Emergency preparedness supplies and expert tips for staying safe

Emergencies are an unfortunate part of life, but there are ways to be better prepared when they arise.

To help you get started on building your own disaster-preparedness kit, we spoke with an expert source who offered tips on what to keep on hand, investments to make to stay prepared and why its important to foster a sense of community ahead of challenging times.

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Meet our expert

Dr. Susan Clark is an assistant professor at New York's top public university, the University at Buffalo.

Her expertise spans several categories including climate vulnerability, climate change adaptation, sustainable development, community resilience and sustainability education, and her current research focuses mainly on "quantifying the social burden of power outages on households and communities due to natural disasters and extreme events as well as planning for extreme temperature events in New York State," per her university bio.

Getting ahead of disaster

When asked which events tend to catch people most off guard, Clark cited unexpected power outages due to forces such as winter storms or wildfires as some of the most likely circumstances to cause instability.

"I think sometimes with [events such as] hurricanes, you know they're coming. There's a lot of preparation for that," she explained. "But events where you don't get that sort of preparation is where you start to see that impact."

One such event was the wildfire smoke that cloaked eastern North America in 2023, leaving many folks scrambling for ways to maintain the air quality in their homes and during their trips outside. Keeping windows closed is key, but also consider investing in an air purifier that can handle the square footage of your home, and keep instructions and supplies for an EPA-approved DIY version handy.

Clark also emphasized the importance of staying up to date with events likely to occur in your area. Examples include having a plan to seek shelter ready if you live in tornado alley or keeping supplies like generators or hand-crank radios on hand for a power outage if you're located in a winter storm-prone area.

Additionally, keeping websites like the National Weather Service bookmarked or certain weather alerts up to date on your phone will help you get a jump on any weather disruptions heading your way.

Stocking your emergency preparedness kit

What exactly makes a sufficient emergency preparedness kit will depend widely on what events are likely to happen in your area, but there are some universal basics to consider.

"The typical advice," Clark said, "is to keep three days' worth of food, water and medication -- whatever that means for your household and dependent upon your specific needs."

Water jugs can obviously be a lifesaver, but Clark also suggested that -- if you have enough warning -- filling up your bathtub with water to keep extra on hand is very useful.

Water contamination can also be an issue, or not having access to running water. In both instances, having a way to filter water from outside sources is vital.

She also noted the importance of non-perishable food items, as well as keeping food on hand that you don't need to cook. Canned goods, protein bars and the like are a good place to start, and some companies even offer pre-packaged, 30-day supplies of emergency food supplies.

Portable chargers are something many already use while traveling, but keeping them charged for emergencies is also a good idea.

Clark noted that according to guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, four hours is the typical threshold for when food enters the danger zone in a refrigerator with no power. If you don't have a generator, try stashing perishables in a cooler with ice to extend that time limit.

And something many do not consider is the importance of protecting important documents in case of flooding, fire or worse. Sheet protectors are a great first step in keeping papers safe, but a fireproof storage box is a great and surprisingly affordable way to keep your documents clean and intact.

Restocking your emergency supplies

Clark's guidance is to check your supplies about as often as you check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors -- at least once a year.

"Depending on where we are, we're prone to different things, " she reiterated. "If you live in an area prone to hurricanes, before hurricane season, check and make sure you have what you need and update it."

Whatever you anticipate your highest emergency risk is, plan for it.

Reaching out for help

No matter the emergency, chances are you won't go through it alone.

Clark emphasized the importance of community when experiencing a disaster and pointed to the emergence of resilience hubs that can help provide everything from cots to sleep on to child care services.

Sometimes, the answer is as simple as knowing your neighbors.

"Probably the best thing for any of these events is knowing the people around you," Clark said. "All of a sudden, you're in this situation, and pooling resources is only going to be a benefit to everybody. If I'm partnering up with the four houses here on my street, we're going to have a lot more available to us than we are acting by ourselves ... having that social knowledge and network is probably going to be the most beneficial thing you can do."

She also discussed the term "social capital," noting it is used in disaster planning frequently because people with more connections to others "cope better, recover faster and they're happier going through these processes, even if they're terrible disasters."