1. Emergency Preparedness
  2. Home Safety

The Best Emergency Preparedness Supplies

By Ellen Airhart
Updated
An illustration showing emergency preparedness supplies.
Illustration: Dana Davis

Emergency-supply checklists are abundant across the internet, but many roundups can be intimidating in their breadth and their specificity. In reality, for the most part you can assemble a basic emergency kit for your home out of stuff you may already own. And there’s no such thing as a single kit that’s exactly right for everyone.

“I think we focus too much on there trying to be one right way to prepare,” said Jonathan McNamara, a regional communications manager for the Red Cross. “You should definitely feel free to customize it for your family.”

That said, there are some essentials that everyone should have on hand in a dedicated bin if you need to shelter in place during a disaster. We understand the temptation to pick up a ready-made emergency kit—both the at-home and go-bag varieties—and call it a day. But building your own kit ensures quality control and allows you to customize it to fit your needs.

The items here are organized into six key categories that you can tackle one at a time to make sure you have your bases covered.

For more information on tools and preparedness for specific disaster scenarios, read our guides to hurricane, wildfire, and earthquake preparedness. We also have a guide to building a go bag, should you need to evacuate your home.

Since 2017, this guide has been a collective effort among staff writers and editors who have trained for disaster preparedness, put their knowledge to use during natural disasters, and collectively logged hundreds of hours of research in this field to come up with a list of essentials that are indispensable in a natural disaster and helpful in everyday life, too.

Staff writer Ellen Airhart has worked on our guides to hurricane, wildfire and earthquake preparedness. For the most recent iteration of this guide, she spoke to eight new experts, including FEMA, Red Cross, and CDC representatives; an architect and an accessibility advocate.

Disaster prep is about much more than just buying stuff.

FEMA (PDF) recommends that you keep a three-day supply of water on hand—a gallon per person per day. But that’s for drinking and doesn’t cover basic hygiene needs.

If you have the space for it, we think that stockpiling a 14-day supply of a gallon per person is a reasonable goal, especially if you live in an earthquake zone. We found two options for ensuring an adequate water supply: dedicated containers or a water purification system.

Water purification

The LifeStraw Max, our pick for the best water purifier.
Photo: Marki Williams

Our pick

The Max removes virtually all pathogens and many contaminants from water.

Disasters like floods, hurricanes, and wildfires can contaminate local water, rendering it unsafe to drink without boiling it or chemically treating it first. The LifeStraw Max is a device that cleans water easily by filtering virtually all viruses, bacteria, and other pathogens from contaminated water, in addition to reducing sediment and many industrial and agricultural chemicals and dissolved metals.

You don’t need electricity to use it, and it’s a viable long-term option during a boil-water advisory. It can purify up to 40 gallons per hour, and its filters can cleanse 26,500 gallons before you need to replace them. We know its price tag can be prohibitively expensive, but if a group of neighbors shares the purchase cost it can provide clean water to multiple households for weeks.

Water storage

Our pick

This sturdy, portable 7-gallon plastic jug has smart features, including a tethered air vent for easy pouring.

Buying Options

Buy from REI

May be out of stock

Rigid water containers made of blue polyethylene consistently perform better than opaque collapsible ones for both pouring and storage. They’re also more durable and leak resistant. We called in five models for testing before concluding that the oversize, rugged, 7-gallon Reliance Aqua-Tainer is the best overall choice for disaster-preparedness purposes.

The Aqua-Tainer has a built-in, break-proof handle that is relatively comfortable to use. The spigot is stored inside the cap when not in use, reducing the risk of its cracking or smashing. This jug also has a tethered, screw-on air-vent valve, so there are no tiny parts to lose, and there’s no risk of leakage.

A couple of caveats: Unlike some other Reliance models, the Aqua-Tainer is not designed to be stacked. When full, the 7-gallon jug weighs close to 60 pounds. So the Reliance Aqua-Pak 5-Gallon, which usually sells for more, may be a better choice for people who require a lighter lift. Or you could just buy the bigger, cheaper jug and avoid filling it to the brim.

Reliance officially advises that people replace emergency water stored in its containers every 90 days. To avoid contaminating water with bacteria, clean the container first, and wash your hands vigorously before filling it.

If you’re concerned about contamination after opening the jug and don’t own a LifeStraw Max, boiling water is the safest way to treat it. But be sure to let water boil for a full minute—three, if you’re at an altitude higher than 5,000 feet. And keep in mind that some water will evaporate, which is a concern if your supply is low.

Our pick

This large drum, which is made of food-grade plastic, allows you to store an entire family’s supply of water.

Buying Options

$119 from Walmart

May be out of stock

A family of four would need eight Aqua-Tainers to store a minimum two-week supply of water. An alternative option is to purchase a 55-gallon drum. We like this one from Augason Farms, (but, honestly, we’ve found most blue 55-gallon drums of this type to be essentially the same).

You’ll need a pump to get the water out, and if you’re concerned about contamination, you can treat it with chlorine dioxide tablets. For simplicity’s sake, we still recommend boiling water.

The CDC recommends swapping out stored water every six months, and ideally you should keep your water in a cool, shaded location. If it’s on concrete that gets hot, place it on a wood platform before filling. These drums will weigh 480 pounds when full, so if you’re in an earthquake zone, don’t place them where they might potentially tumble off a ledge or down a hillside and hurt someone.

Food

The best emergency-food strategy is to stock your cupboards full of the shelf-stable canned and dry goods you love and routinely eat—think soups, fruits, vegetables, beans, grains, cereals, pastas, nuts, dried fruit, peanut butter, and boxed milk (which, before it’s opened, doesn’t need refrigeration). These items are less likely to expire, since you’re eating and replacing them regularly.

FEMA has a list (PDF) of some pantry staples that may be stored indefinitely and Popular Mechanics has a plan we like that you can follow. You’ll also need a good can opener; we recommend the EZ-Duz-It.

If you have time before an impending emergency—for example, if you suspect you might lose power during a hurricane—set your refrigerator and freezer to the lowest possible setting. This will keep food edible for longer if you lose electricity. If you keep the freezer door closed, that food should stay safe to eat for 72 hours into a blackout.

The consequences of not having access to clean water are far greater than mere stink. Staying clean helps you avoid spreading germs or harboring infection—common problems during extended disasters. (Gastrointestinal illness and wound infections were some of the most common infectious diseases that occurred in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, with at least five people dying from otherwise-minor wounds or abrasions.)

A quality first aid kit, hand sanitizer, face masks, and superthick garbage bags are emergency-kit must-haves, in our opinion. Many people also store extras of basic personal-hygiene items (toothbrush and toothpaste, soap, tampons or menstrual pads, diapers), and a spare pair of glasses.

The Red Cross advocates stashing a month’s worth of any prescription medications you take since supply chains could be interrupted and pharmacies could be closed after a disaster. But this could be difficult to obtain ahead of time, and our best advice is to have a discussion with your doctor.

First aid kit

The First Aid Only 298 Piece All-Purpose First Aid Kit.
Photo: Sarah Kobos

Our pick

This First Aid Only kit has all the necessary gear for treating minor scrapes, cuts, and burns (including an abundance of adhesive bandages), and it includes a decent first aid booklet.

Buying Options

Everyone should take a basic first aid course. Once you have those skills, you’ll need some supplies. The First Aid Only 298 Piece All-Purpose First Aid Kit (FAO-442) offers a wide selection of gear for treating minor cuts, burns, and scrapes (bandages, gauze, wipes, ointments, and painkillers), as well as some items for handling more-serious injuries (a trauma pad, gauze, and some dressing pads).

The case opens like a book, and items are stowed in 10 clear plastic compartments, so you can easily find what you need in high-stress moments. One of the kit’s highlights is its selection of 196 adhesive bandages in all shapes and sizes. At about 9 inches by 7 inches, this kit is also small enough to take with you during an evacuation. Other kits we looked at were less organized or didn’t have enough of the essentials.

The case is water-resistant, but we’ve found that water can leak in through the zipper. So if you decide to keep it outside of a devoted emergency-preparedness bin, or if you purchase one for everyday use, don’t store it in an area where flooding is possible, like a cabinet under a bathroom sink. (It easily fits inside a gallon-size zip-top bag, if you want extra protection.)

Be sure to regularly check the expiration dates on both the medications and bandages. Setting an annual reminder in your phone will help you note when they need to be swapped out. We have a guide to additional potentially life-saving items you can add to any first aid kit.

Our pick

The Sportsman 400 contains additional supplies for treating severe penetrating injuries and broken bones.

Buying Options

$113 from Walmart

May be out of stock

The Adventure Medical Kits Sportsman 400 can handle more-serious injuries, offers more supplies, and is equipped to serve seven people for up to 14 days. It costs significantly more than the First Aid Only, but it’s worthwhile if you want a larger kit that includes equipment to treat severe penetrating injuries, broken bones, and serious bleeding.

The Sportsman 400 kit includes supplies not typically packed into smaller kits, like a one-way-valve CPR mask and a C-splint (for stabilizing broken or sprained limbs). To help stop serious bleeding, this kit also has WoundStop trauma dressing and a SWAT-T tourniquet, as well as the instructions on how and when to use them. To accommodate all this gear, the 400 is heavier and larger than our main pick, measuring 11 inches by 8 inches by 3 inches and weighing 2.5 pounds.

Even though the kit is stocked, it comes with only singles or doubles of certain items used for more-significant injuries, so you might consider getting additional triangular bandages (used for limb immobilization and stabilization, breaks, sprains, or large embedded objects) and 5-by-9-inch trauma pads (for stemming bleeding from large wounds).

It’s also smart to sock away more nitrile gloves (which you need to discard after every use) and a bottle of Betadine Antiseptic for disinfecting wounds.

Face mask

Our pick

In the event of a wildfire, earthquake, hurricane, or even a volcanic eruption, smoke, dust and debris can make air unsafe to breathe. Mitigate the risk with an N95-certified respirator. We like the 3M 8511 N95 Cool Flow Valve Particulate Respirator, which is certified to filter out 95% of harmful particulate matter.

In our testing, it stood out as the most comfortable respirator mask for long-term wear, since its design gave us space to breathe, and it had edges that didn’t push against our cheeks. It sealed well against a wide variety of face shapes and sizes, a range of heights, and folks with light to heavy builds.

Whereas other disposable respirators have loosely stapled rubber bands for straps, the 3M 8511 has sturdier, woven straps that are less likely to snap or to catch in your hair. (They are latex-free, according to 3M.) The exhalation valve works as a dehumidifier, keeping your face cooler and lessening the chance that your glasses will fog up.

If you anticipate a scenario in which you might need to wear a face mask for longer periods of time, a reusable half-facepiece mask, like the 3M Rugged Comfort Quick Latch Half Facepiece Reusable Respirator 6501QL/49488, might be a better option. Be sure to have N95 or P100 filters on hand, which you must buy separately as either cartridges or flat inserts.

Hand sanitizer

Our pick

We’re partial to Purell for its wide availability and unscented formula, but any brand with a minimum of 60 percent alcohol is fine.

In a disaster scenario, any kind of hand sanitizer that works is good enough for us. Just make sure yours contains a minimum of 60% alcohol for efficacy. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people made their own hand sanitizer, which we don’t recommend, but if you must, be sure to follow the World Health Organization’s formulations.

Bug spray

Our pick

This EPA-approved formula can make post-disaster life more comfortable and safer from mosquito-borne illnesses.

Mosquito larvae can flourish in the standing water left after a hurricane or floods. Our bug repellent research led us to seek a spray with a 20% concentration of picaridin—a repellent chemical that’s as effective as DEET, but without the drawbacks. Sawyer is our favorite, but any repellent with 20% picaridin should have the same effectiveness.

We zeroed in on Sawyer Products 20% Picaridin Insect Repellent because its smart, compact bottle design makes it easy to apply evenly and accurately. Its pump spray is less likely than aerosol competitors to overspray, and its two-capped design prevents accidental leaks.

Heavy-duty garbage bags

Our pick

Husky’s 42-gallon bags are extra-thick, so they ward off punctures—which is important if garbage pickup is delayed and your full trash bags end up sitting in your yard for weeks or longer.

Buying Options

Heavy-duty garbage bags belong in your kit for several reasons: You can use them for hurricane cleanup, as a duffel for transporting stuff, as makeshift ponchos, or as a small, basic tarp to keep supplies dry. A large-scale disaster could delay municipal garbage pickup for weeks. So you’ll want to stow trash in strong bags that can be kept outside without leaking or disintegrating. And you should have enough on hand so you don’t run out.

After spending a decade in the building trades and shoving sharp objects into all kinds of trash bags, Wirecutter’s senior staff writer Doug Mahoney can personally attest to the durability of Husky 42-gallon bags. The thick plastic even resists puncturing from broken glass and nail-embedded wood.

The UST 60 Day Duro Lantern, our pick for the best tabletop lantern.
Photo: Rozette Rago

In ongoing testing and living with this gear, our lighting recommendations are among the most frequently used items on our overall list. Between walks in the dark, grilling after sunset, or finding lost objects, a headlamp or lantern can get plenty of use in non-disaster times.

Lantern

Our pick

This model is ruggedly built, powerful, and brighter than any other model we tested.

Buying Options

Having no light during a power outage can be frustrating, demoralizing, and dangerous. We found the UST 60-Day Duro Lantern to be the best tabletop lantern. It’s versatile: You can hold it by the handle on top; attach it to a carabiner (there’s a loop on the base for additional hanging options); or simply set it on a table or the ground. This lantern is the brightest we tested by far, and it has a sturdy hard-plastic shell with grippy side strips that help prevent it from slipping out of your hand.

Our pick

A flashlight is essential in an emergency, and this ThruNite model has a wide range of brightness settings and an easy-to-use interface.

Buying Options

Since there’s no way to know how long you might be without power, you need a long-lasting LED flashlight. We love the ThruNite Archer 2A V3. On the highest of its four brightness settings, we were able to see trees 500 feet away. It has a strobe setting for emergency signaling and boasts a number of other features found on more-expensive lights: It doesn’t roll on a flat surface, it stands upright on its rear end, it can survive a 1-meter drop or full immersion in water.

This flashlight also has a long battery life. According to the manufacturer, when the flashlight is on its highest setting, it will run for 96 minutes, but on its lowest setting, it can run for roughly 28 days (on the medium setting it runs for 11 hours, and on the low setting it lasts for four days). Wirecutter’s Doug Mahoney even hung it in the bathroom overnight as a night light for his kids during a blackout that lasted several days. It runs on two AA batteries, so make sure to have extras on hand.

Headlamp

Our pick

The Spot 400 is an easy-to-use headlamp that provides long-lasting battery life and reliable performance.

Buying Options

$50 from Black Diamond

May be out of stock

Although a lantern or flashlight can address most of your lighting needs during a power failure, they can be bulky or cumbersome to carry. Keep your hands free with the Black Diamond Spot 400 headlamp. You’ll need to experiment with the Spot’s top buttons by clicking through various configurations, but we think the learning curve is fairly short. Just be sure to know how to use it before an emergency.

The headlamp comes with a Brightness Memory mode, which means it can revert back to its previous setting whenever you turn it on. This model also offers both a red-light option (which is good for when you’re switching it on and off at night) and a strobe effect for emergency signaling. And it lets you instantly transition the headlamp from full power to dimmed with one touch.

Fire-starter tool

Our pick

No backup fire starter we tested was as easy to use or created as many sparks as this model from The Friendly Swede.

Buying Options

It cooks your food, dries your clothes, warms you up, and signals distress—fire does it all, provided you can start one. A lighter or matches are the easiest option, but you should have a backup plan in case you run out. A single magnesium fire starter can last for years. And using the better ones, a complete novice can successfully light a fire after just a few tries.

We tested five top-rated models and found that The Friendly Swede’s Easy-Grip Fire Starter (two-pack) is the best choice. The trick to getting strong sparks with these tools is to scrape down the flint quickly and firmly, and this was easier to do with the Friendly Swede model’s relatively long flint than it was with smaller, cheaper tools.

If you’d prefer to rely on an object that feels more familiar, the UCO Stormproof Match Kit with Waterproof Case worked well in our testing. These UCO matches will also stay lit in windy conditions and continue burning even when doused with water, thanks to the extra fuel that extends halfway down the length of the stick.

Fire starters

Our pick

Instafire burns hot and long, and a single packet can start multiple fires.

You definitely don’t need a fire starter to light a fire, but if you’re dealing with wet wood or extreme conditions, it sure can make the process a lot easier. We found that Instafire’s Fire Starter pouches are the best tool for quickly getting flames going. Weber’s Lighter Cubes are another good option. They’re great for getting charcoal going in a grill (their original purpose), and they burn hot and long.

In an emergency, keeping yourself warm or cool in extreme temperatures, hearing the latest news and getting in touch with family and friends is paramount, but doing so can be tough when the electricity goes down. By investing in a few pieces of hardware, you’ll be able to power electronics until the local utility companies restore services to your neighborhood.

Portable generator

Our pick

The quietest, lightest, and most powerful 2,200-watt generator we tested is easy to start, and the Bluetooth app makes monitoring its power input simple.

We tested four 2,200-watt generators for our guide to portable generators, and the Honda EU2200i is the best. It’s not big enough to power an entire house, but with some smart power management, you can use it to keep essentials like a space heater going during an emergency. The Honda was the quietest, lightest, and most powerful generator we looked at—it even exceeded its listed capabilities and powered household items that caused the other generators to overload.

The EU2200i started on the first pull of the cord every single time we used it. You can easily monitor the Honda’s power output through a Bluetooth-connected app, so during an outage you can manage (and maximize) the generator’s operation from indoors.

The EU2200i also has an onboard carbon monoxide detector that shuts the generator down if a concentration of the deadly gas gets too high, which can happen if the generator is running in an enclosed area. Never run one of these indoors or even in your garage with the doors open. For usage with appliances or tools indoors, you need to run an extension cord—likely through an open window.

Honda generators have an excellent reputation and recognition in the industry as the gold standard, but this quality makes it expensive. The EU2200i is typically priced over $1,000, about $400 more than other gas options, but we think its ease of use and dependability are worth the extra cost.

Portable power station

Our pick

This giant battery offers a maximum output of 1,370 W in a portable and easy-to-use package. You can safely use it indoors because it doesn’t emit exhaust, but it’s not as powerful or long-lasting as a gas generator.

A portable power station like the Jackery Explorer 1000 is a great option if you want to use your power source indoors—where the fumes of a gas generator are dangerous—and you need more power than a USB battery pack can provide. The Jackery Explorer 1000 is light enough for the average adult to lift and carry safely, yet it managed to run even the most power-hungry appliances in our tests, so it’s suitable for keeping most devices, such as a laptop, a CPAP machine, or even a small refrigerator running all day (or all night) long.

Its easy-to-read screen shows input/output wattage and how much power remains in reserve. Plus, it has more output ports—three AC, two USB-A, and two USB-C—than almost any other portable power station we’ve tested.

Emergency weather radio

Our pick

With great radio reception, NOAA early-warning notifications, and a hand crank that effectively revives it, the ER310 is a durable, compact radio that doubles as a flashlight and charging station.

A good emergency weather radio can tune in to AM/FM and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration channels (collectively known as the “weather band”) to keep you informed as well as entertained if the power goes out. The Midland ER310 offers better reception, a brighter flashlight, and more-effective charging options than other radios we tested, including the ability to charge from dead through solar power or hand-cranking. It can receive NOAA extreme-weather alerts, providing notifications that are both loud and readily visible so you won’t miss any warnings.

The ER310’s convenient size makes it comfortable to carry. It was also one of the few radios we tested that lived up to their crank-generating claims: We found that just one minute of cranking produced 10 minutes of radio time or a few minutes of flashlight use. Plus, its durable body can stand up to heavy rain or a drop onto a hard surface.

If there’s an emergency alert in your area, the ER310’s built-in NOAA audible alarm and flashing display will make sure you notice. When the siren sounds and the lights begin blaring—it can be quite clamorous—you can press any button to switch the radio to your preferred (preprogrammed) NOAA weather channel to get the news.

If you fail to turn on the radio before a minute goes by, the weather memory indicator flashes every five seconds to let you know that an alert has been issued, and it continues to do so until you press any button to turn the notice off. So if you have hearing loss, or if you’re out of the house when the alarm goes off, you can still find out if some ugly conditions are headed your way.

The flashlight also has an SOS blinking pattern, and the radio has a button that sets off a high-pitched tone—beyond the range of human hearing—to attract the attention of rescue dogs if you’re really in distress.

Power inverter (for the car)

Our pick

More-sensitive gadgets may not function correctly while using this DC-to-AC converter, but a smoother converter costs $100 or more.

Buying Options

If there’s a power outage or cutoff and you own a car, you can harness the vehicle’s 12-volt DC electrical system to run or charge a wide variety of the 110-volt AC hardware you’d normally plug into a wall at home. The Bestek 300W Power Inverter is a good, inexpensive option that will work with less-complicated electronics. Although you can use it to charge a laptop, you might run into issues with screen flickering or even risk damaging your electronics if you have a cheaper power supply (such as the one that came with our tester’s Dell Chromebook). For more details, read our road-trip gear guide.

Solar charger

Our pick

This lightweight solar charger puts out a lot of power for the size. Plus, it has three output ports, which allows it to charge more devices at the same time than the competition.

Buying Options

During an outage, use the power of the sun to charge some of your gear. The BigBlue 28W USB Solar Charger produced the most power of any portable solar charger we tested. Yet it’s still small and light enough to fit into an emergency kit or go bag. Although other models nearly matched this pick for power and size, the BigBlue charger has unique features that make it more versatile and durable, including three output ports and weatherproof port protectors.

It’s also a good idea to keep a USB-A battery pack or USB-C battery pack on hand; we have recommendations to fit a variety of needs. Solar chargers produce power that you can pass to dying gadgets, but there’s no way to store that power for later use. Having a solar charger and a battery pack allows you to take advantage of the sun during the day and recharge smaller devices overnight.

Disposable batteries

Our pick

These batteries score highly in third-party tests for capacity and storage ability, and they claim to have a 10-year shelf life.

Buying Options

We usually recommend cost-effective, environmentally friendly rechargeable batteries to power hardware that you can’t recharge or plug into a wall outlet. But during a power outage, rechargeable batteries aren’t very rechargeable. So we think it’s smart to keep a few disposable batteries on hand, particularly Duracell’s Quantum Alkaline AA Batteries.

Available from Amazon in boxes of varying quantities (and also available in AAA and D sizes), the Quantum batteries are crucial companions for flashlights, headlamps, and portable radios. They claim to have a 10-year shelf life. We haven’t tested them for a decade, but considering most alkaline batteries have a shelf life of around two years before their stored power begins to degrade, these likely have a higher chance of being fully charged and ready to use when the time comes to pull them out of your kit.

The key tools to have on hand for an emergency—everything from a road atlas to good duct tape—are also the key tools to have on hand for life in general. And here’s a common theme we noticed in this category: Although a great tool can be a genuine joy to use and will serve you well for years (if not decades), cheap imitators will waste your money and your time. Go for the good stuff.

Multi-tool

Our pick

A favorite of tool aficionados, the Skeletool CX has all of the essential implements you’ll likely need, but it’s also easy to carry and use.

The Leatherman Skeletool CX is a multifunction tool that everyone should consider as a component of their emergency-preparedness kit, if not as a part of their everyday gear. It stood out from the other 18 multi-tools we tested by focusing on the functionality and construction of a few essential tools (instead of cramming dozens of tools into a single bulky body). The tools include pliers, a bit driver, a pocket clip, and a carabiner/bottle opener. It also has a high-quality, 2.6-inch 154CM carbon-fiber stainless steel blade, which you can deploy with one hand—a great feature you won’t find on many other multi-tools.

We also like that the carabiner adds the convenience and security of being able to attach the multi-tool to a backpack or a belt loop, rather than just having it loose in a pocket.

Gas can

Our pick

In our tests, this gas can had the easiest spout to operate by far, and it didn’t spill a drop when pouring.

Storing a couple of gallons of gasoline in a safe place—away from your house, not in your car, and far from electrical equipment or other potential sources of flame—is something you might consider if you’re pairing the gas with a backup generator. Gas loses potency over time, so long-term supplies need to be preserved with an additive product. But even then, you should rotate it out at least once a yearif not every season.

Having an empty gas can around is a good idea in case you ever need to obtain or transfer gas without a car—gas cans were among the most coveted items during Hurricane Sandy. Full or empty, the container you choose should be leakproof and easy to pour with.

The 2½-gallon No-Spill stands out because it has a patented, proven nozzle design that prevents spills; you just push a button and pour. We also like its unique fuel-level window, which lets you see how much gas is in the can. Note that our chosen size weighs close to 17 pounds when full. You might want to opt for No-Spill’s 1¼-gallon version for easier transport if you live in, say, a flood zone and anticipate possibly needing to evacuate. A 5-gallon version is also available, and both have the same great nozzle.

Gas shut-off tool

Our pick

This simple but versatile wrench was invented for disaster response.

Buying Options

If you smell, hear, or see evidence of a gas leak in the aftermath of a disaster, your first priority is to turn your gas off. To accomplish that, you need to do two simple things: Learn where your gas valve is (ahead of time), and find a wrench that will do the job.

A quarter-turn of the metal gas valve from the vertical to the horizontal position typically shuts off your supply. In almost all cases, a 12-inch or larger adjustable wrench will work. If you already have one, consider keeping it in a waterproof Ziploc bag duct-taped to a wall or pipe next to the valve. That’ll ensure you won’t have to spend even a minute looking for it in an emergency.

Alternatively, you can purchase a dedicated shutoff tool. After a couple of hours of online research and discussions with a handful of experts, we feel comfortable recommending the On-Duty Emergency Gas and Water Shutoff 4-in-1 Tool. It was designed by firefighters in the aftermath of the San Francisco Bay Area’s 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake and is often recommended to students of CERT emergency-preparedness classes.

The 11-inch aluminum tool is sturdy and rustproof, and it won’t risk causing a spark, as a steel tool hitting steel might (an important consideration when gas is leaking). You can also use it to shut off your water valve, pry open doors, and dig through debris.

Don’t be too quick to use it, though. Smell a leak? Yes, turn off the gas. But note that in many cities, the gas company may have to come to your home to turn your gas back on. In a citywide disaster, scheduling that visit could take days or even weeks. So avoid turning the gas off preemptively if you’ll need it to cook, boil water, or heat your home during a blackout or some other power outage.

Signaling whistle

Our pick

This cheap, brightly colored whistle proved louder and easier to hear at a distance than more expensive products.

Buying Options

No one wants to think about being trapped during a natural disaster, but it does happen. Screaming for help might get a rescuer’s attention, but the high-pitch shrill of a whistle is far more likely to cut through the din of a wildfire, windstorm, or emergency sirens.

We tested six whistles over water in varying wind conditions and through densely wooded forest. Our conclusion: The Shoreline Marine Emergency Survival Whistle is the best choice for disaster preparedness. It was both the loudest and cheapest model, registering a piercing 101.1 decibels, according to NoiSee (a sound-measurement app we used that ranks highly with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health). The only whistle that registered more loudly, the Acme Thunderer metal coach’s whistle (101.2 decibels), wasn’t audible at longer distances.

The Shoreline is brightly colored (and thus easy to spot), and because it looks like a normal whistle, almost anyone can pick it up and instinctively know how to use it. In an emergency, the whistle is even more useful if you memorize the international whistle code: One blast means “Where are you?” Two blasts mean “Come to me.” Three blasts mean “I need help.” (Each blast should last three seconds.)

Duct tape

Our pick

This duct tape adheres to pretty much any surface.

Buying Options

As any MacGyver fan will tell you, duct tape is an indispensable tool, and Duck Brand MAX Strength Duct Tape is the best all-around choice we’ve found. Compared with other brands we tested, it has the strongest adhesive and highest strength, but it’s still flexible enough to wrap around curved or uneven objects—like the finger of a glove or a battered pair of work boots. Duck Brand MAX tape sticks to a wide range of surfaces—including wood, glass, plastic, and concrete—so it’s ideal for binding, mending, gaffing cable, or even keeping gauze in place (if medical tape isn’t available).

Map and compass

Our pick

EasyFinder maps are simpler to read than those in any other road atlas.

Buying Options

If a disaster causes a cellular coverage outage, online maps may not work. In your emergency kit or car, keep physical maps of the area you live in and the places you visit.

For navigating urban areas and highways, we like Rand McNally’s EasyFinder maps. Typically priced around $10 on Amazon or Rand McNally’s website, EasyFinder maps are available for all US states and Canadian provinces, as well as for major cities across North America. Each map displays thorough street, rural road, highway, and interstate information, as well as the locations of hospitals, police stations, schools, public buildings, and religious institutions—all of which can be vital meeting points during a disaster. Because EasyFinder maps are laminated, with tear-resistant folds, you can use them in wet conditions or write on them with a dry-erase marker or grease pencil.

Unfortunately, Rand McNally’s maps don’t provide detailed coverage of a vast number of the smaller cities and towns that dot our continent. If you live in such an area, we recommend taking a look at OpenStreetMap. You can view the site’s maps with a “humanitarian layer,” which highlights emergency buildings and evacuation routes—an incredibly useful tool when you need to get away from danger or find help.

In cases of flooding, fires, and other natural or manmade obstacles, it may not be safe to take to the streets. If your predicament requires you to head through the wilderness to reach safety, you’ll want a detailed topographical map to learn about the terrain you’ll be traversing. In that case, check out MyTopo, which specializes in custom maps that you can print to suit your needs and laminate for use in any weather.

Of course, even if you have a good old-fashioned paper map with you, determining which direction you’re headed in can be difficult. That’s where a compass comes in handy.

Our pick

This cheap, reliable compass is perfect for amateur orienteering.

The Suunto A-10 is an inexpensive, high-quality baseplate compass that provides everything a novice orienteer needs to stay on course. The compass is made of scratch-resistant acrylic, with a fixed declination correction scale, a jewel bearing, and dual scales (centimeters or inches) so you can use it with maps that employ either unit of measurement. The A-10 even comes with a brief basic guide on how to use a compass and map—though you’re better off learning as much about orienteering as possible before you need to put the skill to use.

Fire extinguisher

Our pick

Easy to handle and effective against all types of common fires, this First Alert model exceeds the minimum recommendations for the home and is easy to find.

Aside from being as effective against all types of common household fires (wood and paper, burning liquids, electrical) as other models like it, the First Alert PRO5 has further advantages. First, it exceeds the minimum size recommendations of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) yet weighs a manageable 5 pounds.

We also prefer this type over a disposable model because it has a sturdy and reliable metal valve (not plastic). And if you have to use the PRO5, you can refill it for about half the cost of getting a new extinguisher. You can find a number of extinguishers that share most of the PRO5’s features, but we found that the PRO5 has the edge because of its wide availability. This is one pick you’ll definitely want to keep somewhere handy, like the kitchen, instead of stashed away in an emergency kit.

Cleanup gloves

Our pick

Protect your hands with these inexpensive and lightweight gloves. Unlike most leather work gloves, they offer great dexterity.

In an emergency situation, your hands can be exposed to a lot of hazards, whether you’re cleaning up broken glass or pulling branches from your driveway. For protection, we recommend getting a pair of Custom Leathercraft 124L Flex Grip WorkRight Gloves. They’re comfortable and inexpensive, and compared with the regular, floppy leather work gloves we tested, they offer great dexterity. There’s no need to take them off for more delicate tasks such as reaching into a pocket, tying a shoelace, or starting a car.

They’re not especially high-quality, so if you use them on a daily basis, they’ll likely wear out in a month or two. But as a pair of gloves to keep in an emergency kit, they are a great value. Although these gloves are available only in medium, large, and extra-large, buyer comments on retail sites indicate the medium size works fine for smaller hands.

Your supplies need to be easily accessible, but where exactly you store your cache of disaster supplies will depend on your region and your risk factors. Is flooding a probable hazard? Don’t keep your emergency gear in the basement.

For those in earthquake territory, storing supplies outside may make the most sense, especially if you live in a mild climate and don’t have to worry about freezing temperatures that can damage your items. In the 1994 Northridge earthquake in California, garage doors were knocked off-kilter and jammed, trapping supplies inside. If you’re storing your gear outside in a warm climate, choose a cool, shaded spot, to avoid sun damage.

Storage container

Three Iris Clear Weathertight Totes storage containers, placed on top of each other in front of a brick wall.
Photo: Rozette Rago

Our pick

This easy-to-carry container is the best water- and impact-resistant storage bin we’ve found.

After testing 32 bins by dropping them, soaking them with a garden hose, and hauling them around stuffed to the brim, we concluded that the Iris Clear Watertight Tote is the best water- and impact-resistant storage bin.

Chunky hand grips make the Watertight Tote comfortable to carry, and its stiff sides refuse to flex, whether the bin is empty or full. Although our drop tests showed that the plastic may crack a little if you hit it hard enough, this container won’t pop open, thanks to its six-latch locking lid. That’s important when you’re storing electronics for months—even years—at a stretch. And this bin is made of clear plastic, so you can easily see what’s inside when it’s closed.

The Iris also comes in 12 sizes across different retailers. But only the two largest sizes, 74 quarts and 156 quarts, were big enough to store all of our key emergency gear (minus water and extra food) with room to spare.

Our pick

A larger, burlier box is a good choice if you want to be able to lock up your gear outside or throw it into a pickup bed and take it on the road.

If you want a larger, burlier box, we recommend the 35-gallon Rubbermaid 1191 ActionPacker. It’s heavy-duty enough to serve as a bench or stool, and it’s designed to be locked with a cable lock or padlock, if you’re concerned about theft.

Some drawbacks: You can’t see what’s inside at a glance, it’s heavy (16.3 pounds), and it can be difficult for the average person to carry alone. But if your location leaves you vulnerable to disasters that might cause you to flee your home and you envision throwing all of your gear into the back of a pickup and possibly camping out until the danger passes, this badass bin could be your best bet.

Many buildings do not have an obvious, or even possible, exit strategy for people with certain physical disabilities in the event of an emergency. Architect Olivia M. Asuncion, who wrote her thesis on accessibility and evacuation protocols in buildings and uses a wheelchair, told us, “The current codes don't address the fact that there will be people who won't be able to leave a building like everyone else.” She added, “There is this expectation that the disabled person is always going to have somebody with them at all times. And that's not true at all.”

This assumption can carry over to sheltering in your home as well, and planning is crucial. The Red Cross has a detailed checklist of important considerations for emergencies, including taking a personal assessment of your specific needs. Consider everything from taking an inventory of your electricity-dependent machinery to figuring out the best place in your home to go during a tornado warning if your basement is inaccessible. (Olivia told us that applying glow-in-the-dark strips to baseboards that lead the way to your safety point can help guide you in the event of a blackout.)

Once you’ve completed your assessment, hold a meeting with your family, friends, and other members of your support team, like personal attendants or building managers, to discuss your needs in an emergency. Some local fire departments and local emergency management offices have registries of people who might need specific assistance during an emergency; find out if there’s one in your state. The goal is to let as many people as possible know where you are and the ways in which you might need help.

While sheltering in your home, one might need several tools at close hand at all times (a flashlight, an emergency radio, a cell phone and a backup battery, just to name a few). In Olivia’s everyday life, she has been using the LapSnap, a padded rectangular basket that sits on one’s lap and can be fastened to a wheelchair a number of different ways via its adaptive strap (she received a gift card for testing the product before it came out, but does not have an ongoing relationship with the brand). She thinks it could also be useful for holding on to helpful items at home during an emergency, but the LapSnap would not be ideal for folks with very limited arm strength, since it requires lifting objects up and over the walls of the basket.

Something as simple as getting to know your neighbors can be an effective emergency preparedness strategy. Wesley Wehde, an assistant professor at Texas Tech who studies environmental and natural hazards policy, says that community is a crucial part of soft resilience, the term used for ways that people can recover from disasters.

A good example of soft resilience outlined in this guide is the idea of neighbors chipping in to buy a LifeStraw Max Water Filter, to make sure a large group of folks have access to clean water should the water system in your city fail. Checking in on each other and sharing resources helps a community recover faster.

Maintaining mental health also enables soft resilience. Citing the pandemic as an example, Junghwa Choi, assistant professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, told us that “emergencies and disasters can have a significant impact on mental health, particularly for those who are already mentally vulnerable.”

Choi says that it’s important to consider the psychological impacts of emergencies before they happen, and to know where to find mental health support “before, during, and after an emergency.” FEMA assists counseling centers in post-crisis zones, and the Red Cross provides mental health support  during recovery. If you take medications, talk with your prescriber about what you should do if your supply runs out during an emergency and pharmacies are closed. Keep hard copies of your prescriptions.

  • Parents: If you have small children, formula and/or baby food and diapers may be important items in your emergency kit.
  • Pets: Prepare on behalf of your pets by stocking up on extra food and prescription meds, and keep a leash or travel carrier at hand should you need to evacuate. The ASPCA has comprehensive information on how to take care of pets in a disaster.
  • Have an outside contact: Designate an out-of-state contact that you can rely on to relay information to loved ones so you don’t drain your phone’s battery power. (Making long-distance calls is often easier than calling locally during a disaster). Carry that person’s phone number in your wallet, not just in your phone.
  • Documents: Collect copies of important documents like a passport and driver’s license and keep them either in your emergency kit or in another secure place where they remain easy to locate. Upload copies to the cloud, keeping in mind that it’s best to encrypt them for extra security.
  • Cash: In an extended disaster, ATMs and credit card machines may go down. Save up a couple hundred dollars in small bills to keep in your emergency kit.

As mentioned, we have dedicated preparedness guides for disasters like hurricanes, earthquakes, snow storms, and wildfires, but they’re not the only types of disaster one might experience.

Tornados

Tornado alley is moving eastward, and it’s important for everyone to be aware of how to react in this type of weather event even if your area hasn’t been affected in the past. A NOAA-equipped weather radio will help you keep track of a tornado watch alert, which means there’s a potential for tornados, and a tornado warning alert, which means one or more has been sighted or indicated by weather radar.

Identify the best safe room in your home (a storm cellar, a basement, or an interior room on the lowest floor, preferably with no windows) and gather there before the storm hits (bring your pets, too!). FEMA has recommendations for where to go, depending on where you are when a storm is approaching.

Flying debris is a major tornado hazard. If your safe room contains windows or unattached objects, covering yourself with a heavy blanket could help. When you emerge, wear sturdy shoes and heavy gloves to protect yourself from broken glass.

The CDC recommends using a helmet if you have quick access to one; but the agency also says that spending time looking for a helmet could delay the more-crucial goal of getting to a safe space. Scientists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham say they can be lifesavers (especially motorcycle helmets with a full-face shield).

Tsunamis

Are you in a tsunami risk zone such as the Pacific Northwest coast? Did you just feel a big earthquake? Do not pause to grab anything. Just move to high ground. (Oregon and Washington coast dwellers, enter your address here to assess your risk.) If you aren’t familiar with the quickest route to higher ground from your home and work, learn it.

Volcanos

There are about 170 places in the United States where volcanic eruptions are possible. “A good case and example was the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington State that caused several [57] deaths,” says CDC press officer Scott Pauley. “More recently, a 2018 Kīlauea eruption in Hawaii destroyed hundreds of homes, buried subdivisions and affected air quality.”

Much of the preparation advice for volcanoes is similar to the other disasters that may require you to either evacuate or shelter in place: wildfires or hurricanes. A special consideration is that you will want extra respiratory and eye protection in your emergency kit if you live in an area where volcanic activity is possible, like you would in an area with wildfires. Breathing in volcanic ash can harm your lungs, especially if you have a pre-existing respiratory condition like asthma. An emergency radio is crucial, since you need to follow official advice on your next moves. Be prepared to evacuate with a go bag.

Radiation exposure

If you learn about an imminent nuclear explosion, get inside as quickly as possible. After the blast, you have about 10 minutes to find a secure location—ideally a basement of a building with brick or concrete walls—before the fallout of sandlike radioactive particles begins. Once you are in a safe location, stay there for at least 24 hours and wait for instructions from emergency officials.

Pandemics

The COVID-19 pandemic required new levels of preparedness and vigilance. We’re now wiser about how to deal with a deadly, widespread coronavirus outbreak, but another pandemic is likely during the lifetimes of most people today.

Many of the supplies that were useful during the COVID-19 pandemic, like masks, soap, and hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol, would likely continue to be effective no matter the offending microbe.

The COVID-19 virus infected people mainly through the air instead of contaminated surfaces. That might not be true for future pathogens, so some states recommend keeping a supply of disinfectants and nitrile gloves around.

This article was edited by Joshua Lyon and Harry Sawyers.

  1. Stephanie Fox, national emergency relations lead, Red Cross, July 26, 2023

  2. Jeremy Edwards, press secretary, FEMA, email interview, June and July 2023

  3. Jonathan McNamara, regional communications director, American Red Cross, phone interview, July 10, 2020

  4. Wesley Wehde, assistant professor, department of political science at Texas Tech University, Zoom interview, July 3, 2023

  5. Scott Pauley, press officer, CDC, email interview, June 26, 2023

  6. Olivia Asuncion, project architect, Quattrocchi Kwok Architects, Zoom interview, January 24, 2023

  7. Junghwa Choi, assistant professor, School of Public Administration at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Zoom interview, January 11, 2023

Meet your guide

Ellen Airhart

Ellen Airhart is an associate writer at Wirecutter, where she covers cleaning and emergency preparedness. Please email her with your biggest messes and most anxious thoughts.

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