When the next big storm knocks out the power, the store shelves will be empty within hours. Here’s the list to work through now, while you still can.
Remember February 2021? An arctic blast knocked out power to millions of Texans for days. When the state finally counted, 246 people had died, most of them from hypothermia. Others died after losing power to oxygen machines, after dialysis was interrupted, from carbon monoxide, and in fires.
Most of those households didn’t think it could happen to them. That’s the point of a checklist: you do the thinking now, when it’s warm, the lights are on, and the stores are open.
FEMA’s Ready.gov puts it plainly: “After an emergency, you may need to survive on your own for several days.” Below is a free, printable checklist built from Ready.gov, the CDC, the National Weather Service and the Consumer Product Safety Commission. No gimmicks, nothing to buy from us. Just check the boxes.
Part 1: The Core Kit (Ready.gov’s Basic List)
Ready.gov suggests storing items in airtight plastic bags and keeping the whole kit in one or two easy-to-carry containers, like plastic bins or a duffel bag.
- ☐ Water: one gallon per person per day for several days, for drinking and sanitation
- ☐ Food: at least a several-day supply of non-perishable food
- ☐ Manual can opener
- ☐ Battery-powered or hand-crank radio, plus a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert
- ☐ Flashlight and extra batteries
- ☐ First aid kit
- ☐ Whistle to signal for help
- ☐ Dust mask to help filter contaminated air
- ☐ Plastic sheeting, scissors and duct tape to shelter in place
- ☐ Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for sanitation
- ☐ Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
- ☐ Local paper maps
- ☐ Cell phone chargers and a backup battery
Part 2: The Items People Forget
- ☐ Prescription medications. Ready.gov notes that about half of all Americans take a prescription medicine every day, and that an emergency can make it hard to refill one or find an open pharmacy.
- ☐ Non-prescription meds: pain relievers, anti-diarrhea medication, antacids, laxatives
- ☐ Glasses and contact lens solution
- ☐ Baby supplies: formula, bottles, diapers, wipes, diaper rash cream
- ☐ Pet food and extra water for pets
- ☐ Cash. Card readers and ATMs often go down when the power does.
- ☐ Important documents: copies of insurance policies, IDs and bank records, saved electronically or in a waterproof, portable container
- ☐ A sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person
- ☐ A complete change of clothes and sturdy shoes
- ☐ Fire extinguisher and matches in a waterproof container
- ☐ Hygiene items and feminine supplies
- ☐ Paper plates, cups and utensils; paper and pencil
- ☐ Books, games or puzzles for kids
Part 3: The Winter Add-Ons
- ☐ Battery-powered or battery-backup carbon monoxide alarms near every sleeping area. The CDC says more than 400 Americans die every year from unintentional, non-fire CO poisoning.
- ☐ Know the generator rule. Generators run outside only, at least 20 feet from windows, doors and vents. Never in a garage, even with the door open. CPSC says portable generators alone cause an average of nearly 100 CO deaths a year.
- ☐ Heating fuel. The National Weather Service warns that fuel deliveries “may not reach you for days after a severe winter storm.”
- ☐ A safe emergency heat source, used with proper ventilation. Keep portable heaters at least three feet from anything that can burn, and plug electric heaters straight into a wall outlet, never a power strip (CPSC).
- ☐ Insulation basics: weather stripping and caulking, and a plan to keep pipes from freezing (Ready.gov)
- ☐ A “warm room” plan. Close off unneeded rooms, stuff towels under doors and cover windows at night (NWS).
- ☐ Know the hypothermia signs: shivering, exhaustion, confusion, fumbling hands, memory loss, slurred speech, drowsiness. Below 95°F is a medical emergency (CDC).
Part 4: The Car Kit
The National Weather Service says about 70 percent of deaths and injuries tied to ice and snow happen in automobiles. Ready.gov’s car basics:
- ☐ Jumper cables
- ☐ Sand or cat litter for traction
- ☐ Flashlight
- ☐ Warm clothes and blankets
- ☐ Bottled water and non-perishable snacks
- ☐ A full tank of gas. Keep it near full all winter.
If you’re stranded, the NWS says to stay with the car, run the engine about 10 minutes an hour for heat, keep the exhaust pipe clear of snow, and crack a window to avoid carbon monoxide.
Part 5: The Plan (Costs Nothing)
- ☐ Several ways to get alerts: Wireless Emergency Alerts turned on, the FEMA App, and your county’s local alert sign-up (Ready.gov)
- ☐ A family communications plan: a meeting place if you can’t get home, and an out-of-state contact everyone checks in with (Ready.gov)
- ☐ Know the school, work and care-facility plans for sheltering and evacuation
- ☐ Kits in three places: home, work and car. Ready.gov says to be prepared to shelter at work for at least 24 hours.
- ☐ Check on an older neighbor. The CDC lists older adults with inadequate heat, food or clothing among those most at risk of hypothermia.
Part 6: Keep It Ready
Ready.gov’s maintenance rules: keep canned food in a cool, dry place, store boxed food in tightly closed plastic or metal containers, replace expired items, and rethink your needs every year. A simple trick is to check your kit and test your CO alarms when the clocks change, which the CDC suggests for detector batteries.
Print this page, stick it on the fridge, and knock out one section a weekend. By the time the first big storm rolls in, you’ll be the house on the block that’s ready.
Sources
- Ready.gov (FEMA), “Build a Kit” (updated July 1, 2026): https://www.ready.gov/kit
- Ready.gov (FEMA), “Winter Weather”: https://www.ready.gov/winter-weather
- Ready.gov (FEMA), “Emergency Alerts”: https://www.ready.gov/alerts
- CDC, “Carbon Monoxide (CO) Poisoning Basics”: https://www.cdc.gov/carbon-monoxide/about/index.html
- CDC, “Preventing Hypothermia”: https://www.cdc.gov/winter-weather/prevention/
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, winter weather safety tips (Mar. 16, 2026): cpsc.gov
- National Weather Service, Spokane office, “Winter Storms”: https://www.weather.gov/otx/Winter_Storms
- National Weather Service, Spokane office, “General Severe Weather Safety”: https://www.weather.gov/otx/General_Severe_Weather_Safety
- Texas Department of State Health Services, “February 2021 Winter Storm-Related Deaths – Texas”: dshs.texas.gov (PDF)
Photo: Houston shoppers stock up on water, batteries and food at 6:30 a.m. ahead of Hurricane Rita, Sept. 21, 2005. Ed Edahl/FEMA, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.