Climate scientists aren’t sugarcoating it—summer 2025 is shaping up to be another scorcher that’ll make 2024 look like a pleasant spring afternoon. NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center confirms above-normal temperatures across most of the U.S., with a 70% chance of hitting that dreaded 1.5°C warming threshold that climate researchers have been tracking.
Add supply chain hiccups and grid instability to the mix, and you’ve got a recipe for what historians politely call “interesting times.” This isn’t doomsday prepping—it’s smart living for people who’ve watched enough infrastructure fail to know better than waiting until the last minute.
26. Water Storage Options
If you’re serious about emergency prep, those grocery store gallon jugs will let you down faster than a friend who “forgets” their wallet. The CDC and Red Cross recommend one gallon per person daily, but you need containers that won’t crack under pressure when emergencies hit. Those blue 5-gallon office water jugs are stackable, portable, and built to withstand more abuse than their grocery store cousins.
Store them away from sunlight and rotate your supply regularly, like you would any perishable investment. Fresh water tastes infinitely better than plastic-flavored regret when you’re already dealing with emergency stress.
25. Water Filtration Systems
Backup filtration systems are critical when municipal supplies fail and your stored water runs dry. The Sawyer Mini handles thousands of gallons before replacement—that’s manufacturer-tested performance backed by independent reviews, not marketing fluff designed to separate you from your cash.
LifeStraw delivers similar reliability for individual use, while gravity systems like Berkey process larger volumes without needing electricity, which may not be available.
Purification tablets serve as your insurance policy when mechanical filters fail. They’re compact, often overlooked, and potentially life-saving when your primary filtration method encounters problems it can’t handle.
24. Emergency Food Supplies
Stress eating gets complicated when your pantry runs empty and grocery stores close indefinitely. Focus on shelf-stable basics that deliver nutrition without complexity: rice, beans, canned proteins, and freeze-dried meals that taste decent after rehydration. The average adult burns about 2,000 calories daily according to standard nutritional guidelines, so calculate accordingly for your household and stock with some buffer room.
Mountain House and Augason Farms offer decent ready-made options, but building your own supply from grocery staples costs significantly less over time. Just remember to eat and replace this stuff periodically—nobody wants to discover their emergency food expired when they need it most.
And if you’re updating your emergency kit, consider these picks for top survival gear to ensure you’re covered whether you’re sheltering in place or on the move.
23. Cooking Methods
Power outages transform your fancy induction cooktop into the world’s most expensive cutting board. You need at least two reliable backup cooking methods: propane camp stoves with extra fuel canisters, rocket stoves that burn readily available sticks and debris, or portable butane units that offer precise temperature control. Each method has trade-offs, but redundancy matters more than perfection when you’re heating meals during infrastructure failures.
Solar ovens handle sunny climates effectively but require patience and optimal weather conditions that emergencies don’t always provide. The CDC warns about carbon monoxide poisoning from fuel-burning appliances used indoors—proper ventilation saves lives, not just comfort.
22. First Aid Supplies
Medical emergencies don’t wait for convenient timing or ideal circumstances. Build a comprehensive kit with wound care supplies, over-the-counter medications, prescription backups, and diagnostic tools like thermometers and blood pressure cuffs that provide actionable information. Include a first aid manual you’ve read beforehand, because crisis situations aren’t the time for on-the-job medical training.
When someone’s bleeding or injured, you don’t want to be frantically googling “how to stop severe cuts” while cellular networks are overloaded. Knowledge weighs nothing, takes up no storage space, and becomes exponentially more valuable when professional medical help isn’t readily available.
21. Prescription Medications
Caught without critical medications during an emergency? Talk to your doctor about maintaining emergency supplies before you need them. Some insurance companies allow early refills specifically for emergency preparedness, though policies vary significantly between providers and coverage types. The FDA recommends proper storage in cool, dry environments—definitely not that steamy bathroom cabinet where most people stash their daily pills.
Keep a detailed medication list with dosages, prescribing doctors, and pharmacy information readily accessible. During evacuation orders with time constraints, you won’t have mental bandwidth to remember whether it’s 10mg or 100mg, and medication errors during stressful situations can be dangerous or even fatal.
20. Hygiene and Sanitation
When municipal systems crash unexpectedly, sanitation management becomes your immediate problem to solve. Stock disinfectants, hand sanitizer, toilet paper, feminine hygiene products, and heavy-duty garbage bags that can handle extended use without tearing. A 5-gallon bucket with toilet seat lid and cat litter creates an effective emergency toilet when plumbing fails, though it’s not exactly a luxury experience.
Baby wipes aren’t just for babies—they become shower substitutes when water conservation is critical for survival. Get unscented varieties unless you want to smell like a walking nursery during extended crisis situations, which tends to be more annoying than comforting.
19. Light Sources
The ThruNite TN12 delivers exceptional runtime and brightness for its compact size, outperforming smartphone flashlights that drain batteries faster than a Vegas slot machine. Layer your lighting options strategically: headlamps keep hands free for essential tasks, lanterns illuminate entire rooms effectively, and flashlights provide focused beams for detailed work. Any quality LED flashlight beats smartphone dependency when extended outages stretch for days or weeks.
Solar-powered options reduce battery dependence during extended outages, but always maintain backup batteries anyway because weather doesn’t cooperate with emergency timelines. Candles provide ambient lighting but create serious fire hazards—use them with extreme caution, especially around children, pets, or flammable emergency supplies.
18. Communication Devices
Cell tower failures transform your expensive smartphone into nothing more than a glorified camera with games. A hand-crank emergency radio with NOAA weather alerts provides critical information during disasters when traditional communication networks are overwhelmed or completely offline. FEMA and Ready.gov specifically recommend these devices because they’ve proven reliable when everything else fails.
Consider satellite messengers like Garmin inReach for remote areas where cellular coverage was already spotty before emergencies struck. Keep physical maps of your region handy—they never lose signal, run out of battery, or become obsolete when GPS satellites experience technical difficulties.
17. Power Sources
The Jackery Explorer and EcoFlow River provide reliable electricity for essential devices without the noise and fuel requirements of traditional generators. Pair them with solar panels for renewable charging capabilities, but size your system based on genuine power needs rather than wishful thinking—medical devices take absolute priority over entertainment gadgets and comfort electronics.
For longer outages that exceed battery capacity, dual-fuel generators running on gasoline or propane work effectively but come with significant trade-offs. They’re loud enough to announce your preparedness to neighbors, need proper ventilation to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, and require regular maintenance that many people skip until problems arise.
16. Cash Reserves
When electronic payment systems fail during widespread emergencies, cash immediately becomes king again in local commerce. Keep at least $500 in small bills—ones, fives, tens, and twenties—stored securely at home in fireproof containers. During extended emergencies when change becomes scarce, vendors often can’t break your crisp $100 bills, making smaller denominations far more practical for transactions.
Store cash in waterproof containers completely separate from important documents to reduce single points of failure. Diversify your emergency storage locations like you would investment portfolios—don’t put everything valuable in one easily compromised basket.
15. Important Documents
Store both physical and digital copies of identification, insurance policies, property deeds, medical records, and financial information in multiple secure locations. Waterproof document bags protect physical copies from flood damage, while encrypted flash drives safeguard digital versions against data corruption and unauthorized access. Cloud storage provides additional redundancy, but don’t rely on internet connectivity during emergencies.
Create a dedicated “grab and go” document folder specifically designed for rapid evacuations when time is critically limited. When authorities give you three minutes to leave your home, you won’t have luxury of opening filing cabinets and sorting through tax returns from previous decades.
14. Storage Totes and Bags
Organize emergency supplies in clearly labeled, waterproof containers that family members can easily identify and access under stress. For evacuation scenarios, maintain ready-to-go bags under 20% of your body weight—outdoor survival experts recommend this threshold for maintaining mobility during extended physical exertion. Heavy bags become abandoned bags when adrenaline wears off and reality sets in.
Use a practical three-tier system: everyday emergencies like power outages, evacuation scenarios requiring mobility, and long-term disruptions where you’re sheltering in place. Different situations demand different gear priorities, and you don’t need your entire six-month supply during a three-day evacuation to higher ground.
13. Tools and Equipment
A quality multi-tool like the Leatherman Wave provides remarkable versatility without consuming precious space in emergency kits. Add essential hand tools including hammer, adjustable wrench set, various screwdrivers, and a sturdy pry bar for situations requiring more leverage than multi-tools can provide. Include the holy trinity of temporary fixes: duct tape, paracord, and zip ties, which collectively solve an impressive range of unexpected problems.
Know how to shut off your home’s utilities and keep appropriate tools easily accessible rather than buried in garage storage. The optimal time to learn your main water valve’s location definitely isn’t when water is gushing through your ceiling during a pipe burst emergency.
12. Fire Starting Methods
Bic lighters are reliably dependable under normal conditions but fail spectacularly when wet or extremely cold. Waterproof matches and ferrocerium rods provide essential backups that function under adverse conditions when you need them most.
Store quality tinder like cotton balls soaked in petroleum jelly or commercial fire starters that ignite easily even when damp. Practice your fire-starting skills during calm periods before emergencies test your abilities—YouTube tutorials become useless when you’re cold, wet, and your phone battery died hours ago.
11. Shelter and Warmth
Emergency blankets, sleeping bags rated for your regional climate extremes, and waterproof tarps provide foundational shelter capabilities when primary housing becomes unavailable. For home-based emergencies, alternative heating methods like properly ventilated propane heaters or wood-burning options may become necessary when central heating systems fail during extended power outages.
Learn to create improvised shelter using available materials and basic engineering principles before you need these skills. Your perfectly organized tent won’t help if it’s stored in your basement and you’re stranded on the highway during an evacuation traffic jam.
10. Defense and Security
Home security during emergencies starts with practical measures: reinforced entry points, motion-sensing lights that deter opportunists, and solid communication networks with trustworthy neighbors. Whatever security measures you ultimately choose, ensure you receive proper training and maintain compliance with local laws that vary significantly between jurisdictions.
Simple improvements like door jammers and upgraded window locks can make a significant difference. For more ideas on boosting your home’s security, explore these home defense gadgets that even seasoned burglars fear.
9. Transportation Options
Keep vehicles properly maintained with fuel tanks never dropping below half-full as standard operating procedure. Develop multiple backup transportation plans including bicycles with cargo capacity for essential supplies, predetermined walking routes that avoid likely traffic bottlenecks, and evacuation agreements with neighbors who might need assistance. Redundant transportation options become invaluable when primary methods fail during crisis situations.
Store essential vehicle emergency supplies including jumper cables, tire repair kits, and basic automotive tools in each family vehicle. When highways transform into parking lots during mass evacuations, mechanical self-sufficiency often determines whether you reach safety or become stranded with thousands of other unprepared motorists.
8. Navigation Tools
Physical maps, compass, and practical navigation skills remain essential when GPS satellites experience technical difficulties or smartphones lose power. Mark important locations clearly on paper maps: home base, family meeting points, predetermined evacuation routes, and alternative destinations you’ve identified in advance. Digital navigation aids are convenient but unreliable during infrastructure failures.
Practice navigation skills during non-emergency periods when mistakes don’t carry serious consequences for safety. Emergency stress significantly degrades decision-making abilities and spatial awareness, so building muscle memory during calm periods pays dividends when clear thinking becomes challenging.
7. Emergency Contacts and Plans
Develop comprehensive communication plans tailored for different emergency scenarios your region might realistically face. Designate out-of-area contacts as family coordination points during local disasters—Ready.gov and the Red Cross specifically recommend this approach because local phone systems often become overloaded while distant networks remain functional.
Print physical copies of all emergency contacts and keep them in multiple accessible locations throughout your home. The carefully curated contact list in your smartphone becomes completely useless when the battery dies and charging options aren’t available for extended periods.
6. Knowledge and Skills
The most compact and versatile survival tool sits securely between your ears and never requires batteries or maintenance. Learn fundamental skills including basic first aid, food preparation and preservation, fire building techniques, and multiple water purification methods before emergencies test your capabilities. Take community emergency response training if programs are available in your area.
Skills require regular practice and knowledge base expansion—they deteriorate without use like unused muscles. Reference books covering wilderness medicine, regional foraging, and emergency preparedness provide valuable information when internet resources become unavailable during infrastructure failures.
5. Local Resource Awareness
Map your community’s available resources systematically: reliable water sources, medical facilities with emergency capabilities, and potential shelter locations that could accommodate displaced residents. Build genuine relationships with neighbors because community resilience often determines individual survival outcomes during widespread emergencies that overwhelm official response capabilities.
Research your specific area’s most likely threats and tailor preparations accordingly rather than using generic approaches. Hurricane preparedness differs dramatically from earthquake or wildfire readiness, and FEMA emphasizes regional planning because local conditions matter more than universal solutions.
4. Special Needs Considerations
Individuals with medical conditions, disabilities, or special needs require additional planning layers that account for unique vulnerabilities during emergencies. Maintain extra supplies of critical medical equipment, develop reliable power backup systems for life-sustaining devices, and create detailed written instructions for potential caregivers who might need to assist during chaotic situations.
Register proactively with local emergency services if you require assistance during evacuations rather than hoping help will be available when needed. The optimal time to arrange emergency assistance is well before disasters strike and overwhelm response capabilities with competing demands.
3. Pet Preparations
Four-legged family members require dedicated emergency planning that often gets overlooked until crisis situations arise. Store adequate pet food, necessary medications, secure carriers for transportation, and comfort items that reduce stress during displacement. Ensure pets are microchipped with current contact information and wear updated identification tags with accurate phone numbers.
Research pet-friendly evacuation options in advance because many emergency shelters don’t accept animals due to health regulations and space constraints. Having to choose between personal safety and abandoning beloved pets creates impossible decisions that proper planning can prevent.
2. Financial Preparedness
Beyond immediate cash reserves, maintain emergency savings accessible without electronic banking systems that might become temporarily unavailable. Review insurance coverage carefully for disasters relevant to your region—standard homeowner’s policies often exclude floods, earthquakes, and other specific events through carefully worded exclusions that most people never read.
Organize financial documents and account information securely with both physical and digital copies stored separately. Financial recovery after disasters frequently hinges on having proper documentation readily available and understanding your coverage limits rather than assumptions about protection levels.
1. Mental and Emotional Resilience
The most frequently overlooked aspect of emergency preparedness involves psychological readiness for sustained stress and uncertainty. Develop practical stress management techniques, maintain supportive relationships with reliable people, and honestly acknowledge the emotional impact that emergencies have on mental health and decision-making capabilities under pressure.
Include morale-boosting items in your emergency supplies: engaging games, favorite books, comfort foods that provide psychological benefits, and meaningful personal items that maintain connection to normal life. The psychological advantages of preserving some normalcy during extended crises cannot be overstated for maintaining hope and rational thinking when everything feels chaotic.
