Emergency Checklist
Table of Contents
Medical
First Aid
Have an extensive kit complete with pressure bandages and pain medication available.
Medications
Use a daily dosage pack to sort medications and replace monthly with fresh pills. Keep fresh insulin and diabetic supplies well stocked.
Records
Copies of your family's medical records should be in your kit as well as insurance information.
CPR
All family members should know how to administer CPR. Check locally for classes.
Home
Pantry
Have ten days worth of food and plenty of bottled water available.
Clothing/blankets
A large duffel with a warm change of clothing and a blanket for each family member should be kept ready.
Safe spot
Designate a place in your home as the 'safest spot' to be - usually in a bathroom or central hallway with adequate support beams.
Baby
If there is an infant in the house, ensure that you have all the needed supplies including diapers, wipes, formula and bottles (even if the baby is breastfed).
Tools
Appropriate wrenches or other tools should be placed near turnoff valves. Flashlights with new batteries should be located around the house. Ones that plug into outlets are also good.
Chemicals
Ensure that bleach and ammonia are stored in separate rooms - in case of structural collapse of a building the containers could break and leak - and the mixture forms a toxic gas.
Car
Gas
Always keep close to a full tank in your vehicle.
Tires
Ensure that tires have good tread and are properly inflated. Keep snow chains accessible.
Trunk
This can hold a second set of emergency supplies as well as extra blankets.
Communication
Cell phone
Keep a fully charged emergency only phone in your car or purse.
Land-line
Have at least one traditional phone - cordless ones won't work in a power outage.
AM/FM radio
Have extra batteries available, and put a second unit in your vehicle.
List of important numbers
This should be laminated to waterproof it, and each family member should have a copy.
Weather radio/police scanner
Especially important in regions with severe storms, flooding, hurricanes or tornadoes.
Personal items
Toilet paper
You don't know how important it is until you don't have any.
Feminine products
Maxi pads and tampons should be sealed in a large plastic bag.
Dental
Toothbrushes, toothpaste, and mouthwash, plus dental adhesive should be packed.
Hand sanitizer
Several bottles should be distributed through your kit.
Identification
Photocopies should be packed in your emergency stash in case you are forced out of your home without your wallet or purse.
Money
Always have some cash in small bills a secure place, including plenty of quarters for phone calls for each person just in case.
Download or Print this Emergency Checklist
Get a printable version of this checklist in your preferred format: PDF, Word, Excel, or print directly from your browser.
Introduction
Details
In case of an emergency, you need to have a game-plan. Whether the emergency means you are cut off from power and access to outside sources of food and water, or are being forced to leave your home due to fire or flood, there are essentials that you should already have assembled.
Tips
- Think ahead and have items such as insurance cards and medical information handy in case of injury or sudden illness.
- Always ensure that all prescriptions are kept filled in case you are unable to reach a pharmacy during an emergency.
- Emergency kits should be kept freshly stocked and labeled, and located in a place known to all members of the household.
- Copies of important documents should be kept off site, such as in a safe deposit box, or at least in a fireproof safe in the house.
- Make sure all adults know how to turn off the water, gas and electricity at main switches. (If natural gas is turned off, have a professional come turn it back on.)
- Make sure all children know how to dial 9-1-1 to get emergency assistance, and show them how to make long-distance telephone calls (Having an out of state contact in case of major emergency is a good plan - local telephone systems may be overloaded in case of local emergency.)
- Have a pre-arranged meeting place in case of separation, or if all family members are not home when an emergency occurs. Your family should have a clearly defined escape plan as well; in case of fire, a way to get out from upper stories should already be in place and fire drills rehearsed to ensure everyone knows how to get out safely.
- Conduct drills for natural disasters such as earthquake, hurricane or tornado. Keep blankets and slippers in a shed or car trunk in case you are forced out of your house at night in inclement weather.
Who it's for
This Emergency Checklist is for teams that want consistent execution, less rework, and clear ownership.
- Standardize quality - run the same Emergency steps every time, regardless of who executes
- Save time - reuse a proven Emergency workflow instead of rebuilding processes from scratch
- Improve accountability - assign owners and see what's done vs. what's pending
- Onboard faster - use the Emergency checklist as the SOP and training guide
- Coordinate across roles - handoffs are clear and everyone works from the same source of truth
How to use it
How to use this Emergency Checklist:
- Start by saving it - save as a Template if you'll reuse it, or as a Checklist if it's a one-off project.
- Customize it once for your workflow - remove what doesn't apply and add your team-specific steps.
- Assign ownership and execute - set owners/due dates where needed and track completion as work happens.
- Reuse without rebuilding - when Emergency comes up again, start from your saved version and run it with clear ownership.