How to Build a 72-Hour Family Kit

Decide what your kit must do

“Emergency kit” can mean a cabinet of supplies for staying home, a bag for leaving quickly, or a small set kept in a car. Those jobs are different. Water for four people is heavy. A full home supply cannot always become an evacuation bag at the last minute.

Begin with a home kit for three days. Put the most portable essentials in one or more labeled bags that household members can carry. Keep a smaller, climate-appropriate kit in each vehicle and consider basic supplies at work or another place where you spend time.

01

Build the shared household core

FEMA’s basic supply guidance starts with water and nonperishable food for several days, a radio, flashlight, first-aid kit, whistle, sanitation supplies, can opener, local maps, phone charging, and tools appropriate to the home. Treat that list as the common core, not a complete prescription for every family.

Water

Use one gallon per person per day as a planning baseline for drinking and sanitation. A household of four would begin with twelve gallons for three days. Store more for hot weather, illness, pregnancy or nursing, higher activity, and pets. Follow package dates for commercially bottled water and current public-health instructions if local authorities issue a boil-water or do-not-use notice.

Food

Choose foods your household already tolerates and will rotate into normal meals. Favor items that need little water, fuel, or refrigeration. Include a manual can opener when needed. Account for allergies, texture or sensory needs, religious requirements, infant feeding, and any medically directed diet.

• Water for each person, plus household-specific extra
• Three days of familiar, shelf-stable food
• Flashlights or headlamps and compatible spare power
• Battery-powered or hand-crank radio
• First-aid supplies your household knows how to use
• Whistle, local map, paper, and pencil
• Phone cables, charged power banks, and a car charger
• Soap, hand sanitizer, wipes, toilet paper, and waste bags
• Weather-appropriate clothing, sturdy shoes, and blankets
• Small bills, spare keys, and a basic household tool

02

Add the things that cannot be improvised

Walk through an ordinary day from waking to bedtime. Write down every item that would create a health or safety problem if it disappeared. This is where a generic checklist becomes your family’s kit.

For prescriptions and medical supplies, ask the prescribing clinician, pharmacist, insurer, and equipment provider how to create a lawful emergency reserve and how each item must be stored. Do not change a medication plan on the advice of a general preparedness article. Keep a current paper list of medicines, doses, allergies, clinicians, pharmacies, and emergency contacts in a waterproof pouch.

• Prescription plan, copies of prescriptions, and medication list
• Glasses, contact supplies, hearing-aid batteries, and communication aids
• Mobility devices and a non-electric alternative when appropriate
• Backup power and charging plan for essential equipment
• Menstrual products, incontinence supplies, and personal hygiene items
• Copies of identification, insurance information, care plans, and key contacts

03

Plan for children as they are now

Children outgrow food, clothing, medicine, diapers, and comfort routines quickly. Add age-appropriate snacks, water bottles, clothing, identification, contact cards, and one compact activity or comfort item. Ask schools and childcare providers how families will be notified, where reunification happens, and what overnight supplies or medication they can keep.

For infants, CDC guidance distinguishes supplies by feeding method. Families may need ready-to-feed formula, nursing supplies, a manual pump, safe water, disposable feeding items, diapers, wipes, rash cream, cleaning supplies, a carrier, blankets, age-appropriate food, and medical records. Ready-to-feed formula is the safer emergency option when clean water and adequate washing are uncertain. Recheck infant supplies monthly because needs change quickly.

• Current clothing, shoes, diapers, and feeding supplies
• Child identification and family contact card
• Allergy, medication, and care information
• Comfort item and quiet, portable activity
• Copies of school or childcare emergency procedures

04

Give each pet a real place in the plan

Pack food, water, medicine, bowls, sanitation supplies, a leash or harness, backup identification, and a carrier appropriate to each animal. Keep vaccination and registration records in the document pouch. A current photo of you with your pet can help document ownership and support identification if you become separated.

Identify pet-friendly evacuation destinations before you need them. Include familiar bedding, a toy, or treats when space permits. These are practical stress-management tools, not luxuries.

05

Pack in layers, not one enormous bin

Group supplies by purpose so they can be found in low light or carried separately. Clear, labeled containers make routine checks easier. Waterproof pouches protect documents, medicine information, electronics, and matches.

• Grab layer: documents, medication, keys, cash, chargers, contact list
• Person layer: clothing, light, water bottle, food, hygiene, comfort items
• Household layer: stored water, food, sanitation, radio, shared first aid
• Pet layer: carrier, leash, food, water, medicine, records, cleanup supplies

Test the system. Ask each capable household member to find a flashlight, the contact list, and their portable bag. Lift every bag you expect someone to carry. If the plan works only for one adult, revise it.

06

Put maintenance on the calendar

Review the kit at least every six months and whenever a household member’s health, mobility, diet, school, pet, or address changes. Check food and medicine dates, water guidance, batteries, power-bank charge, clothing sizes, contact details, and document copies. Infant supplies deserve a monthly check.

Store the kit in a cool, dry, accessible place known to the household. Do not put every essential behind a lock or where only one person can reach it. Keep medicines and hazardous items secured appropriately around children.