Emergency preparedness checklist

From the Finton developer · Mondsegel Games · November 4, 2026

Affiliate disclosure: product links go to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, Finton earns from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. Every pick is gear the developer owns and uses.

Check things off as you go. Your checkmarks stay in this browser, so you can come back to it. The basics follow Ready.gov’s kit list and the Red Cross two-week home supply. The “our pick” links are what we actually use; see the gear we use for why.

Water

• One gallon per person per day for drinking and sanitationReady.gov asks for several days; the Red Cross says two weeks at home. A family of four needs 56 gallons for two weeks.
• Water storage containers, filled and datedStore them somewhere cool and dark, away from fuel and chemicals.
• A water filter or purifierOur pick: GRAYL UltraPress Titanium
• Purification tablets as a backupOur pick: Aquatabs, 100-pack. Follow the dose and wait time on the package.
• A rain barrel on a downspoutOur pick: FCMP Outdoor 45-gallon barrel. Great for the garden, washing and flushing; filter and purify it before drinking.
• Unscented household bleach and a dropperThe CDC method: 8 drops of plain bleach per gallon, wait 30 minutes.

Food

• Two weeks of canned food your family already eatsSoups, chili, beans, vegetables, fruit, tuna. Rotate oldest first.
• Rice and dry beansPolished white rice sealed in airtight containers with oxygen absorbers keeps 25 to 30 years in cool storage, according to Utah State University Extension, and up to about 10 years at a steady 70°F. Keep it cool, dry and sealed; once opened, use it within a year or two.
• Freeze-dried meals for when there is no time or power to cookOur pick: Peak Refuel Chicken Alfredo (and Peach Cobbler for morale).
• Airtight bins to keep out moisture, bugs and miceOur pick: Mighty Tuff 5-gallon containers. Bag loose rice and beans first.
• Food that needs no water, no cooking and no can openerOur pick: Future Essentials survival crackers, pilot-bread hardtack sealed in a can with a 30-year shelf life, per the listing.
• A manual can openerReady.gov lists it in the basic kit for a reason.

Power and light

• A power station for the fridge, lights, radios and phonesOur pick: EcoFlow DELTA Pro (3,600 Wh). Silent and fuel-free, so it is safe indoors.
• Solar panels to recharge itOur pick: EcoFlow 220W portable panel. Without fuel deliveries, the sun is the only refill you can count on.
• A transfer switch, installed by a licensed electricianOur pick: Nature’s Generator 30A, 6-circuit. Never connect a generator straight to house wiring: it can back-feed the lines and kill a utility worker.
• A headlamp for every adultOur pick: Black Diamond Storm 500-R, rechargeable with a red night mode.
• Flashlights, spare batteries and a phone power bankReady.gov basic kit.

Communication

• Two-way radios for the familyOur picks: Midland GXT67 Pro or the budget Midland GXT3000 2-pack. A GMRS license is $35 from the FCC, lasts 10 years and covers your family.
• A NOAA weather radio, battery or hand-crankReady.gov basic kit.
• A written list of phone numbers and a meeting placePhones die. Paper doesn’t.

EMP and spare electronics

• A Faraday bag with spare electronics insideA Mission Darkness Dry Shield tote is waterproof and blocks wireless signals. Keep a spare radio, an old phone, a flashlight and a USB drive of documents in it as a hedge against an EMP or solar storm.
• Paper copies of IDs, insurance and prescriptionsIn a waterproof bag with the go-kit.

Cooking and fuel

• A stove that runs on more than one fuelOur pick: MSR XGK EX: white gas, kerosene, diesel, unleaded in a pinch. Outdoors only.
• Stored fuel in approved containersRotate gasoline with a fuel stabilizer; store it away from the house.
• A hand siphon pumpOur pick: Luigi’s siphon pump. Never siphon by mouth.

First aid and health

• A stocked first aid kitReady.gov basic kit.
• Two weeks of prescription medicinesAsk your doctor or pharmacist about an emergency supply.
• A medical handbook for when no doctor can comeWhere There Is No Doctor (Werner, Thuman, Maxwell).
• Dust masks, plastic sheeting and duct tapeReady.gov basic kit, for smoke, ash and sheltering in place.

Pets

• Two weeks of pet food and waterIn a sealed bin, the same as yours.
• A pet first-aid manualWhere There Is No Pet Doctor by David W. LaVigne, DVM.
• Leash, carrier, vaccination records and a recent photoSo you can evacuate with them, or prove they are yours.

Books for the long nights

• A story like FintonBlack Autumn by Jeff Kirkham and Jason Ross, and The Borrowed World by Franklin Horton.

Sources

• Ready.gov (FEMA): Build a Kit
• American Red Cross: Survival kit supplies
• Utah State University Extension: Storing white rice
• Madison Gas and Electric: Using a generator safely
• FCC: GMRS license fee

General preparedness information. Follow official guidance and your local emergency managers, and call 911 in an emergency.