Most preparedness advice starts small. Ready.gov's Build a Kit checklist focuses on having food, water, and supplies to last "for several days," and the American Red Cross recommends a two-week supply of food and water at home. Those are excellent starting points. A 90-day plan simply asks one more question: if the stores, the grid, or the tap weren't dependable for a season, how would my family keep living normally?
This guide is the big-picture map. Each section links to a deeper article so you can tackle one piece at a time, at your own pace and budget.
Why Think in 90 Days?
Ninety days is long enough to cover more than a short storm outage, but short enough to plan for in a real home. It also changes how you prepare. A 72-hour kit is about grabbing and going. A 90-day plan is about staying put comfortably: drinking water you trust, meals your family actually likes, lights and a working refrigerator, and a clean, healthy home.
The good news is that you don't build it all at once. Every layer you add, from 3 days to 2 weeks to 30 days to 90, makes your household more resilient right away.
Step 1: Take Stock of What You Already Have
Before you buy anything, walk through your home and write down:
- People and pets: how many, any infants, older adults, or special diets.
- Water: what you have stored today, and where your water comes from (city, well).
- Food: how many days your pantry would really last without a grocery run.
- Power needs: what runs on electricity that you'd truly miss, such as the refrigerator, lights, phone charging, internet, or a well pump.
- Medications: Ready.gov notes that about half of Americans take a prescription medicine every day. Talk with your doctor or pharmacist about keeping an extra supply on hand.
This inventory becomes your plan. It shows where you're already strong and where to focus first.
Step 2: Water Comes First
Water is the foundation of any plan. Ready.gov recommends storing at least one gallon of water per person per day for drinking and sanitation, and notes that children, nursing mothers, sick people, and anyone in a hot climate may need more.
At that rate, 90 days works out to 90 gallons per person. For most families, the smartest approach is two layers:
- Stored water you can count on, sealed and ready.
- A way to treat or filter more, so you can stretch your supply.
ReadyPantry pick: Ready Pantry 12 oz Emergency Water. Canned, plastic-free drinking water with a 50-year shelf life, sold by the case, or in 25-case (1/4 pallet), 50-case (1/2 pallet), and 100-case (full pallet) packs. Quarter, half, and full pallets ship by freight for households building a serious long-term reserve.
ReadyPantry pick: Sentry Portable System. A carry-anywhere filter system with a Premium filter option for tougher water sources. Pair it with spare replacement filters so it's ready when you need it.
Go deeper: How Much Water Do You Need for 90 Days (and How to Store It).
Step 3: Build a Food Supply in Layers
Start with what you already eat. Ready.gov's food guidance recommends choosing foods your family will eat, remembering special diets, and stocking items that don't need refrigeration. Then add a long-shelf-life base so your everyday pantry isn't doing all the work.
A simple layering approach:
- Days 1–3: a ready-to-go kit you can also take with you if you have to leave.
- Weeks 1–4: your everyday pantry plus a one-month long-term supply.
- Months 2–3: additional long-term food, rotated pantry staples, and comfort foods.
ReadyPantry picks: the Ready Pantry 3 Day Food Supply, One Week Food Supply, and One Month Supply, available in 1, 3, 6, and 12 month options. Made with U.S.-sourced ingredients and stored for up to 25 years. Best-by dates vary by production lot, so check the date printed on your package.
Go deeper: Building a 90-Day Food Supply for Your Family.
Step 4: Plan for Power
Ready.gov points out that extended outages can disrupt communications, water, and transportation, and close stores, gas stations, and banks. A backup power plan doesn't have to run your whole house. It needs to cover your essentials: keeping food cold, lights on, phones charged, and information flowing.
Solar generators, meaning a battery power station paired with portable solar panels, are a quiet, fuel-free option that can recharge from the sun day after day.
ReadyPantry picks: the compact Jackery Solar Generator 300 v2 for phones, lights, and a router; the Solar Generator 1500 Ultra for more appliances; or the whole-home-minded HomePower 3000, HomePower 3600 Plus, and Solar Generator 5000 Plus. Browse them all in Backup Power.
Go deeper: Backup Power 101: Sizing a Solar Generator for an Extended Outage.
Step 5: Sanitation and Hygiene
This is the step most plans skip, and it matters most over longer stretches. Ready.gov's kit list includes moist towelettes, garbage bags, and plastic ties for personal sanitation, and the CDC stresses that handwashing and hygiene are especially important when safe water is hard to find.
Plan for three things: a toilet option that doesn't depend on running water, a handwashing station, and a way to bathe and wash dishes without wasting drinking water.
ReadyPantry picks: the BOXIO Toilet Plus Composting Toilet Starter Kit, BOXIO Wash XL Camping Sink, and BOXIO Shower.
Go deeper: Sanitation and Hygiene When the Grid Is Down.
Step 6: Gear, First Aid, and Cooking
Round out your plan with the tools that make everything else work: a well-stocked first aid kit, lighting, a way to cook, and a grab-and-go bag.
ReadyPantry picks: the SEVENTY2 Pro Survival System for two people, plus First Aid Plus, First Aid Pro, or First Aid Core. For cooking, the BOXIO Cook Premium Camp Stove is built for outdoor use. Ready.gov reminds us that camp stoves and grills are for outdoor use only.
See everything in Emergency Gear.
Step 7: Make a Family Plan and Practice It
Supplies are only half of preparedness. Sit down together and agree on:
- Where supplies are stored, and who knows how to use them.
- How you'll get emergency information. Ready.gov recommends a battery-powered or hand-crank radio.
- Who checks on older relatives or neighbors.
- How you'll rotate food and water and check dates once a year. Ready.gov suggests re-thinking your kit's needs every year.
A practice weekend, cooking from your supplies and running a few devices on backup power, is the best way to find gaps while the stakes are low.
A Simple Order to Build In
If you're not sure where to start, this order works for most households:
- Water for 2 weeks, then a way to filter more.
- A 3-day kit for each person.
- A one-month food supply.
- First aid and sanitation basics.
- A small solar generator for lights and phones.
- Expand food and water toward 90 days.
- Scale up backup power to cover the refrigerator and other essentials.
Start Your 90-Day Plan
You don't need to finish this weekend. You just need to start. Visit our 90-Day Ready hub to see how food, water, gear, and power fit together, or use the Water Filter Chooser to find the right filtration for your home.
Sources: Ready.gov: Build a Kit; Ready.gov: Water; Ready.gov: Food; Ready.gov: Power Outages; American Red Cross: Survival Kit Supplies; CDC: Personal Hygiene During an Emergency.