Emergency prep for beginners: the first hour

By SGWNI. Checked on 2 November 2026.

Start with what you already have. In about an hour, without buying anything, you can count your water and food, set up emergency alerts, agree how your household will reach each other, and end up with a short list of what’s missing. That’s the whole first step. You don’t need a pre-made kit, and you don’t need to be a prepper. A good first goal is 3 days of water and food.

Minutes 0 to 10: water

Find every bottle and jug in the house and add up the gallons. The CDC says at least 1 gallon per person per day, for 3 days, and 2 weeks if possible. So your first goal is 3 gallons per person. A 24-pack of 16.9 oz bottles is a little over 3 gallons.

Minutes 10 to 20: food

Look through the pantry for food you could eat without a stove or a refrigerator: ready-to-eat canned meat, fruit and vegetables, peanut butter, protein bars, dry cereal and dried fruit. Ready.gov suggests picking things your household will actually eat, and keeping a manual can opener with them. Check you have one.

Enter what you find in our supplies calculator. It shows how many days you’d last and whether food or water is holding you back. A low first number is normal, and it tells you where to start.

Minutes 20 to 30: alerts

Many emergencies give some warning, if you can receive it.

Wireless Emergency Alerts reach your phone with no subscription and no cost. If you don’t get them, check your phone’s settings. Some models need them switched on.
The FEMA App gives weather and emergency alerts for up to five locations, and helps you find shelters.
NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts around the clock from your nearest National Weather Service office. A battery or hand-crank radio works if the power and cell service don’t.

Your county or city may also run its own alert system. It’s worth searching for yours and signing up.

Minutes 30 to 40: a simple plan

Ready.gov asks four questions. Write down your answers, even if they’re short.

How will we get alerts?
Where would we shelter, and for which kinds of emergency?
What’s our way out if we’re told to evacuate?
How will we reach each other, and where will we meet if we can’t?

Pick a familiar meeting place that everyone can find. Name one contact outside your area who everyone can call. Think about what your household needs in particular: ages, medical needs, disabilities, diet, pets, and who cares for whom. Our family emergency plan can hold all of this and prints as a refrigerator sheet and wallet card.

Minutes 40 to 50: medicines and light

Check how much of each essential medication you have and when your next refill is due. Sources differ on how much to keep, so ask your pharmacist.
Write down each medication and dose on paper.
Find a flashlight and try it. Check you have spare batteries that fit.
Charge a backup battery for your phone, if you have one.

Minutes 50 to 60: your list

Open our emergency kit checklist. It’s based on Ready.gov’s lists and scales to your household. Tick what you have, and print or save the rest as a shopping list.

Then put a recurring reminder on your calendar. Ready.gov says to reassess your needs each year, and to replace expired items as needed. If you’ve filled your own water containers, the CDC says to replace that water every 6 months, so a 6-month reminder covers both.

What to buy first

If you can’t get everything at once, try this order. It’s our own suggestion, based on what you can’t do without:

Any medication you depend on, and any supplies for a baby or a pet.
Water, up to 3 gallons per person.
Food that doesn’t need cooking, up to 3 days, and a manual can opener.
A flashlight, batteries and a battery or hand-crank radio.
A backup battery for your phone, plus some cash and copies of documents.
A first aid kit, a whistle, moist towelettes, garbage bags and ties.

Buying an extra item or two on normal grocery trips keeps the cost down and means you end up with food you already eat.

What can wait

A go bag. It’s useful, and more so if you might have to evacuate, but home supplies usually come first.
Specialist equipment. Ready.gov’s basic list is ordinary items, most of which are sold at any hardware or grocery store.
A year of food. Start with 3 days. Going further makes sense once you’re rotating what you have.

After the first hour

You’ll have a count, a plan and a list. From here, keep the count roughly true. Use what you store, and replace it on your next grocery trip. If you’d like a quick view of where you stand, the readiness score takes a couple of minutes and gives you three next steps.