Building a first aid & emergency kit (with comfort items for your mind)

You don’t need to buy everything at once. Many items are already in your home. Gather them into one bag or bin, then add a little at a time.

Easy first steps

• Fill a few clean bottles with water and label them
• Move a flashlight and spare batteries into one box
• Put a phone charger and backup battery by the door
• Write key phone numbers on paper

This guide goes deep on what to pack and how to care for it. The Being prepared: emotional & practical readiness guide covers alerts, what to do disaster by disaster, family reunification plans, and money and documents.

If an emergency has already happened, the After a disaster: what to do guide walks through the first days.

For some people, thinking about emergencies stirs up worry. That’s understandable. Try short sessions, music on, or a friend helping. When you’re done, close the box and do something you enjoy.

Ready.gov’s basic kit includes

• Battery or hand-crank radio, and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert
• Dust mask, plastic sheeting, scissors and duct tape
• First aid kit
• Flashlight and extra batteries
• Local maps
• Manual can opener
• Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for sanitation
• Non-perishable food for several days
• Phone with chargers and a backup battery
• Water: one gallon per person per day
• Whistle to signal for help
• Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities

Keep it in one spot you can reach quickly, and make sure everyone at home knows where it is.

A go-bag holds about three days of essentials in an easy-to-carry bag. It overlaps with your home kit, so some families keep the go-bag inside the bigger kit.

Red Cross also suggests

• Copies of personal documents and family contact information
• Emergency blanket
• Extra cash
• Extra set of car and house keys
• Multi-purpose tool
• Sanitation and personal hygiene items

Ready.gov suggests

• Blanket
• Car phone charger
• Cat litter or sand for tire traction
• Flares or a reflective triangle
• Ice scraper
• Jumper cables
• Map

Keeping your gas tank full helps if you need to evacuate or the power is out.

Ready.gov suggests being ready to shelter at work for at least 24 hours, with food, water, comfortable walking shoes and anything you need for your health in a grab-and-go case.

Ask where the first aid kits are at your workplace, and who is trained to use them.

Store-bought kits don’t know your body. Ask your clinical provider or pharmacist what to keep in your kit for your own health needs, and how to store it safely.

Other personal items

• A written list of allergies and health conditions
• Hearing aids and spare batteries
• Spare glasses or contact lens supplies
• Your clinical provider’s contact details

• Choose one spot and tell everyone, including babysitters
• Label the box clearly
• Keep it away from heat and damp, and out of small children’s reach
• Put the kit’s instruction card on top

Ready.gov suggests swapping out expired items and reassessing your kit each year as your family changes. A first aid kit is easy to raid for small cuts, so restock right away.

The American Red Cross offers first aid and CPR classes on weekdays and weekends, in online, instructor-led and blended formats. Hands-on practice builds the most confidence.

Stop the Bleed is run by the American College of Surgeons and teaches everyday people how to control serious bleeding until help arrives. More than 5 million people have been trained.

A person with severe bleeding can die from blood loss within five minutes, which is why bystander skills matter.

Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) programs teach basic disaster skills, so you can help your family and neighbours until professionals arrive.

After an emergency, people often need calm company as much as bandages. The Psychological first aid: helping people after a crisis guide teaches the look, listen and link approach.

CDC tips

• Keep containers somewhere cool (50–70°F), away from sunlight, gasoline and pesticides
• Label each container “drinking water” with the date
• Never use containers that once held chemicals
• Replace water you stored yourself every 6 months; follow the date on store-bought water
• Use food-grade containers with tight lids when you can

Ready.gov suggests at least several days of non-perishable food, stored in a cool, dry place. Keep boxed food in sealed plastic or metal containers, and pack a manual can opener.

Think about

• Allergies and special diets
• Comfort foods and favourite snacks
• Food that needs no cooking or little water
• Baby food and formula if you have little ones

Swap out items before they expire. Many families eat kit food in their regular meals and buy fresh to replace it, which keeps the kit current and saves money.

• A soft scarf, small blanket or something with a texture you like
• A favourite tea bag, hard candy or snack
• Earplugs or an eye mask for noisy shelters
• Headphones and calming music or sounds downloaded to your phone
• A small item with a scent you find calming

• A few printed family photos
• A note from someone you love, or one you write to yourself
• Phone numbers written on paper, in case your phone dies
• A small item from a friend or relative

Ready.gov suggests a picture of you with your pet, which also helps prove ownership if you get separated.

In a crisis, being able to pray and practise rituals can be a great comfort, according to WHO guidance for helpers. Pack a small prayer book, beads, a verse card or whatever matters to you.

• A deck of cards or a small game
• A paperback book or puzzle book
• A notebook and pen for writing feelings or lists
• Downloaded podcasts, shows or audiobooks

Ready.gov lists paper and pencil, and books, games and puzzles, among useful emergency supplies.

In a stressful moment it’s hard to remember what helps. A small card with your best calming skills, a few kind words to yourself, and helpline numbers can be the most useful thing in the bag.

One county emergency office suggests

• A comfort note from a parent, which a grown-up can read aloud
• A family photo that includes the child
• A few favourite snacks
• A small flashlight
• A small stuffed animal or comfort item from home
• An emergency blanket and a toothbrush

Red Cross adds

• Games and activities for children
• Baby supplies like bottles, formula, baby food and diapers

Some childcare programs ask families to pack a comfort kit that stays on site, and refresh it once a year with new photos, notes and snacks. Ask your child’s school or childcare what they do.

If your child needs something for their health every day, talk with the program director about arrangements.

Packing with your child is a chance to talk calmly about what you’d do in an emergency. Let them draw a picture for your grown-up kit, too.

Ideas by age

• Little ones: choose a stuffed animal and a snack
• School-age: help write the family phone list
• Teens: own a job, like checking flashlight batteries

Ready.gov suggests

• A carrier or crate, ideally one per pet
• A photo of you and your pet together
• Backup leash, collar and ID tag, with registration copies in a waterproof container
• Favourite toys, treats or bedding
• Litter, litter box, paper towels and trash bags
• Several days of food in an airtight container, plus water and a bowl
• Ask your veterinarian what to keep for your pet’s health needs

Ready.gov suggests two pet kits: a larger one for home and a lighter one for evacuating. The Pets & your wellbeing guide covers the comfort animals bring.

Ready.gov suggests

• Charged spare batteries for power wheelchairs and other devices
• A list of each device’s model, serial number and instructions
• A patch kit, air pump and spare tube for wheelchair or scooter tires
• A spare cane, walker or seat cushion if you use one
• Laminated phrase or picture cards for communication
• Spare glasses, hearing aids and batteries

For sensory disabilities

• Braille or large-print labels on supplies
• A battery lantern for signing or lip reading in the dark
• A weather radio with a text display and flashing alert
• Pen and paper for people who don’t sign

Ready.gov suggests older adults keep copies of Medicare, Medicaid and other insurance cards, and plan how to keep assistive devices with them.

Pack food, extra water, records and a collar with an ID tag for your service or support animal, and check ahead whether local shelters accept them.

• Add one item each payday or each week
• Ask for kit items as birthday or holiday gifts
• Check your local emergency management office or Red Cross chapter for free preparedness events
• Reuse sturdy bags and bins you already own

Ready.gov suggests keeping some cash in small bills at home, as ATMs and cards may not work in a disaster.

Ready.gov suggests keeping copies of IDs, insurance and key records in a safe place, on an external drive or in the cloud. The Being prepared guide covers this in depth.

Pick two easy-to-remember dates, like the start of spring and autumn or a family birthday, and put kit checks on the calendar.

Call 911 for a medical emergency, a fire or any danger to life. Give first aid only if it’s safe for you to do so.

Free crisis counselling for distress before, during or after a disaster. Press 2 for Spanish; interpreters are available in over 100 languages. Deaf and hard of hearing callers can use their preferred relay service.

Free, confidential support for any kind of emotional distress, for yourself or someone else.

Free, confidential support by text with a trained volunteer.

Dial 211 to reach local community services in most of the U.S.

Find A Helpline (findahelpline.com) lists free, confidential helplines by country. Learn your local emergency number, too.