How to Build a Hurricane Emergency Kit: A Household and Workplace Checklist

We’ve already covered post-storm food safety tips and what to do once the power’s out. The next logical question is what to have ready beforehand, whether it’s the supplies, the emergency plan or the small decisions that would make you feel ready and less stressed for any situation.

At Cotton Culinary, we’ve spent decades on the ground in disaster recovery, providing emergency food services and emergency catering to families, workforces and entire communities through hurricanes and their aftermath. If there’s one pattern we’ve seen play out year after year, it’s this: households and businesses that built their disaster preparedness plan long before disasters made landfall come out the least disrupted. That starts with having a well-built emergency kit for your home or business.

A disaster supplies kit is a stocked, ready-to-grab collection of the basics your household needs to get through at least 72 hours without outside help. Most of what belongs in a kit is inexpensive, easy to find and something you likely already have around the house.

The Core of Any Kit

Every household kit should start with the same non-negotiables:

• Water — one gallon per person, per day, for at least three days, covering both drinking and basic sanitation
• Food — a minimum three-day supply of items that don’t require refrigeration or cooking
• Flashlight and extra batteries
• First aid kit
• Whistle, for signaling if you need help
• Dust masks, to help filter contaminated air
• Plastic sheeting and duct tape, for sealing off a room if you need to shelter in place
• Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties, for basic sanitation
• Manual can opener
• Local maps — don’t assume GPS and cell service will hold up
• Phone chargers and a backup battery pack

Store everything in airtight bags inside one or two containers you can carry quickly; either a plastic bin or a duffel bag will work. The goal is speed. If you need to shelter in place or leave in a hurry, you can just grab the kit and be on your way out as soon as possible.

What to Add Based on Your Household

Once the basics are covered, think through what your specific household actually needs:

• Medications — both prescription and common over-the-counter items like pain relievers, antacids or anti-diarrheal medication
• Prescription eyeglasses and contact lens solution
• Cash, since ATMs and card readers stop working without power
• Important documents — insurance policies, identification and bank records, saved electronically or kept in a waterproof container
• A sleeping bag or warm blanket per person
• A full change of clothing and sturdy shoes for each household member
• Fire extinguisher
• Matches in a waterproof container
• Personal hygiene items
• Basic mess kit — cups, plates and utensils that don’t require washing
• Paper and pencil, for notes if devices run out of battery

Extra Planning for Other Family Members

A standard kit doesn’t cover everyone equally. If your household includes infants, seniors or pets, plan for their needs specifically:

• Infants — formula, bottles, diapers, wipes and diaper rash cream
• Seniors — any mobility aids, hearing aid batteries or additional medical supplies they rely on daily
• Pets — food, water and any medications, plus a leash or carrier if you need to evacuate

Preparing Your Commercial Business

For businesses, preparedness isn’t just about weathering the storm itself. It is also about being able to keep people safe and operations running with as little disruption as possible once conditions allow it. Many facilities lean on emergency food services or emergency catering to keep employees fed when normal supply chains and kitchens aren’t an option. A workplace emergency plan needs to be reviewed annually, the same way a household kit does.

Consider these questions worth asking, or check out our Hurricane Preparedness Checklist created by Cotton’s own disaster recovery experts:

• Does your workplace have its own supply of water, food and first aid on hand for employees who may be sheltering in place or unable to leave during a storm?
• Is there a communication plan for reaching employees and confirming their safety if normal channels go down?
• Are important business records and documents backed up somewhere outside the building, not just stored on-site?
• Does anyone on staff know how to shut off utilities, operate emergency equipment, or account for everyone on-site during an evacuation?

Build It Now, Not During the Storm Watch

The best time to put a kit together is well before a storm is named. That is when stores are most likely stocked up, rather than at the last minute competing for the last flashlight on the shelf during a mandatory evacuation order. Set a reminder at the start of hurricane season to check your kit: replace expired food and medication, test batteries and confirm your documents are current.

For more detailed, region-specific guidance, Ready.gov and your local emergency management office are worth reviewing annually. Preparedness looks a little different depending on where you live and who’s in your household.

Our Cotton Culinary team works hand-in-hand with the broader Cotton Companies, from disaster recovery to logistics to construction, to support communities and workforces before, during and after disasters strike.

This hurricane season, prioritize safety and preparedness, whether at home or for your workforce. For comprehensive emergency disaster catering and emergency food services you can trust, contact Cotton Culinary online.