Home Protection Basics

Simple home security, safety, and insurance guides for normal homeowners.

72-Hour Survival Basics: What You Need Ready Before Anything Happens

The first 72 hours after a disaster are usually on you, not 911. Power can be out, stores closed, roads blocked, and help delayed. A basic 3-day setup gives your household water, calories, light, communication, and sanitation without needing a single trip to the store.

This isn’t long-term “off-grid” prepping. It’s the minimum level of readiness every normal household should aim for. If you want a more detailed shopping list by category, pair this with the Basic Home Emergency Kit List.

1. Water: The One Thing You Can’t Fake

Plan for at least one gallon of water per person per day. That covers drinking, basic hygiene, and a little cooking. For a family of four, that’s 12 gallons for a full 72-hour window. Store it in sealed containers that can sit in a closet or under a bed without being knocked over or punctured.

On top of stored water, you want a way to make questionable water safer if the outage runs longer than expected. A compact filter or purification tablets are enough for most households. For a deeper dive on options, see Emergency Water Filtration Basics.

2. Food That Survives a Power Outage

Don’t overcomplicate food. You need shelf-stable calories that can be eaten cold if the power and gas are off: canned soups and stews, beans, tuna, peanut butter, granola bars, nuts, crackers, and ready-to-eat meals. Focus on foods your family will actually eat, not just what looks “survival themed” on a label.

Aim for 1,500–2,000 calories per adult per day and a bit less for kids. Rotate these items into normal use every few months and replace them so your kit doesn’t slowly turn into a box of expired cans. If you want to cook during outages instead of eating everything cold, read Emergency Cooking Basics for safe burner and fuel options.

3. Light and Backup Power

Moving around in the dark is how people trip, fall, and walk into broken glass or debris. At minimum, your 72-hour setup should include:

Small USB power banks can keep phones, radios, and lights running through a short outage. For a closer look at battery, solar, and plug-in options that scale beyond three days, see Backup Lighting Options.

4. Communication When Cell Service Is Spotty

Cell networks are often overloaded or partially down right when you need them most. That’s why a basic emergency radio is part of a 72-hour setup. A compact battery-powered or hand-crank radio lets you hear weather alerts, evacuation orders, and local status updates even when your phone is useless.

Inside the household, simple tools like a whistle, notepad, and marker can help coordinate between family members and neighbors. For a more detailed breakdown of how to stay informed and reachable, see Communication During Emergencies.

5. Medical and Personal Essentials

A 72-hour setup doesn’t require a full trauma kit, but it does need enough to handle normal injuries and short disruptions in access to care:

If anyone in the home depends on medication, store at least a small buffer of doses in your kit and rotate it regularly so it doesn’t expire unnoticed.

6. Sanitation and Trash Control

Short-term emergencies still create a lot of waste: food packaging, wipes, tissues, and potentially human waste if water service is disrupted. Your 72-hour setup should include:

Even in a three-day window, poor sanitation can turn minor cuts into infections fast. For more detail on handling bathroom needs and waste if services are offline longer, see Emergency Sanitation Basics.

7. Clothing, Shelter, and Comfort Items

Most people ride out short emergencies at home, but temperatures can swing hard if the grid is down. Pack layers that match your climate: warm socks, hoodies, lightweight rain gear, and blankets. If you live in an extreme heat or cold region, building out dedicated setups from Extreme Heat Prep Basics and Extreme Cold Prep Basics is worth the extra effort.

For households with kids, add simple comfort items—snacks they like, a few toys, and a small flashlight they can control. That keeps stress lower when everything else already feels abnormal.

8. Documents and Cash

Even for a 72-hour event, having copies of key documents in one place saves time and stress: IDs, insurance details, key phone numbers, and medical information. Store them in a waterproof folder or pouch alongside a small amount of cash in small bills.

If you want a more deliberate strategy for where to keep cash, how much to hold, and how to avoid theft, read Emergency Cash Storage Basics.

9. Quick 72-Hour Checklist

If you want the bare-bones version, a functional 72-hour setup usually includes:

Once those boxes are checked, you’re past “totally unprepared” and into “realistically ready” for most short-term emergencies. From there, you can expand into more detailed plans for specific threats like floods, earthquakes, or wildfires.