Survive Anything: The Best Emergency Kits for Every Possible Disaster

It’s 2020, which means you’d have to be extremely foolhardy not to own a well-stocked emergency kit. Whether you’re camping, going on a cross-country road trip or live in an area prone to natural disasters, an emergency survival kit could save your life — or help you save a life. The coronavirus has also put many people on edge, and while we don’t anticipate the total breakdown of society, it’s always good to be prepared.

And, as if the ongoing global pandemic wasn’t enough of a threat, the United States is set to have one of the worst hurricane seasons in recorded history. Meanwhile, the West Coast is struggling with another catastrophic fire season, which has left many Californians living under apocalyptic orange skies. For all these reasons, we recommend keeping an emergency kit or go-bag at the ready.

So, whether you foresee needing to survive a hurricane, civil unrest, a pandemic, forest fires, earthquakes or floods, it’s time to build or buy an emergency kit for your home and/or car. Just make sure your kit has everything inside that you’ll need in a disaster situation.

Below, you’ll find a list of essential supplies as well as 15 prepackaged emergency prep kits.

What Should I Include in My Emergency Kit?

According to the Red Cross and Ready.gov, the best emergency kits include:

• Water (One gallon per person per day)

• Food (Three-day supply for an evacuation or two-week supply for home use)

• A flashlight

• Battery-powered or crank radio

• First aid kit

• Medication (Seven-day supply of both prescription and non-prescription medication)

• Batteries

• Multi-purpose tool

• Hygiene items (toilet paper, feminine products, moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties)

• Emergency blankets

• Maps of your local area

• Cell phone chargers (solar chargers are most useful)

• Copies of personal documents in a waterproof canister

• Emergency and family contact info

• Cash (for gas, supplies or, in the case of a major breakdown in civilization, bribes)

• Extra set of car keys and house keys

In addition, you might also want to consider including the following in a disaster kit:

• Toys for children and/or baby supplies

• Pet supplies

• Two-way radios

• Emergency whistle

• Surgical mask and gloves

• Hand sanitizer

• Dust or cloth face masks

• Matches (In a waterproof container)

• Towels

• Duct tape

• Scissors

• Plastic sheeting

• Sleeping bags

• Fire extinguisher

If it’s starting to feel like you’d need an entire bomb shelter to keep all of these emergency supplies, then we know how you feel. Rather than collecting each of these items one by one by one, you can save time and money by buying one of the best emergency kits instead.

We’ve searched high and low for the best survival kits. In case of an emergency, here are the best disaster kits to help keep your entire family safe and secure.