Hurricane supply kit for Florida families
Build it before a name is on the map. Store it where you can carry it.
General information, not professional, insurance, or legal advice. Always follow official evacuation orders from your county.
Updated 2026-10-09.
How many days
Two official numbers, and they are not the same sentence. Ready.gov says that after an emergency you may need to get by for several days, and that water is one gallon per person per day for several days, for drinking and sanitation. FDEM's Plan & Prepare page says a Florida kit should last at least seven days. The state hurricane guide repeats that seven-day figure for every person in the home, and elsewhere describes a kit that lets you live on your own for three to seven days. Pinellas County tells households to think about what each person needs for two weeks, and lists a one-week supply of non-perishable food alongside one gallon of water per person per day.
For a Tampa Bay house, pack to the Florida seven-day floor, and longer if someone in the home cannot easily replace medicine or food. The printable kit list is the box. The shopping list is the cart.
The basic kit
Ready.gov says to bag items and keep the kit in one or two containers you can carry, such as a bin or a duffel. Its basic list:
- Water, one gallon per person per day for several days, for drinking and sanitation
- Non-perishable food for at least several days
- Battery-powered or hand-crank radio, and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert
- Flashlight and extra batteries
- First aid kit
- Whistle
- Dust mask
- Plastic sheeting, scissors, and duct tape, listed for sheltering in place — not as a window covering
- Moist towelettes, garbage bags, and plastic ties
- Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
- Manual can opener
- Local maps
- Cell phone, chargers, and a backup battery
What your household adds
Ready.gov's additional list is the one that makes a kit fit a family. Pull only what applies.
- Prescription medicine. The state guide recommends a minimum two-week supply, kept current, plus a written list of doses.
- Non-prescription medicine you already use, such as pain relievers, plus glasses and contact-lens solution
- Infant formula, bottles, diapers, wipes, and rash cream
- Pet food and extra water. Pinellas says if you evacuate, take pets with you, on a leash or in a carrier, to a place that allows them.
- Cash, copies of ID and insurance policies, and a waterproof container. The Department of Financial Services says to take copies of legal, financial, and medical papers if you leave.
- A change of clothes, sturdy shoes, a sleeping bag or blanket, soap, sanitizer, and hygiene supplies
- Paper, a pencil, and something quiet for children
Where it lives, and when you refresh it
Ready.gov says to keep a home kit where everyone can find it, a smaller kit at work for at least 24 hours, and a kit in the car in case you are stranded. Keep canned food cool and dry. Store boxed food in closed plastic or metal containers. Replace what expires. Look at the kit again each year, because the people in the house change.
Plastic sheeting and duct tape are on the Ready.gov list for sheltering in place. They are not a substitute for shutters. Window and door coverings are on the house page.
In order
- Count people and daysPlan at least seven days for every person in the home. Use one gallon of water per person per day for drinking and sanitation.
- Pack the basic itemsWater, non-perishable food, a weather radio, flashlight, batteries, first aid, whistle, sanitation supplies, a manual can opener, maps, and a phone charger with a backup battery.
- Add what only your household needsPrescriptions toward a two-week supply, infant supplies, pet food and water, copies of documents, cash, clothes, and comfort items for children.
- Store it so you can leave with itKeep the home kit in one or two containers you can carry, and put smaller kits at work and in the car.
- Refresh itReplace expired food and medicine, and review the kit once a year.