Hurricane emergency kit
FEMA's hurricane kit holds 1 gallon of water per person per day and non-perishable food: a 3-day supply if you evacuate, a 2-week supply at home. Add 7 days of medicine, a flashlight, a battery or crank radio, spare batteries, a first aid kit, document copies and cash. Ready.gov warns you may not reach supplies "for days or even weeks" after a hurricane. In an emergency, call 911.
Why weeks, and why inland too
"You may not have access to these supplies for days or even weeks after a hurricane," Ready.gov says. Stores close, roads flood and power stays off long after the wind drops.
Ready.gov also says "hurricanes are not just a coastal problem": rain, wind, floods and tornadoes reach inland. The National Weather Service adds that flooding can persist for several days after a storm has dissipated.
The hurricane kit list
FEMA's list, with Ready.gov's additions.
| Item | Source |
|---|---|
| Water: 1 gallon (about 3.8 L) per person per day. A 3-day supply to evacuate, a 2-week supply at home | FEMA |
| Non-perishable, easy-to-prepare food. Same 3 days to evacuate, 2 weeks at home | FEMA |
| Medications for 7 days, and medical items | FEMA |
| Flashlight and extra batteries | FEMA |
| Battery-powered or hand-crank radio. FEMA names a NOAA Weather Radio | FEMA |
| First aid kit | FEMA |
| Multi-purpose tool | FEMA |
| Sanitation and hygiene items, and disinfectant supplies | FEMA, Ready.gov |
| Copies of documents: medication list, proof of address, deed or lease, passports, birth certificates, insurance policies | FEMA |
| Cell phone, charger and backup charging devices | FEMA, Ready.gov |
| Family and emergency contact information | FEMA |
| Extra cash, since ATMs might not work | FEMA |
| Extra fuel for the generator and the car | FEMA |
| Pet supplies | Ready.gov |
Ready.gov: put medicine, disinfectant and pet supplies "in your go bag or car trunk." Tick it off in the 72-hour checklist.
Water for your household
FEMA's two numbers, worked out per household.
| People | 3 days (evacuating) | 2 weeks (at home) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 gal (about 11 L) | 14 gal (about 53 L) |
| 2 | 6 gal (about 23 L) | 28 gal (about 106 L) |
| 4 | 12 gal (about 45 L) | 56 gal (about 212 L) |
| 6 | 18 gal (about 68 L) | 84 gal (about 318 L) |
1 gallon per person per day, for drinking and sanitation. Add pets and heat in the water calculator, and see how much water to store.
Non-perishable foods for a hurricane
Ready.gov's list of foods that keep without a fridge:
- Ready-to-eat canned meats, fruits and vegetables, with a manual can opener.
- Protein or fruit bars, dry cereal or granola.
- Peanut butter and dried fruit.
- Canned juices and non-perishable pasteurized milk.
- High-energy foods, infant food and comfort foods.
- Commercially canned food can be eaten straight from the can, without warming. More ideas in emergency food with no power, and amounts in how much emergency food to store.
Before and during the storm
The National Weather Service says the best time to prepare is before the season starts on June 1.
01Before the season
- Ask your local emergency management office whether you live in an evacuation zone, and learn the route out.
- Review your home and contents insurance.
- Fit permanent storm shutters, or cut 5/8 inch (about 16 mm) exterior grade or marine plywood to fit each window, ready to put up.
- Buy supplies before the season, ahead of the pre-storm rush.
Source: NWS
02When a storm is forecast
- Charge your phone and backup chargers.
- Clear drains and gutters and bring in outside furniture.
- Fill the gas tank if an evacuation seems likely.
- Sign up for alerts. The FEMA app sends National Weather Service alerts for up to five locations.
Source: Ready.gov
03If you're told to leave
- If you live in a mandatory evacuation zone and officials say go, leave immediately.
- Take the kit and your go bag. Tell friends and family where you are going.
- Plan to take one car per family.
Source: Ready.gov
04If you stay home
- Shelter in a small interior room, closet or hallway on the lowest level, with as many walls as you can between you and the outside.
- Stay away from windows, skylights and glass doors.
- If the eye passes over, expect a short calm, then winds from the other direction.
- If flooding traps you, go to the highest level of the building. Don't climb into a closed attic.
Source: NWS, Ready.gov
After the storm
What to check before you eat, plug in or call.
| Situation | What to do | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Fridge without power | Keeps food cold for about 4 hours if unopened | Ready.gov |
| Meat, fish, eggs or leftovers above 40°F (4°C) for 2 hours or more | Throw them out | Ready.gov |
| Food that touched floodwater | Throw it out | Ready.gov |
| Swollen, dented or corroded cans | Don't eat from them | Ready.gov |
| Portable generator | Never inside the home or garage. Carbon monoxide poisoning is one of the leading causes of death after storms | NWS |
| Wet electrical equipment | Don't touch it, or anything electrical while you stand in water | Ready.gov |
| Reaching family | Text or use social media, and save calls for emergencies | Ready.gov |
| Damage | Photograph it, then call your insurer | Ready.gov |
Generators in detail: generator safety and carbon monoxide.
Questions people ask
What should be in a hurricane survival kit?
Water, non-perishable food, 7 days of medicine, a flashlight, a radio, batteries, a first aid kit, a multi-tool, hygiene items, document copies, a phone and charger, contacts, cash and spare fuel, per FEMA.
How many days of supplies do I need for a hurricane?
FEMA says 3 days of food and water if you evacuate and 2 weeks if you stay home, with a 7-day supply of medicine.
What non-perishable foods are best for a hurricane?
Ready.gov lists canned meats, fruits and vegetables, protein bars, cereal or granola, peanut butter, dried fruit, canned juice and shelf-stable milk.
When is hurricane season?
In the Atlantic, from June 1 to November 30. In the Eastern Pacific it starts earlier, on May 15, and also ends on November 30.
Should I evacuate or stay?
Leave at once if officials order your zone out. Otherwise shelter in a small interior room on the lowest level, away from windows.
Read next
Sources
- FEMA: Proper emergency kit essential to hurricane preparedness The kit list: 3 days to evacuate, 2 weeks at home, 7 days of medicine. Released 2018, marked archived.
- Ready.gov: Hurricanes Days or weeks without supplies, alerts, flood depths, after the storm, seasons.
- Ready.gov: Food Non-perishable foods, fridge hours, 40°F and floodwater rules.
- Ready.gov: Evacuation
- National Weather Service: Before a hurricane
- National Weather Service: During a hurricane Shutters, plywood, sheltering in place.
- National Weather Service: After a hurricane Generators and carbon monoxide.