Chapter 05Calendar · System
Storm and outage prep record
Count the people and pets first, then the days: the Red Cross list says two weeks at home and three days in a bag you can carry. Ready.gov says at least one gallon of water per person per day, so four people need 56 gallons at home and 12 in the bag. List everything in the home that runs on power, keep a flashlight for each person, and put the contacts on paper. Keep it all in one place everyone knows, date any water you bottle yourself (replace it in six months), and look the whole kit over once a year.
Source: American Red Cross, survival kit supplies, checked October 17, 2026; Ready.gov, Water, checked October 17, 2026; Ready.gov, Power Outages, checked October 18, 2026; Ready.gov, Build a Kit, checked October 18, 2026.
- Water per person per day, at least (Ready.gov)1 gal Ready.gov, Water, October 17, 2026
- Home supply; the go-bag holds 3 days (Red Cross)2 weeks American Red Cross, survival kit supplies, October 17, 2026
- Then replace water you bottled yourself (Ready.gov)6 months Ready.gov, Water, October 17, 2026
Do it, skip it or get help
Count, stock and date it yourself
This is lists, counting and dates. You need the outage planner, a pencil, one shelf or closet, and an hour to walk the home.
Skip the home supply if you're only there a short while
In a sublet, a dorm or a short stay, skip the two-week home stock. Keep the three-day bag, the flashlight and the contacts card, and ask the building how it handles outages.
Medical devices, generators and heating go to someone else
Ready.gov says to talk to your medical provider about an outage plan for medical devices and medicines that need the fridge. Generators, stoves, heaters and fuel are not covered here: follow the maker's manual and your local officials. Report the outage itself to the utility.
Source: Ready.gov, Power Outages, checked October 18, 2026.
The steps, in order
Write down who the supply is for
Everyone who sleeps here most nights, plus pets and a baby if there is one. That count drives every other number on the record.
Have ready: The supply list page and a pencil
Run the counts in the outage planner
Enter people, pets and days: two weeks at home and three days for the bag, per the Red Cross. At one gallon a person a day, four people come to 56 gallons at home and 12 in the bag. Copy water, food and lights onto the supply list.
Have ready: The head count from step 1
Source: American Red Cross, survival kit supplies, checked October 17, 2026; Ready.gov, Water, checked October 17, 2026.
List what needs power, room by room
Ready.gov's first step is an inventory of the things you need that run on electricity. Walk each room and write each one down, with what you'll do without it.
Have ready: The power list page and an hour
Source: Ready.gov, Power Outages, checked October 18, 2026.
Count lights, radio and batteries
Ready.gov says to have a flashlight for every household member. Add a battery or hand crank radio, write the battery size each one takes, buy spares in those sizes, and charge a power bank.
Have ready: Every flashlight and radio in the house, on one table
Source: Ready.gov, Power Outages, checked October 18, 2026; Ready.gov, Build a Kit, checked October 18, 2026.
Put the contacts on paper
Family and emergency contacts, the utility's outage line and a neighbor. Ready.gov also asks whether your home phone works in an outage and how long its battery backup lasts, so find out and write the answer here.
Have ready: Your phone's contact list and the last utility bill
Source: American Red Cross, survival kit supplies, checked October 17, 2026; Ready.gov, Power Outages, checked October 18, 2026.
Pick one place and tell everyone
Ready.gov says to keep the kit in a designated place and make sure the whole family knows where it is. Write that place at the top of the supply list.
Have ready: A shelf, closet or bin you can reach in the dark
Source: Ready.gov, Build a Kit, checked October 18, 2026.
Date the water and the food
Write the fill date on any water you bottled yourself, since Ready.gov says to replace it every six months. Copy the earliest use-by date from the food onto the list.
Have ready: A marker and the supply list
Source: Ready.gov, Water, checked October 17, 2026; Ready.gov, Build a Kit, checked October 18, 2026.
Check the whole kit once a year
Ready.gov says to rethink your needs every year and replace expired items. The fall time change, on the first Sunday of November, is an easy day to remember.
Have ready: The supply list and the outage log
Source: Ready.gov, Build a Kit, checked October 18, 2026; NIST, daylight saving time rules, checked October 12, 2026.
Write a line after every outage
The date, how long the power was off, what ran out first and what you used. Restock from that line within the week.
Have ready: The outage log page
Print the working copy
One page, black and white, US Letter. Tick the boxes and write the dates in.
- People, pets and baby counted
- Planner run: home and go-bag totals
- Water stocked: home and go-bag
- Food stocked, earliest use-by noted
- Power list written, room by room
What goes wrong
The water gets counted for one day
A case of bottles feels like plenty. Four people at one gallon each for two weeks is 56 gallons, and the planner shows that gap before a storm does.
Source: Ready.gov, Water, checked October 17, 2026; American Red Cross, survival kit supplies, checked October 17, 2026.
The spare batteries don't fit
A drawer of AA cells doesn't help a flashlight that takes D. Write the size each light and the radio uses, and buy spares to match.
Nobody knows when the water was filled
Jugs you fill at home get swapped out after six months, according to Ready.gov. Without a date on the jug, nobody can tell whether it was filled in spring or two years ago.
Source: Ready.gov, Water, checked October 17, 2026.
The kit is spread over several closets
When the lights go out, a kit split across rooms is hard to find. Ready.gov says one designated place that everyone knows, so the list names that place.
Source: Ready.gov, Build a Kit, checked October 18, 2026.
The phone is the only contact list
Phone numbers stored only in a phone go flat with the battery. A paper card with the family, the utility's outage line and a neighbor keeps working.
When the steps change
An apartment with little storage
Stock the three-day bag first, then as much of the home supply as fits. Split the jugs between closets and under the beds, and write each spot on the supply list so they're easy to find.
Pets in the home
Ready.gov adds pet food and extra water for your pet. The Red Cross lists a collar, leash, ID, carrier and bowl. Give each pet its own rows on the supply list.
Source: Ready.gov, Build a Kit, checked October 18, 2026; American Red Cross, survival kit supplies, checked October 17, 2026.
A baby in the home
Ready.gov's kit list adds formula, bottles, diapers and wipes. Count them by days the same way and check the dates at the yearly look.
Source: Ready.gov, Build a Kit, checked October 18, 2026.
Someone uses a powered medical device
Put the device on the power list with the provider's phone number next to it. Ready.gov says to make the outage plan for the device with your medical provider, so that plan comes from them, not from this page.
Source: Ready.gov, Power Outages, checked October 18, 2026.
Tips and tricks
- Tip 01
Tape the supply list inside the closet door
A list taped up where the kit lives gets read, while a copy in a drawer tends to get lost.
- Tip 02
Keep a flashlight where you can grab it
One by the bed, one in the kitchen, one in the kit. Note on the list which ones they are, so nobody borrows them for the garage.
- Tip 03
Write the fill date big
Use a marker on the jug's shoulder, month and year, large enough to read from the doorway.
- Tip 04
Restock in the same week
Right after an outage you can see what's missing, so buy it then. A month later nobody remembers what got used.
- Tip 05
Keep a copy of the contacts in the bag
The go-bag leaves the house and the shelf doesn't. Put a second contacts card in the bag's front pocket.
What we would do
Run the counts tonight, then walk the home this weekend
Five minutes in the outage planner tells you how far the shelf is from the target. Print the free page, do the power walk on the weekend, and book the yearly check for the fall time change so the kit gets a look every year.
The tools and guides in this system
Chapter 05Outage supply plannerCount the water, food and flashlights for a home supply and a go-bag from the Ready.gov and Red Cross lists, with refill dates and a printable supply list.Open the tool
Chapter 05Home maintenance calendarPick your climate region, say whether you own or rent and tick what the house has. Get a year of household jobs by month and a year sheet to print.Open the tool
Chapter 01Smoke and CO alarm plannerCount smoke and CO alarms level by level from NFPA's placement list, then get the replace-by date and the next battery change for your alarms.Open the tool
Know-howHow much water to store, and where it fitsOne gallon a person a day: 56 gallons for four people over two weeks, 12 in the go-bag. Where to keep it, and the dates to write on it.Read the guide
Practical notePower outage checklist: what to write down before the next stormList what runs on power, count a flashlight per person, note battery sizes, phone backup and numbers to call, and tape it inside the kit.Read the guide- Chapter 05All calendar toolsA home maintenance calendar for your climate region: the jobs to book, check and write down each month, for owners and renters, with a year sheet to print.Open the chapter
Questions
How much water should I store for a power outage?
Ready.gov says at least one gallon per person per day, for drinking and washing, and very hot weather can double it. The Red Cross list sets two weeks at home and three days in the go-bag, which comes to 56 gallons at home and 12 in the bag for four people.
Source: Ready.gov, Water, checked October 17, 2026; American Red Cross, survival kit supplies, checked October 17, 2026.
How often should I check an emergency kit?
Ready.gov says to rethink your needs every year, update the kit as the family changes and replace expired items. Water you bottled yourself is replaced every six months. Put both dates on the supply list.
Source: Ready.gov, Build a Kit, checked October 18, 2026; Ready.gov, Water, checked October 17, 2026.
How many flashlights do we need?
One for every person in the home, per Ready.gov, plus spare batteries in the size each one takes. A battery or hand crank radio goes in the kit too.
Source: Ready.gov, Power Outages, checked October 18, 2026; Ready.gov, Build a Kit, checked October 18, 2026.
Where should the emergency kit be kept?
In one designated place, and everyone in the home should know where it is, according to Ready.gov. Pick somewhere you can reach in the dark and write the spot at the top of the list.
Source: Ready.gov, Build a Kit, checked October 18, 2026.
What should I write down after a power outage?
The date, how long the power was off, what ran out first and what you used from the kit. That line becomes the shopping list for the restock.
The primary source
Build A Kit, Ready.gov (U.S. Department of Homeland Security, FEMA). Checked October 18, 2026.
The steps on this page follow this source. Other figures cite their own source where they appear.
Other sources on this page
- Survival Kit Supplies, American Red Cross. Checked October 17, 2026.
- Water, Ready.gov (U.S. Department of Homeland Security, FEMA). Checked October 17, 2026.
- Power Outages, Ready.gov (U.S. Department of Homeland Security, FEMA). Checked October 18, 2026.
- Daylight Saving Time Rules, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Checked October 12, 2026.
See every source on the site on the sources page. Spotted an error? Tell us.