This is a list of everything you’d want to stockpile for a disaster.
Naturally, some of these things aren’t reasonable for your situation, and some are extremely expensive.
Personal Effects
Emergency card with the following:
- Known allergies
- Medical conditions, with proper treatments
- Emergency contact information
Slim waist pack or neck lanyard for phone/keys/wallet
Auto emergency kit (for each car):
- If you own a housePocket knife within reach of the driver’s seat (for cutting seatbelt)
- Ball peen hammer or automatic center punch within reach of the driver’s seat (for breaking window)
- High-visibility vest
- A simple first aid kit with bandages, triple-antibiotic ointment, decongestant, and painkillers
- Some food:
- At least 6 bottles of water, cycled out every 4 months
- At least 6 packs of beef jerky or MREs and a box of granola bars, cycled out every year
- Some hard candy
- Extreme weather gear:
- Thick blankets
- Hand warmers
- Gloves
- Socks
- Ski hat
- Bandana
- Hat
- Sunscreen
- Maps, a Thomas guide, and a compass for navigation
- A simple toolbox for basic maintenance tasks:
- Screwdrivers
- Channel-locks
- Crescent wrench
- Heavy flashlight
- Multi-tool
- Signaling tools
- Whistle
- Telescoping magnet
- Road flares
- Reflectors
- Auto maintenance supplies
- Extra water and coolant
- At least 1-3 quarts of oil and a funnel
- Windshield washer fluid
- Jumper cables or a car starter
- Ice scraper and snow brush
- Extra cell phone charger
- Multi-use supplies
- Zip ties
- Trash bags
- Pen, pencil, and paper
- Safety pins and paperclips
- A spare, charged cell phone in the glove compartment, for calling emergency services.
Dashcam for each car
Household Inventory
A well-stocked first aid kit:
- Wraps
- Assorted sizes of sterile adhesive bandages
- Assorted sizes of safety pins
- Assorted sizes of sterile gauze pads
- Assorted fabric bandages and adhesive plastic bandages
- Various roller bandages
- Triangular bandages
- First aid tape roll
- Instant cold compresses
- Sterilizing agents
- Cleansing agent or soap
- Moistened towelettes
- Antiseptic cleaning wipes
- Hand sanitizer
- Rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide
- Triple antibiotic ointment
- Non-prescription drugs
- Pain relievers like chewable aspirin, acetaminophen, and ibuprofen
- Anti-diarrhea medicines
- Antacids
- Syrup of ipecac or activated charcoal (to induce vomiting)
- Laxatives
- Hydrocortisone cream (to reduce swelling)
- Eponephrine (for anaphylaxis)
- Isoniazid (for tuberculosis and leprosy)
- Levofloxacin (for uncomplicated appendicitis)
- Doxycycline (for cholera and anthrax)
- Artemisinin (for malaria)
- TMP/SMX (for MRSA)
- Fluconazone (for systemic fungal infections)
- Albendazole (for intestinal parasites)
- Tools
- Scissors
- Tweezers
- Needle
- Several pairs of latex gloves
- Mercury thermometer
- Tongue blades or depressors
- Medicine dropper
- Latex-free CPR one-way valve face shield
- Other things
- Tissue papers
- Dust masks
- Sunscreen
- Body lubricant like petroleum jelly
- First aid handbook
- Mylar emergency blanket
- Tons of plastic bags
A reliable firearm
- Shotgun with shells and gunpowder
- Rifle or handgun with extra ammunition
2-4 weeks’ worth of currency in small cash denominations and traveler’s checks
Small, easily tradable, permanently useful commodities like hard liquor, lighters, ammunition, and cigarettes.
Tools and supplies
- Camping lantern with extra fuel
- Extra kerosene for heating
- Ponchos and raincoats
- A flashlight with extra batteries (keep the batteries separate to avoid acid leaking)
- Light sticks and signal flares
- Plenty of duck tape, aluminum foil, rope, and cable ties
- Matches in a waterproof container, lighter, lighter fluid
- Basic tool kit with screwdrivers, screws, pliers, hammer, nails, and multi-tool
- Knives and knife-sharpeners, preferably carbon steel over stainless steel
- Camping ax
- Nitrile gloves
- Scissors
- Large contractor trash bags
- Paper, pencil, needles, thread
- Plenty of bug repellant
- A wrench to turn off the gas and water
- Boric acid (aka Borax)
- A tent large enough for your household
- Battery-operated or hand-crank AM/FM radio receiver
- Emergency whistle
- Walkie talkies with extra batteries
Emergency documents
- Will, insurance policies, contract deeds, stocks, bonds
- Passports, social security cards, and immunization records
- Bank account numbers
- Credit card account numbers and companies
- Inventory of valuable household goods
- Important telephone numbers
- Family records (birth, marriage, and death certificates)
- Backup hard drive and CDs of essential files
- Emergency communication plan
- Emergency contacts
3 days’ water: 1 gallon/person/day, plus pets (1 oz/lb/day), cycled every 6 months
- Water filtration system, either carbon or reverse osmosis
- 4-6% unscented sodium hypochlorite bleach (typically household bleach)
- Sodium dichloroisocyanurate pills (AquaTabs)
Extra food (cycled 12 months)
- Canned meat/fruit/vegetables
- Canned juices/milk/soup
- Sugar, salt, pepper
- High-energy food like peanut butter, jelly, crackers, granola bars, trail mix
- Energy bars
- Ramen packets
- Daily multivitamins
- Special dietary needs, as well as food for elderly or infants
- Comfort/stress foods:
- Cookies
- Hard candy and lollipops
- Sweetened cereals
- Instant coffee and tea bags
- Non-electric can opener or utility knife
- Paper cups, plates, plastic utensils
- Plastic storage containers
Personal care items:
- Several changes of clothes, as well as a set of dress clothes.
- Deodorant
- An extra set of warm clothes (avoid cotton, since it absorbs sweat)
- Sunglasses
- Lip balm
- Camp soap
- Extra blankets and pillows
- Toilet paper
- Comfortable shoes for everyone, preferably waterproof
- Extra medications, extra glasses/contact lenses
- Toothbrushes/toothpaste
- Feminine hygiene products
- Clean plunger and bucket (as a washing machine)
Disability needs:
- Medical/disability history
- Hearing disabilities:
- Extra hearing-aid batteries
- Language challenges:
- Pen and paper
- Assistive technology like digital tablets
- Communication cards
- Battery operated lantern for lip reading
- If walking disability:
- Extra battery or charger for power wheelchairs
- Manual wheelchair
- Patch kit or can of sealant for flat tires, or extra innertube
- Canes or walkers
Backup electricity:
- Hand-crank generator
- Generator, with extra fuel
- Solar cells, with window cleaner and ice scraper
Backup laptop:
- Extra batteries
- Satellite internet connection
Household Fixtures
Tools:
- Chainsaw with extra fuel
- Sledgehammer
- Prybar
Wood, nails, and hammer for barring doors and windows
Roll-up ladder
Fire pump kit (if near a body of water)
Home security system
Large safe, such as a gun safe
At least 2 small ABC fire extinguishers:
- Kitchen
- Bedroom
Smoke alarms near every room or corridor
Long-Term – Moving
Passports for every family member
“Burner” pay-as-you-go phones, with top-off cards
Corporation filed with a new identity.
Long-Term – Staying
Plot of land, relatively secluded from society
Bomb shelter or bunker
- Bunker security system
- Plans for keeping the bunker anonymous
Guide books on whatever you plan to use:
- Bushcraft
- How to forage and find edible wild plants
- Gardening, farming, and agriculture
- Hunting
- Fishing
- Mechanical repair
- Wilderness medicine
- Woodworking
- Masonry
- Amateur electronics and computer programming
At least a few power generation solutions:
- Diesel generator
- Solar cells
- Wind turbines
- Very high-capacity battery
Bicycle with attached wagon
Anything that empowers a simpler, more self-sustained vocation:
- Seeds and gardening supplies
- Magnesium sulfate (Epsom salt)
- Livestock
- Crafting supplies like a kiln or carpentry tools
- Spinning wheel or manual sewing machine
Critical items to stockpile:
- Bottled water, water filters/purifiers, and bleach will always disappear first.
- Liquor, especially hard liquor.
- Canning supplies like mason jars, lids, pressure cookers, and pectin (disappears rapidly because there’s normally a low supply).
- Canned foods, without any discrimination.
- Dehydrator, assuming you will have access to electricity.
- Jerky, MREs, and other long-lasting no-prep foods (though roadkill has more nutritional value than a packaged beef stick).
- Any staples like rice, beans, wheat, flour, yeast, and powdered or condensed milk.
- Any grains marked for human or animal consumption.
- Gardening supplies like seeds, gardening books, and tools.
- General gardening tools like brooms, shovels, rakes, pitchforks, pickaxes, and hoes.
- Grain grinders.
- Salt that can preserve meat.
- People will quickly hide, hoard, steal, slaughter, and trade chickens, goats, cows, pigs, and any other livestock.
- People will rapidly catch and remove the local wild game from the surrounding area, or inexperienced hunters will drive them away with noise.
- Convenience drinks like teas, coffee, sports drinks, powdered drinks, instant, ground, or bagged drinks.
Anything that makes fire or a light source:
- Lighters, matches (especially waterproof), flint and steel fire starters, fire pistons (a handheld device that starts a fire with air).
- When there’s isn’t easy access to firewood, people will stockpile charcoal.
- Cooking oils as fuel for oil lamps.
- Candles, especially unscented.
- Cast-iron frying pans, portable ovens or any other cookware that could get used over an open flame.
- Hunting or foraging books.
Health and personal care items:
- The more prominent a member of society you are, the harder leaving is.First aid kits disappear immediately.
- General paper hygiene items like toilet paper, tissue paper, and paper towels.
- Over-the-counter medications like headache pills and cough syrup, especially after people start suffering caffeine/sugar withdrawals in the first few weeks.
- Any vitamins and herbal supplements which can prevent nutrient-deficient diseases like scurvy.
- Personal hygiene supplies like shampoo, toothbrushes, toothpaste, feminine hygiene products, mouthwash, and floss.
- Baby and toddler supplies like formula, cloth diapers, washcloths, and cheap toys.
Camping supplies:
- Sleeping bags, blankets, pillows, and mats.
- Inflatable mattresses and hand pumps.
- Guns, cleaning kits, and ammo.
- All “travel” version of a home item.
- Flashlights, lanterns, and glowsticks.
- Batteries and fuel.
- Hunting knives and multi-tools.
- Fishing supplies and fishing tools (since fishing will be more accessible than wild game).
- Camouflage and hunting clothes.
- Bug traps and sprays.
Multi-use household supplies:
- Plastic wrap, wax paper, and aluminum foil.
- Anything that can improvise a shelter or fasten anything.
- Washing and drying supplies like clothespins, line, hangers, washboards, plungers, and mop buckets.
- Any types of gloves which can protect hands.
- Mouse and rat traps.
- Cleaning or disinfecting supplies of any kind.
- Paper, pads, pens, pencils, sharpeners, and solar calculators.
- Any non-gun weapons like pepper spray, knives, clubs, bats, tasers, slingshots, and pellet rifles.
- Hand pumps and siphons for gas, water, and oil.
Hardware:
- Most non-power tools like bow saws, axes, hatches, wedges, machetes, and hammers.
- Tarps, plastic rolls, stakes, duct tape, electrical tape, twine, nails, rope, spikes, glue, nuts, bolts, and screws.
- Sharpening stones and honing oil.
- Lumber, sheet metal, insulation, and any other building supplies.
- Car batteries, solar/gas/diesel/propane/kerosene generators, solar powered systems.
- Motor oil.
Convenient containers:
- Wagons, wheelbarrows, carts, and shopping carts.
- Any containers that can hold gasoline or water.
- Insulated ice chests as baskets and frost protection.
- Backpacks and duffel bags (backpacks first, since duffel bags are more difficult to walk with).
- Large trash bags (especially thick 55-gallon size) to store, move things, or collect water.
- Every possible size and shape of bucket.
Clothes:
- Cold weather clothing, wool, and polyester clothing.
- Work boots, belts, blue jeans, and thick socks.
- Any extreme weather clothing like raincoats or wide-brimmed hats.
“Survival” supplies:
- Survival-related and medical literature.
- Gas masks and body armor.
- Portable toilets or toilet lids to use with five-gallon buckets.
Any advanced medical and surgical equipment, if you know how to use it.
Other odds and ends:
- Animal control items like cage traps and dog collars.
- Since bicycles will become the most efficient transportation, bicycles and tires, tubes, repair kits, pumps, and chains.
- Because of their fuel economy, motorcycles will become high-demand.
In Nature
Maps of where you’re going
Compass
Multitool
Headlamp or flashlight
Extra set of clothes
Some type of fire starter, like matches or a lighter
Extra food, preferably high-protein, high-fat foods
A simple first aid kit with bandages, triple-antibiotic ointment, decongestant, and painkillers
Sunglasses and sunscreen (especially with snow)
Sleeping bag/tent (especially with cold weather)
Machete/axe
Fishing pole or fishing net
Cookware