How Wirecutter’s Experts Approach Emergency Preparation Coverage

We’ve been covering emergency preparedness at Wirecutter since Hurricane Harvey in 2017, through research and our own lived experience. We’ve kept warm during New Hampshire snowstorms, grabbed a go-bag prepared for a pet during a wildfire evacuation in California, and stored water ahead of a hurricane in Southern Florida.

Some disasters are so sudden that no amount of preparation is adequate, but we’ve found that having a plan and some key provisions ready can help you stay calm in the face of an unknown risk. Here’s what guides our thinking when advising people how to prepare for an emergency.

Customization is key

Every well-stocked kit shares some common essentials, and the best kits meet your personal needs, whether that means including diapers, medications, hard drives, or a deck of cards.

This is one reason we recommend building emergency kits and go-bags yourself instead of buying a premade one. Consider how much of the basic approach is customized by nature: The bag or bin you’ll use, where you keep it all, if it’s for sheltering in place or a kit you could grab and go. Even a few key add-ons can help bolster a standard premade first-aid kit. You may not have a use for all the items we suggest. You may feel you need all of it and more.

Some of the best emergency equipment is useful in everyday life, too.

Almost none of the gear we recommend is useful only during a catastrophe. A reliable flashlight can find lost cat toys beneath couches. A strong multi-tool makes opening packages a breeze. A battery pack for your phone will revive a device when all the charging ports at an airport gate are taken.

The more familiar you are with a tool that’s good to have in an emergency, the more useful it becomes when you really need it. In the thick of a stressful situation, you don’t want to be fumbling with a device that you have no idea how to operate.

Emergency prep is not just about gear

Being prepared also means planning ahead. Learn your local evacuation routes and the locations of nearby shelters. Take a first-aid or CPR course. Memorize a few phone numbers or addresses.

Preparation can feel overwhelming, but the most comforting thing we’ve found working on this topic for years has been the simple act of discussing plans with family, friends in the area, and other companions you might write down on an emergency contacts list. Talking about where you’d meet up, how you’d get from point A to B, what specific risks concern you—that’s all part of planning. So is feeling nervous about these scary things you’d rather not bring up. But the more people talk about preparedness and continue sharing their experiences and knowledge with others, the more people can do to keep each other safe.

For more advice to help you get started, including our recommended supplies for specific natural disasters, head here.

This article was edited by Joshua Lyon, Sofia Sokolove, and Haley Lewis.