Why you need a kit
When a disaster strikes—power outage, winter storm, flood, wildfire—you may not be able to leave your home or access stores. Public services might be disrupted. An emergency kit keeps your household safe and reduces stress during the first critical 72 hours.
Prepare to Stay Home First
The Government of Canada recommends that every household keep enough supplies to manage on their own for at least 72 hours. The primary goal is to stay safe at home through an emergency — power outage, water loss, road closure, or severe weather. Evacuation is secondary.
In this section:
- Stay-at-Home Kit - Supplies to shelter safely for 72 hours: water, food, light, heat, medical, sanitation
- Set Up Your Home - Make an emergency plan, know your utilities, identify hazards, stay informed
- 72-Hour Kit Checklist - Complete, organized checklist by category with per-person quantities
- Store, Check & Rotate - Where to keep it, how often to check, what to update
If evacuation is necessary:
- Grab-and-Go Bag - What to take if you have 15 minutes to evacuate
- Vehicle Winter Kit - For emergencies while driving in Canadian winter
- Kits for Special Needs - Babies, older adults, people with disabilities or medical needs
Connection to the app
The Ready72 app calculates how many days your household can survive on stored supplies, stress-tests your kit against scenarios (power outage, evacuation, shelter-in-place), and lists gaps. Use the checklist below to build the kit, then log your supplies into the app to see your readiness score.