Emergency Supply Checklists

Emergency management agencies have long used a 72-hour rule as a baseline: households should be able to meet their own needs for at least three days without outside assistance. After Hurricane Harvey, many Houston-area planners began recommending a seven-day supply for major hurricane events, since road access, power, and water can take longer to restore in a region as large as Greater Houston.

Water

Store one gallon of drinking water per person per day. Add additional water for pets and for basic hygiene. Commercially bottled water is the simplest option and stores for years unopened. Households that fill their own containers should rotate them every six months and use food-grade vessels. Do not rely solely on filling the bathtub, which is useful for flushing but not for drinking.

Food

Choose non-perishable items your household will actually eat: canned proteins, peanut butter, crackers, dried fruit, cereal, and shelf-stable milk. Include a manual can opener. If you have infants, store formula and baby food. If you have pets, maintain at least a week of pet food. Comfort foods matter, especially with children — a few familiar snacks can ease the stress of an extended outage.

Medications and Medical

Keep at least a two-week supply of prescription medications when possible, and refill as soon as your pharmacy allows during hurricane season. Store a copy of each prescription and a list of allergies in your documents bag. A basic first-aid kit should include bandages, antiseptic, gauze, medical tape, pain relievers, and any over-the-counter medications your household uses regularly.

Documents and Money

Place copies of identification, insurance policies, deeds or leases, vehicle titles, and recent tax returns in a waterproof bag or a secure cloud folder. Keep several hundred dollars in small bills, since ATMs and card readers often fail during widespread power outages.

Communication and Power

A battery-powered or hand-crank weather radio remains valuable when cell networks are saturated. Maintain at least two backup batteries for cell phones, and consider a small solar charger for extended outages. A printed list of important phone numbers is useful when smartphones die.

Houston-Specific Considerations

The Gulf Coast climate adds items that drier regions can skip: extra insect repellent for the mosquito surge that follows any major rain event, sunscreen and electrolyte packets for heat, N95 masks and bleach for mold remediation, and tarps for temporary roof or window repair. Households without backup power should identify a nearby cooling center in advance, since summer heat after a storm can be as dangerous as the storm itself.