At Home Emergency Gear Checklist

Posted by Devin Peterson on 8/12/2011 to Emergency Preparedness

• Food And Water - When storing food and water, you should plan for AT LEAST 3 days. Although it never hurts to plan for more. Stock up on food that contains long shelf lives. Each person should have 3 servings of food per day, and about a gallon of water, some of which can be used for bathing purposes. MREs and high calorie food bars are ideal for this scenario. It may also be helpful to have a water filter of some sort or water germicidal tablets available. Dont forget you may also need some basic cooking supplies.
  • Emergency Stove
  • Pot and/or pan
  • Utensils
  • Cups, Bowl, Plate
  • Can Opener
  • Aluminum foil
• Radio - A radio is important to be able to listen to updates about the disaster you may be in. It may not be safe to go outside, or things may be ok, but it isn't worth the risk going out on your own if it is life threatening situation. Make sure you have extra batteries or your radio is rechargeable in some way.
• Flashlight - You can easily lose electric power during an emergency and even if you have a backup generator it may eventually run out. Additionally, you may have to travel at night time and you will not want to be doing that without a light. Keep extra batteries or use a rechargeable flashlight of some sort.
• First Aid Kit - Your health and well being is a prime concern so obviously being able to take care of injuries or illness is very important. Most advanced medical or first aid kits have just about everything you need, but even a basic first aid kit will be more helpful than not.
• Clothing and Apparel - You may want to store extra clothing, blankets, and such with the rest of your emergency supply, just in case something happens to your main source of clothing. It could get caught in a fire, maybe crushed under a collapsing building, or simply not accessible for a variety of reasons. Here is a list of some related items to keep stored.
  • Sturdy Shoes or Work Boots
  • Hat and Gloves
  • Extra Socks
  • Shirt, Pants, Jacket, and underwear.
  • Blanket or emergency blanket
  • Raingear or poncho
• Shelter - Apart from extra blankets, you may also want a small tube tent and some extra bedding such as a sleeping pad and/or sleeping bag.
• Fire Starting Tools - You may need a fire for various things such as cooking, keeping warm, or signalling for help. These tools will be very helpful for being to start a fire for any reason.
  • Matches - Preferably wind and waterproof.
  • Lighter
  • Flint Striker W/ Tinder and/or Magnesium Fire Starter - This is for when the matches and lighter run out. Unless you pack a huge supply of matches and lighters you may need another source of fire starters, a flint striker or magnesium fire start will last much longer than a ligher and sets of macthes. This is last resort type gear.
• Backpack, Travel Case, or Waist Pack. In case you need to transport your emergency supplies and survival gear, you will want a conveneient way to do so.
• Signalling Devices - These tools will help signal potential rescuers.
  • Whistle
  • Mirror
  • Flares
  • Light Sticks
  • Emergency Manual Handheld Cell Phone Charger
• Hygiene Kit - You can buy a pre-made kit or make your own depending on your needs and wants.
• Multi Function Tool - A multi function tool can provide a lot of uses and comes in a convenient, compact size. Some basic elements to your multi tool should include these functions:

  • Knife/Blade
  • Pliers
  • Wire Cutter
  • Screw Driver
  • Scissors
• Basic Tools - Some miscellaneous gear can be useful for unpredictable purposes. Below is a short checklist of seemingly random tools that could potentially help save your life.
  • Shovel
  • Fire Extinguisher
  • Paper and Pen/Pencil
  • Dust Mask
  • Hard Hat
  • Nylon Cord/Rope
  • Portable Generator
  • Spray Paint
  • Bucket
• Money - Always keep an extra stash of money somewhere readily available. ATMs could be down. Small bills and coins are better than large bills.