Most US adults don’t have an emergency kit, and new guidelines say to add cash

When the power goes out, food that needs a refrigerator or a stove can spoil within hours. Emergency planners decide what goes into the first three days of supplies by asking what each item needs in order to work, and a short set of rules sorts the foods that make the cut. The same list covers medicine and a cash reserve, and you can build it one item at a time. Most households stock up by buying extra of what they already eat. That fills a cupboard fast, but it doesn’t say which of those foods a household could actually use in a crisis. European Union officials have presented new guidelines to help households cover their essential needs during the first 72 hours of a crisis, while authorities work to mobilize public assistance. The guidelines cover all hazards, from extreme weather to the power outages that often follow. They advise civil protection authorities in Europe on how to prepare residents. Their core advice on food and water closely matches what U.S. agencies tell households, so the same principles apply in the United States. 3 days is the minimum, and US guidance says several Four accompanying guidance documents come with the guidelines, which call 72 hours the minimum for the most critical period of a crisis. Supplies can include medicines, important documents and a family emergency plan. Rather than describing one European emergency kit, the guidelines offer clear advice that people can adapt to their own circumstances and risks. U.S. guidance uses similar timing. The latest federal emergency guidance tells households to keep several days of supplies on hand, and the latest federal food safety guidance calls for several days of ready-to-eat food . What counts as emergency food The guidelines spell out what qualifies. Food makes the cut if it stays at room temperature, needs no heating, requires little or no water and takes little preparation to eat. Stored water covers essential uses such as drinking and cooking. By those standards, anything that must be boiled or reheated falls short, while shelf-stable foods that need little or no preparation qualify. Federal emergency guidance calls for 1 gallon of water per person per day for several days, plus a manual can opener for food. Federal food safety advice adds that a refrigerator keeps food safe for up to four hours during an outage and a full freezer for about 48 hours. A half-full freezer stays cold for about 24 hours. Those times hold only if the refrigerator and freezer doors stay closed as much as possible. Federal food safety advice also says that freezing items such as leftovers and milk before an outage extends how long they stay safe. It suggests freezing water containers before a storm to help keep food cold. It warns against leaving perishable food outside in the snow, since temperatures can vary and unsanitary conditions and animals can reach the food. Medicine and cash count as supplies alongside food Preparedness starts with an emergency bag , and food and water are only part of what goes in it. Essentials include medicines and first aid equipment, plus battery-powered radios and charged power banks so a household can keep getting information when normal services fail. The guidelines also recommend a cash reserve of small notes and coins for purchases if digital payments fail, and note offline digital payment methods as an option where available. The guidelines tell households to start small and share costs The guidelines encourage low-cost, gradual steps and sharing costlier items with others. They single out people with disabilities, who may need backup power for assistive devices and extra medication, as well as low-income households. An Air Force base emergency management office made a similar point during National Preparedness Month: a household can start with items already at home, such as canned goods and first aid kits, and gather the rest over time . For a winter storm pantry , one practical habit is cooking from the supply one night a week. Restocking what you use keeps cans and jars from expiring before you need them. Readiness grows a little at a time A national survey found that only 36% of adults had an emergency supply kit, most often holding a flashlight, medical supplies and water. Adding one item on each trip to the store is a workable start, since a few extra cans and bags add up quickly. A kit built around those basics can add food that needs no heating and a cash reserve next. Jennifer Allen is a retired professional chef and long-time writer. Her work appears in dozens of publications, including MSN, Yahoo, The Washington Post and The Seattle Times. These days, she’s busy in the kitchen developing recipes and traveling the world, and you can find all her best creations at Cook What You Love . The post Most US adults don’t have an emergency kit, and new guidelines say to add cash appeared first on Food Drink Life . More from this section Texas Lone Grove Softball star signs to Kansas Nov 11, 2026 Associated Press South Korea US Military Nov 12, 2026 News Photos show disabled Israeli military veterans modeling on a Tel Aviv runway Nov 11, 2026 News Shape-shifting bots inspired by elephant trunks can bend and grab Updated 8 mins ago Inside Killeen Podcast