uncomfortable with unwashed hair, probably more psychological than anything else.) Cell towers were damaged, so we couldn’t use our cell phones, even though they were charged so we relied on a battery powered radio to keep up with what was happening in the rest of the world. Have plenty of jig saw puzzles, books, craft supplies, etc. on hand to beat the boredom. After the roads were cleared (long before the electricity came back on, we shopped for puzzles. Apparently, everyone else in the county had the same idea and we ended up paying over $12 for the only one we could find. We had a small propane camp stove that was essential for heating water for coffee, tea, soup, etc. We also had a kerosene heater that kept us warm during the day (we didn’t use it at night).