Build Your Kit

A hardware store, a pharmacy, a Saturday afternoon, and this list. Everything here is something you can find locally and assemble yourself.

Start here

If you only do five things this weekend

Do these first. They cover more of the real risk on this page than buying a dozen gadgets and never organizing them.

  1. 1

    Store three days of water

    Start with the boring essential: actual drinking water, already in the house, before the next outage or evacuation order.

  2. 2

    Buy one real first aid kit

    Not a hotel pouch. A kit that can handle cuts, sprains, burns, and the small injuries that become big problems when systems are down.

  3. 3

    Gather light, radio, and backup power

    Put flashlights or headlamps, a radio, chargers, and one charged power bank in a known place everyone can find fast.

  4. 4

    Print the communication plan

    Write down meeting points, the out-of-area contact, and key numbers. When phones fail, a paper plan matters more than another app.

  5. 5

    Pack one door-ready go-bag

    Clothes, meds, document copies, chargers, masks, snacks, and pet basics. You can expand by hazard after the basics are covered.

How this works

Each kit below is organized by priority. Critical items are the ones that matter most — start there. Important items add depth and resilience. Recommended items are nice to have.

Every item includes why you need it and where to find it. Most of this is at your local hardware store and grocery store.

Two tiers for each threat: Essentials (the minimum, for 1–2 people) and Complete (scaled for a family or longer duration). Start with essentials. Add depth when you can.

Print your checklists

Each kit has a print button that opens a clean, formatted checklist you can take to the store. Checkboxes included. We also have a printable family communication plan template — fill it out together and keep copies in every kit.

Buy once, use everywhere

Universal items that show up in almost every kit

These are the cross-cutting basics. Buy them once, decide where they live, and then duplicate only what truly needs to be in a car, go-bag, or second location.

Water + containers

Earthquakes, storms, and floods all mess with safe water fast. Wildfire evacuations are easier when water is already in the car.

Start with three days. More if you have kids, pets, or long drive times.

First aid + medications

Delayed medical care is common across every scenario on this site. A real first aid kit and backup prescriptions are universal readiness.

Add personal meds before you buy another multitool.

Light + batteries

Power loss is not a niche case here. Headlamps or flashlights belong in every hazard plan, not just winter storm prep.

Put one near each bed, not only in a storage tote.

Radio + alerts

Information changes outcomes. Emergency radio, county alerts, and evacuation warnings matter in quakes, smoke, floods, and winter outages.

Set alerts now. Do not rely on remembering later.

Documents + cash

Recovery starts with IDs, insurance info, and small bills. Those matter whether you are evacuating, checking into a motel, or filing a claim.

Paper copies plus digital backups is the right combination.

Masks, gloves, and work clothes

Smoke, dust, broken glass, wet debris, and cleanup all punish bare hands and lungs. Protective basics carry across every hazard.

N95s, work gloves, and sturdy shoes do more than most novelty gear.

Panoramic earthquake banner with cracked ground, evergreens, foothills, and a mountain behind nearby homes.

Earthquake Kit

What to have ready when the ground moves. Sized for the reality that municipal water, power, and roads may be out for days — especially west of the Cascades.

Read the full earthquake guide for context.

What most people forget

  • Shoes by the bed, not just at the front door.
  • A manual can opener and the wrench to shut off gas.
  • Pet supplies and a printed family communication plan.
Opens a printable version with checkboxes
Opens a printable version with checkboxes

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Panoramic wildfire banner with flames moving through a forested hillside toward a house in the distance.

Wildfire Evacuation Kit

When wildfire threatens, you may have minutes to leave. This kit lives by your door or in your vehicle — ready to grab.

Read the full wildfire guide for context.

What most people forget

  • A half-full gas tank is not an evacuation plan.
  • Pet carriers and document pouches need to be packed before the alert.
  • Printed routes matter when smoke and dead cell data make navigation worse.
Opens a printable version with checkboxes
Opens a printable version with checkboxes

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Panoramic winter storm banner with heavy snow over pines, a frozen valley, and a snow-covered house.

Winter Storm Kit

Power outages. Downed trees. Roads that don't get plowed for days. This kit is for riding it out at home when the grid goes down and nobody's coming to fix it quickly.

Read the full winter storm guide for context.

What most people forget

  • Carbon monoxide detector batteries before backup heat comes out.
  • A manual can opener and a real outside cooking plan.
  • Traction material and a winter car kit, not just extra blankets.
Opens a printable version with checkboxes
Opens a printable version with checkboxes

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Panoramic flooding banner with swollen river water, bridge, city skyline, and homes standing in rising water.

Flood Preparedness Kit

River flooding gives you hours of warning, not minutes. This kit is about using that time well — protecting what you can, moving what matters, and being ready to leave.

Read the full flooding guide for context.

What most people forget

  • Flood insurance has a waiting period, so it has to happen before storm season.
  • Move photos, hard drives, documents, and keepsakes first.
  • Cleanup gear matters: boots, gloves, masks, and disinfectant, not just sandbags.
Opens a printable version with checkboxes
Opens a printable version with checkboxes

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The best time was last year. The second best time is now.

You don't have to do everything at once. Start with the critical items for whichever threat is most relevant to where you live. Add depth over time. The point isn't perfection — it's being meaningfully more ready than you were yesterday.

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