You have probably got more than most people. The point of this checklist is to find the gaps: the category you skipped, the person you did not plan for, the skill nobody has practised. A kit is only as strong as its weakest category.
Water
4 litres per person per day, 14 days minimum, then build to 30. Filters, tablets, rotation schedule.
Food
14 days minimum, then build to 90. No-cook calories, a spare can opener, first-in first-out rotation.
Power & light
One headlamp per person, power banks, solar, and backup sized against the loads that must actually run.
Communication
Hand-crank radio, licence-free two-way radios, whistles, and the plan written on paper.
First aid & medical
Trauma kit, general kit, each person's medications written down, 30+ days of essentials where allowed.
Documents & cash
Copies of ID, deeds and medical records, cash in small bills, waterproof pouch, encrypted backup.
Tools & repair
Multi-tool, saw, duct tape, paracord, tarps, and the utility shut-off tools for water and gas.
Hygiene & sanitation
Soap, bleach, bin bags, and an emergency toilet plan. Disease does more damage than the disaster.
Special needs
Infants, pets, and older or disabled members — the people who need the most planning, planned for.
Skills
Fire, water purification, bleeding control, navigation, mains shut-off. The things that do not fit in a bag.
Get the printable checklist
Five pages, print-ready and readable on a phone, including the household emergency plan card. Enter your email and it downloads right here.
Your checklist is ready
It is downloading now, and a copy is on its way to your inbox.
Where to start if you are starting today
Do not try to buy the whole list. Work one category at a time, in this order, and you will close the dangerous gaps first:
- Water for 14 daysThe first thing you run out of, and the hardest to improvise.
- A way to purify more waterFilter plus tablets. Storage runs out; purification does not.
- Light for every personA headlamp each, and spare batteries in every size you use.
- A radio that needs no gridHand-crank or battery. Information is the resource nobody plans for.
- The plan card, filled in and printedFree, takes ten minutes, and it is the item most households are missing.
Not sure which category is your weakest? The Offline Readiness Test scores you across all ten and tells you where to start.
Which category is your weakest?
The two-minute readiness test scores you across all ten and tells you where to start.
The gap a checklist cannot close
You can buy every item on this list and still be stuck on the question that matters: how do I actually do this, right now, with what I have? GenesisBox answers that — calm, sourced, from a library that works with zero grid and zero internet.
General preparedness guidance, not a substitute for professional, legal or medical advice. Always follow the instructions of your local emergency services. GenesisBox is a product of FINQUP Technology OOD, Sofia, Bulgaria.