Preparedness guides that tell you what to do, in order

How much emergency food should a household store?

Start with two weeks of shelf-stable meals your family already eats, planned around 2,000 calories per adult per day. Rotate it with normal cooking so nothing expires. Once two weeks is solid, extend to 30 or 90 days with freeze-dried kits and #10 cans.

How much emergency water should I store per person?

Store at least 1 gallon per person per day. Cover 3 days at minimum and aim for 2 weeks when space allows. Add more for heat, pets, pregnancy, or illness. Then add a filter and a disinfection backup, because stored water alone is only one layer.

What do I actually need when the power goes out?

Cover four jobs in this order: light, phone charging, food you can prepare safely, and any medical devices. A power bank, a small solar generator, and a safe no-electric cooking method handle most outages. Size the battery to your real devices before buying anything large.

What should be in a go-bag and a 72-hour kit?

A 72-hour home kit covers food, water, light, power, first aid, and documents for 3 days. A go-bag is the portable version: about 20 pounds you can carry, built for evacuation. Build the home kit first, then split a lighter copy into the bag and your car.

How do I prepare for each season of severe weather?

Match the layer to the season. Summer needs water, cooling, and backup power for heat waves and smoke. June through November is Atlantic hurricane season, so storm plans come first. Before the first freeze, winterize heat, food, water, and pipes. The gear overlaps, the plan changes.

Which preparedness skills matter more than gear?

First aid, hygiene when water is off, and the wilderness ten essentials mindset: navigation, light, shelter, fire, water, food, and signaling. Skills make cheap gear work and keep expensive gear from being wasted. Practice on a normal weekend, not during the emergency.