What should a family check at the start of a new year to stay prepared? Four things: the family emergency plan, the emergency kit, the house itself, and your papers. Sit down together and update the plan Ready.gov recommends, restock a kit that can carry you for several days, practice Drop, Cover and Hold On, then spend one morning testing alarms, rotating stored water and reviewing insurance. This guide walks through each step and the sources behind it.
This article is general safety information. In an emergency, call 911.
Step 1: Make (or Update) the Family Plan Together
Ready.gov starts with a simple truth: your family may not be together when a disaster strikes, so you need to know how you'll contact one another and reconnect if you're separated (Ready.gov: Make a Plan). Pick a quiet evening, gather the household, and talk through Ready.gov's questions:
- How will we receive emergency alerts and warnings?
- What is our shelter plan?
- What is our evacuation route?
- What is our family communication plan?
- Do we need to update our emergency kit?
Choose a family meeting place that's familiar and easy to find. Ready.gov's earthquake guidance adds two details worth copying into any plan: include an out-of-state contact everyone can check in with, and plan to use text messages, which may be more reliable than phone calls and can save battery power (Ready.gov: Earthquakes).
Then shape the plan around the people in it. Ready.gov suggests considering different ages in the household, school-aged children, who is responsible for helping whom, dietary needs, medical needs including prescriptions and equipment, disabilities and assistive devices, and pets or service animals.
Write it down. Ready.gov has a free, fillable Family Emergency Plan form with room for household information, names and contacts, meeting places and medical information. Last step, and the one most families skip: practice the plan with your household. For a deeper walkthrough of evacuation planning, see our complete family emergency plan guide.
Step 2: Build the Basic Kit, Then Make It Yours
After an emergency, Ready.gov notes, you may need to get by on your own for several days. Its Basic Disaster Supplies Kit is a practical starting list:
| Need | Ready.gov's basic items |
|---|---|
| Water and food | One gallon of water per person per day for several days (for drinking and sanitation); at least a several-day supply of non-perishable food; a manual can opener |
| Light and information | Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert; flashlight; extra batteries; local maps; cell phone with chargers and a backup battery |
| Safety and shelter | First aid kit; whistle to signal for help; dust mask; plastic sheeting, scissors and duct tape to shelter in place |
| Sanitation and tools | Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties; wrench or pliers to turn off utilities |
For water, the CDC is more specific: store at least 1 gallon per person, per day, for 3 days, and a 2-week supply if you can (CDC: Emergency Water Supply).
Next, add what your family actually needs: prescription and non-prescription medications, glasses, infant formula, bottles and diapers, pet food and extra water, and copies of important documents such as insurance policies, ID and bank records, saved electronically or in a waterproof, portable container. Store items in airtight plastic bags, in one or two easy-to-carry containers like plastic bins or a duffel bag, and make sure everyone knows where the kit lives. If you'd rather start from a ready-made kit, our guide to emergency kits for home covers the options.
Step 3: Practice Drop, Cover and Hold On
Earthquakes give no time to think, which is why the response is worth drilling as a family. Ready.gov teaches three moves (Ready.gov: Earthquakes):
- Drop where you are onto your hands and knees.
- Cover your head and neck. If a sturdy table or desk is nearby, crawl under it. If not, get next to an interior wall, away from windows.
- Hold on until the shaking stops. If your shelter moves, move with it.
In bed? Turn face down and cover your head and neck with a pillow. Driving? Pull over, stop and set the parking brake. Outside? Stay outside and move to an open area away from buildings, trees, streetlights and power lines.
Two old habits to unlearn: don't run outside, and skip the doorway. The Earthquake Country Alliance, which Ready.gov points to for this guidance, explains that you're much more likely to be hurt by falling or flying objects than by a building collapse, that the area near a building's exterior walls is the most dangerous place to be, and that in modern homes a doorway is no stronger than any other part of the house (Earthquake Country Alliance).
Prevention is the other half. Secure bookcases, refrigerators, water heaters, TVs and anything hung on walls, and store heavy and breakable objects on low shelves. After the shaking, expect aftershocks and drop, cover and hold on again each time. If you're trapped, text or bang on a pipe or wall, and use a whistle instead of shouting.
If you're on the beach or near the water and feel an earthquake, the National Weather Service says to move off the beach to high ground or inland as soon as you can do so safely. Don't wait for an official warning, and stay away until officials say it's safe; the first wave may not be the last or the largest (NWS: Tsunami Safety). For more on quake-specific supplies, read our earthquake preparedness guide.
Step 4: The New-Year Checklist
Ready.gov advises replacing expired items as needed and re-thinking your needs every year. The start of a new year is an easy date to remember. Set aside one morning for this list:
- Update the plan. Check contacts, meeting places and medical information, then practice it again.
- Rotate the water. The CDC says to replace water you stored yourself every 6 months and to observe the expiration date on store-bought water.
- Refresh the kit. Swap out expired food, medications and first aid supplies, and adjust for any changes in your household.
- Test smoke alarms. The U.S. Fire Administration says to test them monthly, replace 9-volt batteries at least once a year, and replace the alarm itself 10 years from the manufacture date. Alarms with a 10-year long-life battery get replaced according to the manufacturer's instructions (USFA: Smoke Alarms).
- Test carbon monoxide alarms at least once a month (USFA).
- Check the fire extinguisher. Make sure nothing blocks your reach, read the gauge if it has one, and look for a damaged, dented or rusted can, hose or nozzle. Follow the label: some need shaking monthly, others pressure testing every few years (USFA: Fire Extinguishers).
- Review insurance. Ready.gov recommends making sure your coverage meets the requirements for all possible hazards. Homeowners insurance doesn't typically cover flooding (Ready.gov: Financial Preparedness), and a standard policy doesn't cover earthquake damage (Ready.gov: Earthquakes).
- Back up documents in a safe deposit box, on an external drive or in the cloud.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much water should a family store for emergencies?
Ready.gov recommends one gallon per person per day for several days. The CDC says at least 1 gallon per person per day for 3 days, and a 2-week supply if possible. Count pets too.
How often should I replace stored emergency water?
Per the CDC, replace water you bottled yourself every 6 months, and go by the expiration date on store-bought water.
Is a doorway the safest place in an earthquake?
Not in a modern home. The Earthquake Country Alliance says doorways there are no stronger than any other part of the house and don't protect you from falling or flying objects. Drop, cover and hold on instead.
How often should I test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms?
The U.S. Fire Administration says to test both at least once a month, and to replace smoke alarms 10 years from the manufacture date.
Why have an out-of-state contact?
Ready.gov recommends a family communication plan with an out-of-state contact so everyone has one person to check in with if you're separated. Texts may get through when calls don't.
Stock the Kit for the Year Ahead
Most of the basic kit is simple to gather once and keep fresh. Browse our first aid kits, emergency food, water storage and filtration and radios and communications, and read The 12 Pillars of Preparedness to see how the plan, the kit and your skills fit together.
