72-Hour Emergency Prep Checklist

The complete field-ready checklist for the first three days of any disaster. Water, food, shelter, first aid, communications, and documents — everything you need before help arrives.

VERSION v2026.04

PAGES 9

FORMAT Printable

01 💧

WATER

1 gallon per person per day
02 🥫

FOOD

3-day supply, 2,000 cal/person/day
03 ⛺

SHELTER & WARMTH

Stay warm, stay dry
04 🩹

FIRST AID

Stop the bleed, treat the wound
05 📡

COMMUNICATION

Stay informed, signal for help
06 💵

DOCUMENTS & CASH

If you have to go, bring these

QUICK REFERENCE

The Rule of 3s

3 min

without air — airway is priority #1

3 hrs

without shelter in harsh weather

3 days

without water — this checklist covers it

3 weeks

without food — buys time to reach help

☐ 1 gallon per person per day × 3 days (family of 4 = 12 gallons)
☐ Water purification tablets — iodine or chlorine (200 tablets ≈ $8) → Buy
☐ Unscented liquid bleach for purification (8 drops/gal, 5.25% sodium hypochlorite)
☐ LifeStraw Personal OR Sawyer Squeeze water filter → Buy
☐ Collapsible food-grade water containers (5-7 gal each) → Buy
☐ WaterBOB (100 gal bathtub bladder) — fill first during warning → Buy
☐ Hand pump or gravity filter for outdoor water sources → Buy
☐ Hydration bladder in every go-bag (hands-free, leak-resistant)
☐ Rotation reminder — replace stored water every 12 months
☐ Note location of nearest creek, pond, or collectable water source

☐ Canned beans, tuna, chicken, soups, vegetables (3 days per person)
☐ High-calorie snacks — nuts, jerky, trail mix, granola bars (2,000 cal/day target)
☐ Manual P-38 or GI can opener — one in kitchen, one in go-bag → Buy
☐ Instant meals: ramen, oatmeal, rice (5-min cook time)
☐ Nut butters (peanut, almond) — 190 cal/2 tbsp, 2-year shelf life
☐ Freeze-dried backpacking meals — 25-year shelf life, just add water → Buy
☐ Hard candy, chocolate, honey — quick energy + morale
☐ Pet food — 3-day supply, also useful for barter
☐ Baby formula, special dietary items for household members
☐ Comfort foods (instant coffee, tea, hot chocolate) — mental health matters
☐ Hot sauce, spices, bouillon cubes — makes bland emergency food tolerable
☐ FIFO rotation: label cans with purchase date, eat oldest first

☐ Emergency mylar blankets, 1 per person (reflect 90% body heat) → Buy
☐ Sleeping bag rated to your local winter low temperature
☐ Warm clothing layers + rain gear packed in go-bag
☐ Headlamp + spare batteries (one per person) → Buy
☐ Work gloves — debris, broken glass, hot surfaces
☐ Tarp (8x10 minimum) + paracord — shelter, ground cover, rain cover
☐ Compact tent or emergency bivvy, temperature-rated for your region
☐ Hand warmers + toe warmers (8-12 hour packets) → Buy
☐ Rain ponchos — lightweight, keeps core dry in wind
☐ Duct tape — repairs tarps, windows, doors, clothing
☐ Extra socks and underwear — foot care is survival

☐ Full first aid kit: bandages, gauze, tape, antiseptic wipes → Buy
☐ Tourniquet (genuine CAT or SOFTT-W) → Buy
☐ Israeli pressure bandage (6-inch) → Buy
☐ QuikClot hemostatic gauze — wounds that won't stop with pressure → Buy
☐ Prescription medications, 7-day emergency supply (ask doctor for 90-day Rx)
☐ Pain relievers: ibuprofen + acetaminophen (inflammation + fever, separately)
☐ Antihistamine (diphenhydramine) — allergic reactions + sleep aid
☐ Antiseptic wipes + antibiotic ointment
☐ CPR face shield + nitrile gloves (multiple pairs)
☐ SAM moldable splint — fractures and sprains → Buy
☐ Sterile saline eye wash — debris and chemical splashes
☐ Laminated first aid quick-reference card

☐ Hand-crank or battery NOAA weather radio (AM/FM + weather bands) → Buy
☐ Portable battery pack 20,000+ mAh with USB-C and USB-A → Buy
☐ Solar panel charger — for outages beyond 72 hours → Buy
☐ Emergency contact list — printed + laminated (phone batteries die)
☐ Two-way radios (FRS/GMRS) for household coordination
☐ Fox 40 whistle — 3 blasts = universal distress, audible 1/4 mile → Buy
☐ Signal mirror — visible for miles, no battery
☐ Paper road maps (state + county) — GPS needs cell/data
☐ Backup phone (inexpensive, stored powered off)
☐ Downloaded offline emergency apps: FEMA, Red Cross, Zello
☐ Out-of-area contact agreed with household — easier to reach than local

☐ Copies of driver's license, passport, military ID (zip-lock, in go-bag)
☐ Cash in small bills: $200 minimum in go-bag, $500 at home
☐ Insurance cards: health, home/renter's, auto, life — all laminated together
☐ Bank account + 24-hour branch phone numbers (printed)
☐ Vehicle title, home deed or rental lease (first + signature pages)
☐ Vaccination records for all household members
☐ Birth certificates (copies, never originals)
☐ Social Security card copies — secured, NOT in your wallet
☐ Recent family photos — for reunification and identification
☐ Encrypted USB drive with scans of all documents → Buy
☐ Cloud backup (iCloud/Drive) + shared with a trusted contact

This free checklist covers the essentials. The Complete Prep Bundle covers everything after — scenario playbooks, 12 skill tracks, a diagnostic quiz, printable templates, and lifetime Premium access.

$60 VALUE

$29

COMPLETE BUNDLE

📖 The FlintReady Field Manual (140+ pages)
📋 5 Printable Checklists
📓 4 Scenario Playbooks (Hurricane, Blackout, Water Cut, Vehicle)
🗂️ Family Plan + Pantry Rotation Templates
⭐ Premium Lifetime Access

Get the Bundle → $29

SCAN · flintready.com/bundle

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