Start Here: 72 Hours, 7 Days, 30 Days

If you do nothing else, do this. A calm, step-by-step path from the first 24 hours to a 30-day cushion — built for any budget or living situation.

🚨 What should I do right now?✅ Build a checklist

🚨 Happening now⏱️ About 8 min read🔎 Last reviewed 2026-07-31

🟠 What to do now

Most urgent first. You do not have to finish the list to be safer.

Check yourself and others for injuries before anything else.
Get out of any damaged, smoky or flooding structure.
Turn on alerts or a radio for official instructions.
Fill every clean container with water while it's still running.
Gather medication and put it in one bag.
Charge phones and power banks while there's still power.
Text your out-of-area contact once, then conserve battery.
Set up one warm (or cool) room and stay there.

What this is

Emergency crews are stretched thin in the first days of any large event. Roads, power and water may be down at the same time.
72 hours is not a magic number — it's the realistic window before organised help reaches most households on the Island.

Warning signs

Early warning signs

Weather or wildfire alerts
Rolling or extended outages
Local advisories about water or roads

Serious warning signs

Boil-water advisory
Evacuation alert
Fuel, food or pharmacy shortages

Immediate danger signs

Evacuation order
Structural damage after shaking
Smoke you can taste indoors

Where official alerts come from

Emergency Info BC
Emergency Management Cowichan
BC Hydro outage map
Local radio

Prepare ahead — by the time you have

I have 5 minutes

Turn on emergency alerts.
Save an out-of-area contact in your phone and on paper.

I have 1 hour

Fill containers and store them.
Assemble a grab bag.

I have 1 day

Cover 72 hours of water, food, light and meds.
Agree meeting places with family.

Long-term improvement

Extend to 7 days.
Add sanitation and cooking capacity.
Practise the plan once.

Supplies, in three levels

Start at Level 1. Everything here has a purpose and a cheaper alternative where one is safe.

Level 1 — Essentials

The minimum that makes you safer today.

12 L water per person (3 days)Why: The single most limiting resource.Low-cost option: Refilled bottles and jugs.
No-cook foodWhy: Stoves may be unusable.Low-cost option: Canned and dry goods you already eat.
Light + batteriesWhy: Most injuries after dark come from moving in the dark.Low-cost option: One cheap LED per room.
Medication for 3 daysWhy: Pharmacies may be closed.Low-cost option: Emergency supply from your pharmacist.

Level 2 — Better prepared

Roughly 72 hours to seven days.

Radio and spare batteriesWhy: Information when data is down.
Sanitation bucket kitWhy: Toilets fail with water or sewer loss.Low-cost option: Bucket, bags, litter.
Camp stove (outdoors only)Why: Hot food and boiled water.

Level 3 — Extended resilience

Longer disruptions, built gradually.

7-day water and foodWhy: Bridges longer outages and road closures.
Bigger battery / solarWhy: Keeps medical equipment and phones alive.

Different living situations

No house, car, garage or credit card assumed.

House or apartment

You likely have the most storage. Keep supplies near an exit, not in a locked shed or a deep basement you may not be able to reach.

Single rented room

Think in one tote and one backpack. Under the bed and the back of a closet are your storage. Flat, stackable items beat bulky ones.

Shelter or supportive housing

Ask staff about the building's emergency plan, exits and medication storage. Keep a small personal pouch with ID copies, meds and phone charger on you.

Vehicle

Keep weight low and spread out. Water, warm layers, a light and a phone charger matter most. Never cook or run a heater inside a closed vehicle.

Tent or sleeping outside

Dry beats big. Prioritise waterproofing, warmth off the ground, a light, water and a whistle. Keep the essentials in one bag you can grab and carry.

Workplace or school

A small desk or locker kit — water, a snack, a light, comfortable shoes, meds and a contact card — covers most of what you'd need to get home.

Moving between places

Carry your plan on paper and in your phone. Copies of ID, a contact card and your medication list travel with you; bulk supplies stay with someone you trust.

Accessibility, health and medication

Mobility: keep supplies at waist height and in a bag you can pull or carry. Store a spare cane, walker part or wheelchair repair kit if you rely on one.
Vision: label items with large print or texture tape and keep a torch and spare glasses in a fixed, known spot.
Hearing: turn on text-based emergency alerts, keep a written note card of key needs, and ask someone to text you rather than call.
Cognitive: use a short one-page plan with pictures or few words. Practise the first three steps only.
Medication: keep a written list of names, doses and prescriber. Ask your pharmacy about an emergency supply.
Refrigerated medication: keep a small cooler and ice packs ready, know how long your medication stays usable warm, and ask your pharmacist to confirm.
Powered equipment (oxygen, CPAP, lifts): register with BC Hydro's medical program, keep a charged backup battery, and know the nearest place with power.
Service animals: pack water, food, and a copy of vaccination records; a service animal is allowed with you in reception centres.
Mental health: emergencies make everything louder. Slow down, use the grounding steps, and reach a crisis line at 988 or 1-888-494-3888.
Substance use: never use alone during a disruption. Carry naloxone, and check it hasn't expired.
Limited English or reading: use picture cards, keep translated key phrases, and ask an outreach worker to help write your plan.

Children, seniors and pets

Give children a job — filling bottles, counting supplies. Purpose reduces fear.
Check on seniors and people living alone twice a day.
Keep pets leashed or contained; animals bolt in emergencies.

🚫 Mistakes to avoid

Do not wait for a perfect kit. A half kit today beats a perfect kit next year.
Do not skip rent, food or medication to buy survival gear.
Do not run a generator, barbecue, camp stove or charcoal indoors, in a tent, or in a vehicle — carbon monoxide is invisible and fatal.
Do not store everything in one place you might not be able to reach.
Do not rely only on your phone; batteries die and networks jam.
Do not drive or walk into moving water, smoke, or past a barricade.

Recovery afterward

First hour

Confirm everyone is accounted for.
Avoid damaged structures and downed lines.

First day

Document damage with photos.
Restore water, food and medication first.

First week

Contact insurance, landlord or community services.
Replace lost ID and prescriptions.

Longer recovery

Restock and note what was missing.
Expect delayed stress; that's normal, and support exists.

☎️ Numbers worth writing down

Fire, police, ambulance: 911 — Life-threatening emergency, fire, or someone not breathing.
HealthLink BC: 811 — Free 24/7 nurse advice when you're not sure it's a 911 situation.
Poison control (BC): 1-800-567-8911 — Swallowed, breathed in, or spilled anything harmful.
9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline: 988 — Call or text, 24/7, anywhere in Canada.
Vancouver Island Crisis Line: 1-888-494-3888 — 24/7 local mental-health and emotional support.
BC Hydro outages: 1-888-769-3766 — Report an outage or a downed line (stay 10 m back).
Emergency Info BC: EmergencyInfoBC.gov.bc.ca — Current evacuation alerts and orders.

Personal notes: ______________________________________________

Date last checked: ____________________

Key takeaways

The first 24 hours is about safety, water, warmth, and information.
72 hours is the basic goal; 7 days is better; 30 days is a deeper cushion.
You can prepare with no money — start with information and what you already own.

Step-by-step

First 24 hours. Stay safe and warm, keep your phone charged, fill containers with water, and write key phone numbers on paper. Check official alerts.
72-hour kit. Gather 3 days of water (4L per person per day), no-cook food, light, warmth, medications, and copies of ID in one bag you can carry.
7-day home plan. Build up to a week of water, food, and supplies at home. Add a radio, extra batteries, and a simple family check-in plan.
30-day deeper pantry. Slowly add shelf-stable food you already eat. One or two extra items each shop becomes weeks of meals over time.
If you have no money. Start with free steps: information, saved containers for water, a charged phone, numbers on paper, and food-bank visits before a crisis day.
If you live in a vehicle. Keep water, snacks, a blanket, a phone charger, and ID within reach. Know warm public spaces and never run the engine to sleep in an enclosed space.
If you're in shelter or transitional housing. Keep a small personal kit: ID copies, medications, phone numbers, a charger, and comfort items. Ask staff about emergency plans.
If you're disabled or overwhelmed. Do one tiny step at a time. Ask a support person to help. Keep medications, mobility aids, and a contact list easy to reach.

✅ Printable checklist

Phone charged + numbers written on paper
Water containers filled (72 hours)
No-cook food for 3 days
Medications + ID copies in one spot
One safe place chosen