I get it. Emergency Preparedness is overwhelming.

I grew up in Houston - I’ve lived through many hurricanes. (In fact, my parents only live near me now because a hurricane destroyed my childhood home.) So while Emergency Preparedness isn’t exactly pleasant, I’m here to gently tell you it’s so necessary.

It’s not a matter of if a rainy day will come - it’s a matter of when.

And I’m of the believer that something is better than nothing. There’s always more you can do to be more prepared for emergencies, so starting somewhere is all you need to do. Each year I think of other things I should do, and I slowly add a few things to our emergency stash as time and finances allow.

So I get it - finding a place to start Emergency Preparedness is hard.

Here’s 10 easy things you can do right now for emergency preparedness - 10 tiny things that pack a big punch, but that also cause some serious momentum. Future You will be so grateful.

1) invest in some quality emergency lighting

and put it in an easy-to-grab spot. we love love love this four-pack of lanterns!
while you’re at it, double check that you have plentyyy of extra batteries. I can’t recommend our battery organizer enough.
throw some good lighting in your car, too. here’s what I keep in my car for emergency situations - but more on this in a second.

2) add a gallon or two of water to your next few grocery carts

In our home we have a 3-day supply of water - enough for us, the kids, and the dogs. eventually I’d love to have a larger supply, but something is better than nothing. this stash of water saved us during that Freak Texas Ice Storm of 2021, where we were all iced in our homes without power and water for days. (all that to say, Brett used to make fun of the gallons of water stuck into random nooks and crannies in our closet, but since that Ice Storm he hasn’t said a peep.)
I add a gallon or two of water to my next few grocery carts. I make a note on my yearly tasks + expenses list to check my emergency stash (and my emergency water!) every January, and replenish as needed.
I also have this handy contraption that turns our bathtub into a large water source, it gives me serious peace of mind. And we have some five-gallon buckets on hand from my wedding florist days, which also come in very handy in emergency situations, particularly when it comes to water.

3) stock your medicine cabinet + first aid stuff

because while this is so imperative for emergencies, this is easily one of the handiest things for day-to-day life. here’s 20 things we keep on hand at all times!
and here’s a very detailed post on what we have for first aid.

4) make a box of disposable goods

when I was pregnant with KK, I bought a set of paper plates and disposable cutlery. I purchased some plastic cups, a pack of wet ones, a container of hand sanitizer, a canister of disinfecting wipes, plenty of napkins (or a roll of paper towels), etc. and I threw it all in a tub so that it’s all kept in one spot.
and while this box was THE BEST for postpartum, it’s also been great for picnics, for hosting loved ones, for plumbing issues. and this box is an MVP during emergencies and natural disasters.
see our box of disposable goods here!

5) create a toiletry bag

Consider this a warm-up for building an evacuation bag (more on that later).
I want you to grab an unused toiletry bag (or I bought this massive, lovely hanging toiletry bag), and I want you to think through every single toiletry your family uses in three days. and I want you to purchase spares of those items - as time and finances allow - to exclusively keep in this bag. the idea is to have a grab-and-go toiletry bag that has everything your family needs for three days. because if you were to have some time-sensitive situation where you needed to evacuate, having a ready-to-go toiletry bag with some of your family’s necessities will be like the biggest, warmest hug.
Similarly, this bag comes in handy for other situations, too: unexpected hospital trips, staying elsewhere due to an inconvenient loss of power/AC/water, etc.
Once your mind is used to thinking through what your family needs for three days toiletry-wise, you may feel ready to start building an evacuation bag - a bag(s) of everything your family would need for three days.
And although in a true emergency situation I may not be able to grab these bags, having them ready just in case provides me such peace of mind.

6) buy a back up bag of dog food/diapers/formula/etc

oof. i learned this one the hard way. march 2020 I was 28927 months pregnant with KK, and we got the notice that Texas was shutting down - and I realized we were out of dog food. and not just any dog food - but Costco dog food. so I had to brave Costco with all the toilet paper fanatics, and I still have nightmares about that trip.
so I learned my lesson - I changed dog food to a brand that could be not only delivered to our home, but a dog food that could be set up on an automated, subscription schedule to be delivered to our home. and I make sure we always have a spare bag on hand.
- ps here’s my Subscribe and Save order - like dog food and diapers.
I also make sure we have a spare of anything else we rely heavily on: diapers, formula, etc. because while this is imperative for emergency situations, it’s also lovely for everyday life - I don’t have to rush out to the store when it’s 9pm or when I’m tired or when the weather is poor, I can instead borrow from my emergency stash and go later.
and luckily I learned my lesson after that fateful March 2020 day - because of it, we had plenty of water, formula, diapers, dog food, and emergency baby food when that Ice Storm shut everything down for almost a week with an 8-month old and two dogs.
Is there anything you can add a spare of to your next grocery cart? Is there anything you can automate and add to an automated subscription, like a Subscribe and Save order?

7) get term life insurance

we rely on Brett’s income, so we have - at this point - two separate term life insurance policies on him. and while if he were to pass away we’d be emotionally devastated, we rest assured that we won’t be financially devastated. and while we don’t rely on me for income, we rely on me for 729732937 things, so we have a policy on me as well.
while you’re at it, peek through your other insurance policies: car, home, etc. it’s always good to make sure those are squared away, too. Future You thanks you.

8) create an “if haley dies” document

see more about this document here.
- we also have six boxes that we swear by for organizing allll the adult things: see them here.

9) keep a few things in your car

what are some things that Future You would be so grateful to have in your car? for me, having a stocked changing station and two changes of clothes for everyone in my car is really great to have for day-to-day life, but they also provide me peace of mind knowing they’re there for emergency/evacuation situations.
here are a few other ideas of things to keep in your car, but I also found googling/pinterest-ing “car emergency ideas” to be very helpful.
ps we have two car binders - it took a few minutes to create this system, and this simple system has been serving us well for over a decade now.

10) add money to your Emergency Fund

I can’t stress this enough. Living below our means and consistently adding to our Emergency Fund is the only reason we called Brett’s lay-off (without any sort of severance) a “yucky time” instead of a catastrophe.

BONUS! Craving a bigger project?