The 2-Week Emergency Kit Checklist

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Three days of supplies is the old standard, but real disasters — hurricanes, ice storms, extended grid failures — routinely last longer. That is why two weeks has become the recommended target for a serious home emergency kit. This is your complete, category-by-category checklist to build one, with the gear that actually matters and what to look for in each.

Water (the top priority)

• 14 gallons per person (one gallon per person per day) in food-grade containers
• A water filter and purification tablets to extend your supply
• Unscented household bleach for disinfecting water

See our water storage and purification guide for the how-to.

Food (two weeks, no-cook)

• ~2,000 calories per person per day of shelf-stable, no-cook food
• Canned proteins, peanut butter, crackers, granola bars, dried fruit, comfort items
• A manual can opener — the most forgotten item

Our food storage guide shows how to build the pantry affordably.

Light

• A headlamp for every person (hands-free is invaluable)
• Flashlights and an LED lantern for area light
• Plenty of spare batteries; skip candles (a fire risk)

Power

• Charged power banks for phones, plus a solar charger for long outages
• For bigger loads, a battery power station or generator — see our backup power comparison

Information and communication

• A battery or hand-crank weather radio for official alerts
• A written family communication plan and contact list (see our communications guide)

First aid and health

• A stocked first-aid kit
• A two-week supply of any prescription medications
• Hygiene basics: hand sanitizer, wet wipes, soap, feminine supplies

Sanitation, tools, and documents

• Garbage bags, and supplies for a backup toilet if plumbing fails
• A multi-tool or knife, duct tape, work gloves, and a fire extinguisher
• Copies of IDs, insurance, and emergency contacts in a waterproof bag
• Small-bill cash, spare keys, and warm blankets or sleeping bags

Comfort and your household’s specifics

Round it out for your real life: items for children and pets, special-diet foods, spare glasses, and a few comfort items (a book, cards, snacks) to keep morale up. A kit built around your household always beats a generic one.

Build it gradually and maintain it

You do not have to buy all of this in one trip — work through the checklist a category at a time over a couple of months. Then keep it ready: every six months, check expiration dates on food, water, and medications, test the lights and radio, refresh batteries, and update your documents and cash. A kit is only good if it works when you grab it.

Why two weeks, and not three days

The old 72-hour standard was built around the idea that help arrives within three days. But anyone who has lived through a major hurricane, a regional ice storm, or a multi-day grid failure knows that services can stay down far longer — sometimes a week or two. Stretching your kit to two weeks is not paranoia; it is matching your supplies to how long real disasters actually last. The jump from three days to two weeks is mostly a matter of buying a little more of what you already store, so the added safety comes cheap.

How to organize and store your kit

A pile of supplies scattered around the house is not a kit. Keep your emergency gear together in one accessible, clearly labeled place — a closet shelf, a couple of totes, or a dedicated cabinet near an exit. Store the heaviest item, water, where it is easy to reach and rotate. Keep your grab-and-go bag separate and by the door so you can leave in seconds if you must. Good organization is what turns a collection of stuff into something you can actually use under stress and in the dark.

Build the grab-and-go layer too

Your two-week home kit handles sheltering in place, but some emergencies mean leaving fast. Pair the home kit with a 72-hour bug-out bag per person — a portable subset of the same categories sized to get you through three days away from home. Together, the two layers cover both staying and going, which is the whole spectrum of what an emergency can demand.

Tailor the checklist to your household

Treat this list as a framework, not gospel. A family with an infant adds formula and diapers; a household with pets adds food, water, and a carrier per animal; anyone on medication builds in a two-week supply and a cooler if it needs refrigeration. Climate matters too — serious cold-weather layers up north, extra water and cooling down south. The best kit is the one shaped around the specific people who will rely on it.

Don’t forget the unglamorous extras

A few low-cost items punch above their weight and are easy to leave off a checklist: a sturdy pair of work gloves and closed-toe shoes (broken glass and debris are common after disasters), a whistle to signal for help, extra phone-charging cables, and a paper list of emergency and family contacts in case your phone dies. None are exciting, and every one of them earns its place when the moment comes.

Key takeaways

• Two weeks is the modern target; three days is just the bare minimum.
• Water first: 14 gallons per person, plus a filter and bleach.
• Cover food (no-cook + can opener), light, power, information, and first aid.
• Don’t forget sanitation, tools, documents, cash, and household specifics.
• Build it gradually and re-check it every six months.

Frequently asked questions

Why two weeks instead of three days? Major disasters routinely knock out power and services for longer than 72 hours; two weeks covers the vast majority.

What’s the most forgotten kit item? A manual can opener — a pantry of canned food is useless without one.

How do I keep the kit current? Check it every six months: rotate food, water, and meds, test lights and radio, and refresh batteries.

This article is for general informational purposes only and is not professional safety advice.