War Preparedness Kit: Essential Items Checklist
A prioritized emergency kit checklist based on the Ready.gov list, with what to add for a radiation emergency and for leaving home in a hurry.
Key Takeaways
- 1Build the Ready.gov basics first: water, food, radio, flashlight, first aid, batteries and a whistle.
- 2Add medicines, documents, cash and a change of clothes for each person.
- 3For a radiation emergency, add a spare set of clothes and a trash bag for contaminated clothing.
- 4Keep a smaller version you can carry, because you may have to leave quickly.
- 5Replace expired items and rethink your kit every year.
This checklist follows the Ready.gov emergency supply list, put in the order we would build it. War or no war, the same kit serves for outages, storms and evacuations. Work down it over time, and print or copy it as you go. Need a shorter version? Download the 72-hour checklist.
First: the essentials
- Water: one gallon per person per day for several days
- At least a several-day supply of non-perishable food
- Manual can opener
- Battery-powered or hand-crank radio, and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert
- Flashlight and extra batteries
- First aid kit
- Whistle to signal for help
- Cell phone with chargers and a backup battery
Next: your own needs
- Prescription medications, and non-prescription medicines you use
- Prescription glasses and contact lens solution
- Infant formula, bottles, diapers and wipes
- Pet food and extra water
- Cash
- Copies of insurance policies, identification and bank records, saved electronically or in a waterproof container
- Feminine supplies and personal hygiene items
Then: shelter and sanitation
- Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties
- Soap, hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes for surfaces
- Dust mask, plastic sheeting, scissors and duct tape
- Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
- Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person
- Complete change of clothing and sturdy shoes
- Fire extinguisher, and matches in a waterproof container
- Local maps, paper and pencil
- Mess kits, cups, plates and utensils
- Books, games or puzzles for children
Add for a radiation emergency
Ready.gov asks you to include a spare change of clothes for each family member, a trash bag for contaminated clothing, and sealed food, water and medicine. Potassium iodide is only for use on official instruction, and it does not help after a nuclear bomb. Read the KI reference and the nuclear supplies guide.
If you depend on power
List everything you rely on electricity for. Ready.gov suggests batteries and other alternative power sources, such as a portable charger or power bank, and a plan for medical devices. Compare portable power stations if a power bank is not enough. Run generators outdoors only, at least 20 feet from windows, doors and attached garages.
A smaller bag you can carry
You may have to leave quickly, so keep the essentials together in easy-to-carry containers such as a duffel bag. Ready.gov advises keeping a kit at home, at work and in the car, since you do not know where you will be. Pack what you could manage on foot, and try lifting it. See the 72-hour bag checklist.
Keep it ready
- Keep canned food in a cool, dry place.
- Store boxed food in tightly closed plastic or metal containers.
- Replace expired items as needed.
- Rethink your needs every year as your family changes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where to Buy
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Water filters, including any listed here: do not rely on them for radiation. FEMA says water filters do not get rid of radiation. Follow that over any seller's claim. Do not rely on them alone for germs either: CDC says portable filters do not remove all germs, and to add a disinfectant after filtering. SafeHeit has not tested any product listed here.
