What 5 things do you need in your house to prepare for a disaster?

the most important thing to remember is you need to define what disaster is most common to your geographical location.

you need to set your list based on the disaster.

5 Items that I always keep handy after living in a hurricane zone are the following items:

1) bottled water-1 gallon for each member of the house-additional gallons if you have an infant or toddler who uses formula (should keep at least a 3 day supply)

2) flashlights with extra batteries -do not use candles or kerosene lamps because they create a fire hazard. do not depend on rechargable batteries, you wont have electric to recharge them with.

3) A battery operated radio with extra batteries-this is so you know what is going on and you can get the news

4) canned goods that do not require heating-also make sure again you have extra baby formula, diapers, and juices to drink.

5) fill your pots and your bath tubs with extra water to use to sponge bath with and to flush your toilets.

if you can afford a generator then purchase one and have extra gasoline in safey containers to run the generators. Also, you want to have clothes and blankets packed and ready to go in case you are forced to evacuate.

always fill your vehicles with gas- and most important is to leave if you are warned of the impending diasaster in time. Nothing is worth your life.

Good Luck....hope this helps

While there are many definitions of a disaster, the most important one to remember is: one who is not prepared for an emergency situation. The question asks what 5 things do you need in your house, so I will assume this is not the 'end of the world' type disaster.

1) the most important thing is an adequate, clean water supply. This could be something as simple as washing out 2 liter soda bottles and refilling them with tap water. I have an area that I keep a supply such as this, I use a permanent marker to write the month and year that I filled the bottle(on the bottle). When the stored bottle of water becomes 2 years old, I pour it out, recycle the container. Since I am constatnly adding bottles to the stash, I have a good supply for myslef and my family. Also, if you fill the bottles completely with HOT water and recap them, when the water cools off it will create a small vaccuum inside the bottle. When you go to use the water, if there is no vaccuum, the seal has not been airtight and the water MAY be compromised.

2) Food. Eat any perishable foods you may have FIRST! Ideally, food should be sealed such as canned. I have created a very large supply of canned food using the following method. When I go to the grocery store, I always browse the canned vegetable isle. There is ALWAYS something on sale for 3/$1.00 or so. Pork-n-beans is your best bet for being cheap. In an emergency, when you get hungry, you'll eat it. I usually spend 2-3 dollars on just canned items to add to my supply. Once again, use a permanent marker to write the month and year on the top of the can. Canned food has a very long shelf life, I've used this method for a long time, I have enough canned items to feed my family of 3 for several months.

3) Gasoline. You should have enough stored in 6 gallon gas cans to fill at least 1 vehicle 1 time. This will allow you to be able to leave the area if needed(with all your supplies loaded up) and be able to refill your vehicle when needed without having to find a supply source. You must use caution when storing gasoline as it it dangerous and explosive.

4) Emergency bag. You should fill a small overnight tote bag with the following essentials: medicines/first aid supplies, mechanical/manual can opener, 2 butane lighters, 1 roll of duct tape, 1 -50 foot roll of lightweight cord or twine, 2 rolls of toilet paper, 2 complete change of clothes(t-shirts, shorts, socks, etc.), 1 towel, 1 lightweight blanket, photocopies of ALL important paperwork and policies in a waterproof container.

5) Gun and ammunition. It is also important in a disaster that you are able to protect your property and family. Good people will turn to desperate people, and act/do things they would not normally do, when they are without the items they need to sustain them. While I am not recommending you get an Uzi submachine gun, a .22 caliber rifle can be purchased relatively cheap($100.00 from a pawn shop) and .22 caliber ammo is very cheap and 2-3 hundred rounds is lightweight and takes up very little room. While I am not a pessimist about peoples' behavior, I am a realist. People will try and take what you have to take care of their own!

The 5 most important things you need in your home to prepare for a disaster are:

1.) Drinking water for at least a months supply for each member in your household, as well as family members in other households that you know will not be prepared.

2.) Nonperishable food items for those mentioned above.

3.) Medicines

4.) Lots of Charcoal, matches, lighting fluid, a BBQ and pan to heat food items since stoves may not work.

5.) A plan! What is your community plan and have a family plan to somehow communicate if unable to commute. Have a bicycle handy.

This certainly doesn't cover all bases but the above will definitely help.

The 5 things needed in a house prepare facing a disaster.

These items below are for a least 1 week to each member of the house. In our own house is different from in a disaster camp. Every basic needs are there in your own house. There no needs for clothing, blankets, cooking facilities and other basic needs because it's your own house. You've been living in you own house for years, e.g living for more than 20 years. When in disaster the basic supply of electricity, water and telephone line are normally cut off. Normally in facing disaster, the Government will worn a least a week or a minimun of 24 hour to all the public to prepare in facing the disaster. It's not mention clearly the type of disaster to face. Whether a tycoon, Flood or earthquake. Different kind of disaster, different kind of preparation. For all kind of disaster, these are the basic items to prepare getting ready facing the disaster:

1. Food

2. Water

3. Medicine and First Aid Kits

4. Candles/Kerosene lamp/Flashlight with extra battery ( I KVA Electric Generator if effort to buy for lighting)

5. Communications; Hand phone, portable radio for news and TV using battery. Full tank fuel in car for transport if the disaster is not Flood and there's means using transport for emergency to Hospital.

What kind of disaster?

The one thing you need for any disaster is knowledge and mental flexibility.

Generally, no set of five items will satisfy needs for as many disasters as you can read about any day in a major metropolitan newspaper.

Since your situation is somewhat unique, you have to figure out what you need for the most risky abnormal events you may experience.

Did you notice that NASA had a plan for what to do if a space shuttle crashed on re-entry? They had a plan for what to do if a space shuttle is either high or low on a re-entry. They did not have a plan for what to do if a shuttle disintegrated upon re-entry, but one of the contingencies they had was close enough for government work.

Learn from that. Have contingencies planned for many possible disasters that can befall you. There are natural disasters and man-made disasters. There are predators with 4 legs and predators with 2 legs. Be prepared.

1. Water, preferably in heavy-duty plastic containers and enough for 1 gallon of water per day per person. If stored for a long time, you can add a few drops of bleach to preserve the water. Remember, you will need water both for drinking and cooking and cleaning. You might want to buy a Coleman camping stove to boil suspicious water and for cooking. Most can run on gas from your car or other fuels.

2. Radio. Preferably the type you can wind-up so you don't need batteries. Communication will be key to your survival after the dust settles.

3. Food. Canned food can last up to a year. Preferably you have MREs (Meals Ready To Eat) that have a 4-6 year shelf life. I've eaten MREs and they actually taste good! At least some of them. You can find great case deals online.

Just check the date on the MRE box. Usually it will have both a "packed" and "inspection" date. You obviously want to find new, fresh, dates even though if properly stored, an MRE can last up to 10 years.

4. Flashlight(s) with plenty of extra batteries. Try to have flashlights in multiple rooms and your car. Generally after an earthquake the first thing to go is 'D' sized batteries. But today modern flashlights are using LCD mini-lights that last longer and often work on AA or AAA batteries. Throw-in some candles too. You can buy candles that can burn for many hours. Oh, don't forget the matches!

5. Sanitation supplies. Have plenty of large plastic bags so you can either line your toilet with them and toss them later, or bury the bags. Make sure you have plenty of feminine products, baby supplies and cleaning supplies as how will you wash your hands if no running water?

Along with sanitation I will add a very good first aid kit. Not the Mickey Mouse ones you see in a store. Make your own if you can and buy triple what you see in those small kits. Have plenty of bottles of alcohol and hydrogen peroxide, bandages and items to rinse your eyes, portable splints, cold packs, etc.

You also need to have extra meds, an extra pair of glasses and a glasses repair kit (save your old pairs, old arms, etc.). Try to have some cash stashed away and have important documents all together in a safe place like your insurance policies, birth certificates, telephone numbers & addresses, etc.

5 things i need in my house to prepare for a disaster.

1. Enough Food 2. Flashlight w/ spare batteries

3. Clothings put in a plastic bag 4. Radio and Cellphone for communication. 5. Important Documents put in a safe place

Water! You can never have too much water. Remember you will need water for your pets too! Fill bathtubs with water for washing and brushing your teeth.

Food! Okay you need to eat. Eat what will go bad the soonest first, then move on to nonperishables.

Lighter/Matches. You will need a way to light a grill/stove(gas)/fire to cook/keep warm

First Aid Kit. During a disaster there is a good chance someone will get hurt.

Water! Again I can not stress the importance of water. You can survive for days/weeks without food. And it is much easier to air drop Meals Ready to Eat or other non perishable food into an area hit by a major disaster, but water is much harder to bring in.

Only experience can truely answer this question. Finding out what works and what is needed and what is useless is betting your life on your best guess. Depending on the severity of the disaster and the location the best five things would be:

1) 12 ga pump shotgun for the men, 20 ga shotgun for the women and kids, 25 rounds per shotgun #00 buck, one ammo belt per gun. More ammo is better, running out is a bummer. These protect you from the two legged crazies and the wild dogs that will be roaming the area. One good knife per person would be handy too.

2) Water, plenty of water, you can buy 5 gallon bottles at yard sales for anywhere from 50 cents to $3. Fill them and change them often. Have one 5 gallon bottle per person in your family. Stock a case of small bottled water for each person. A small water distiller that works off a camp fire or camp stove might be handy also.

3) Food, plenty of canned food. MREs are great. And a camp stove with fuel. A outdoor bbq works great too.

4) Tools. A crowbar is a great tool to have handy. It can be used to open jammed doors and windows. A crowbar can be used to leverage up heavy things and move them. Can also be used to wack things with such as crazies and wild dogs. Best size is about 24 to 36 inches. Include hammers, saws, tarps, nails, screwdrivers, drills, chainsaws, shovels, axes, rope, tie wire, and flashlights and or gas lanterns, and candles. 5 gallon buckets and trash bags for sanitary use are necessary too.

5) Documents and cash. Like drivers license, insurance policies, credit cards. $1000 cash or more, like ammo more is better and a bummer to run out.

This all depends on whether your plan to hunker down in your still partly livable house or you have to leave and go on the road. A pick up truck is best all round for a utility vehicle.

1. Water for every person in the house hold. About a gallon per person per day. Out to at least 7 days.

2. Food for every person. Preferably something like meals ready to eat that require no heating to eat and no preservation such as refrigeration.

3. Personal care items clothes and bedding. Toilet paper, body wipes, diapers, anything that is necessary for basic hygeine and must be taylored to the household.

4. Tools equipment and Batteries. For flashlights, and radios. and a rotary telephone. Doesn't require power to operate it. Any other tools you might need. A crank powered radio and a self generating flash light.

5. A first aid kit. Medications tailored for the house hold.

6. a plan. Be it an escape plan, a shelter in place plan or a plan to meet in a location.

More than five but I couldn't help myself.

got to www.fema.org for more info.

If the disaster is a long term disaster you need to be prepared. you need to know where to shut off your gas lines. and you also need to have antibiotics and first aid kit. Blankets and warm clothing in case its in the winter. you also would need to stalk up on some of those canned fires for cookiing if possible. or make your own with candle was and tightly rolled up newspaper. store up dehydrated foods sealed tight, and plenty of water, which you can store water by putting it in a bleach bottle when your done using the bleach. There will be enough bleach to store water safely. also make sure yuo have entertainment, in case you have no power. cards, games writing pens and paper. also maybe put aside in storage some music books, either lyrics or maybe an insturment, like a flute, something small. also you would need some batteries, candles and if possilbe Wood pile.

try to keep the family calm and comfortable.