Your Home Readiness Plan
One plan that organizes home prep into five areas and builds it up in stages, starting with 3 days.
Preparing a household can feel like a hundred separate projects. This plan sorts it into five areas and builds it in stages, so you always know the next step. Start small: a 3-day kit already covers a lot of everyday emergencies.[1]
How much do I need?
Water is the easiest number to start with: 1 gallon × people × days.[1] For a family of 4: 3 days = 12 gallons, 2 weeks = 56 gallons, 30 days = 120 gallons. Add pets on top. The calculator does this math for food and water.
Build in stages
- Stage 1: 3 days. A go-bag you can carry if you need to leave.[1][2]
- Stage 2: 2 weeks. A stay-at-home supply, since stores and pharmacies might be closed.[1][2]
- Stage 3: 30 days. A deeper pantry, more water, and a month of medication, which the Red Cross recommends for hurricane prep.[2]
- Stage 4: longer, if you want it. Some households work toward 90 days. That's optional, not required. Stage 2 is a solid goal for most homes.
Not sure where you stand? Take the readiness quiz, then use the food and water calculator to size each stage for your household.
Energy: power, fuel, heat
Lights, phone charging, heat and cooling when the grid goes down. Start with flashlights and batteries, then add backup power and safe fuel storage.
Read: Battery audit, Generators, Fuel storage, Fuel transfer and filters, Propane.
Supply: food and pantry
Non-perishable, easy-to-make food for every stage, starting with 3 days and growing to 2 weeks.[1] Store what you already eat and rotate it.
Read: Pantry, DIY vs. kits.
Reserve: budget, cash, documents, spares, security
The things that keep a household running when normal systems are down: some cash, copies of key documents, spare parts, and a secure home.[1] Build this slowly from your regular budget. You don't need to borrow to prepare.
Read: Prep on a budget, Maintenance and spares, Home security.
Water, Medicine and Safety
Water at one gallon per person per day, a first aid kit, a medication supply, and working smoke and carbon monoxide alarms on every level.[1][4]
Read: Water, Medicine and first aid, Heat and fire safety.
Communications: radios, contacts, alerts, evacuation
Phone alerts switched on, a weather radio, a written contact plan, and a plan for leaving.[5][6][3] Practice it: the Red Cross suggests rehearsing your evacuation twice a year.[3]
Read: Communications, Evacuation, Power-out drill.
Checklist
Mistakes to avoid
- Trying to build everything at once and stalling
- Buying gear before making a written plan
- Using credit or loans to prepare instead of building slowly
- Skipping the 3-day kit to chase a long-term stockpile
- Never practicing the plan
- Storing food nobody in the house actually eats
Do this this weekend
Take the readiness quiz, pick the weakest of the five areas, and do the weekend task from that area's guide.
Gear that helps
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- Water storage7-gallon water containerOne container holds a week of drinking water for one person at 1 gallon a day.Check it (opens retailer site)
- Water storageStackable water storage containersStack under a bed or in a closet to build up two weeks of water.Check it (opens retailer site)
- Long-term food kitsLong-term food storage kitEasy shelf-stable backup. Compare total calories, not servings, and remember most kits need water and fuel to cook.Check it (opens retailer site)
- First aid kitsHome first aid kitCovers cuts, burns and sprains; check it against the Red Cross list and add your own medicines.Check it (opens retailer site)
- First aid kitsBleeding-control kitPairs with free Stop the Bleed training for serious injuries.Check it (opens retailer site)
- NOAA and world-band radiosNOAA weather radio with alert (SAME)Wakes you for warnings in your county even when cell service is down.Check it (opens retailer site)
Sources
- What Do You Need in a Survival Kit American Red Cross
- Hurricane Safety American Red Cross
- Make a Disaster Preparedness Plan American Red Cross
- Power Outage Safety American Red Cross
- Wireless Emergency Alerts NOAA National Weather Service
- NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards NOAA National Weather Service
Related guides
Staying in Touch When Phones Struggle
How to get warnings and reach your people when cell service is jammed or the power is out.
CommunicationsGetting Out: Go-Bags, Routes and When to Leave
What to pack, where to go and how to leave early and calmly if you're told to evacuate.
ReserveKeeping Your Home Secure in an Emergency
Simple, legal ways to protect your home, documents and supplies before, during and after a disaster.
PracticeThe Power-Out Weekend Drill
Practice a planned power outage at home for a day so you find the gaps while it's easy to fix them.
Water, medicine and safetyEmergency Water: How Much to Store, How to Keep It, How to Make It Safe
Store at least a gallon per person per day, keep it clean and dated, and know how to boil, disinfect, or filter water if your supply runs out.
SupplyBuild a Backup Pantry in Three Tiers
Build a backup pantry in layers: extras of what you already eat, then bulk staples, then fats, vegetables, proteins, and seasonings, sized with simple calorie math.
ReservePreparing on a Budget, Without Debt
Get ready step by step with free planning first, then one or two extra items per grocery trip, and never with borrowed money.
EnergyBattery Audit: Know What You Have and Keep It Charged
Count every battery size your gear uses, keep coin cells away from kids, keep chargers and power banks topped up, and size a power station with simple watt-hour math.
Water, medicine and safetyMedicine, First Aid, and Key Documents
Work out a medicine buffer with your doctor or pharmacist, keep a written medicine list, stock a family first aid kit, plan for medical devices that need power, and protect copies of your key documents.