Preparedness When You're Broke
Preparedness is not only for people with money. Most of the highest-value steps cost nothing. No shame, no blame — one item a week is still progress.
🟠 What to do now
Most urgent first. You do not have to finish the list to be safer.
- Write your emergency contacts on paper and put it in your wallet.
- Take phone photos of your ID, prescriptions and any documents you'd hate to lose, and email them to yourself.
- Fill two clean bottles with tap water.
- Put your medication, ID and charger in one pouch you can grab.
- Turn on emergency alerts.
- Note the nearest warming, cooling and charging spaces and their hours.
What this is
- Preparedness advice is usually written for people with a house, a car and a credit card. Most of it still works — it just needs translating.
- Being ready with little money means using free knowledge, free organising, reused containers, and outreach supplies rather than buying kits.
Prepare ahead — by the time you have
I have 5 minutes
- Free: contact list, alerts on, one bottle filled.
I have 1 hour
- Free: gather what you already own into one bag; photograph documents.
I have 1 day
- Ask outreach for a power bank, naloxone kit, socks, hygiene items and masks — these are commonly free.
Long-term improvement
- One item per payday, in this order: water container, flashlight, batteries, first aid, food, warmth, radio.
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.
- Free: paper contact listWhy: Works when your phone doesn't.
- Free: reused bottles for waterWhy: Storage costs nothing.Low-cost option: Rinsed pop bottles.
- Free: naloxone kitWhy: Available at pharmacies and outreach at no cost.
- Free: photos of documentsWhy: Speeds up replacing lost ID.
Level 2 — Better prepared
Roughly 72 hours to seven days.
- Under $10: LED flashlight + batteriesWhy: Light prevents most injuries in the dark.
- Under $10: bleach for water treatmentWhy: Treats hundreds of litres.
- Under $10: three days of canned and dry foodWhy: Buy one extra item per shop.
- Under $25: basic first-aid suppliesWhy: Bandages, tape, gloves, painkillers.
- Under $25: power bankWhy: Keeps your lifeline charged.
Level 3 — Extended resilience
Longer disruptions, built gradually.
- 26-week buildWhy: One item per week reaches a full 72-hour kit in six months without a big purchase.Low-cost option: Weeks 1–4: water. 5–8: food. 9–12: light and batteries. 13–16: first aid. 17–20: warmth. 21–26: radio, sanitation, comfort.
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
- Ask food banks and outreach about pet food — many carry it.
- Children's items (diapers, formula, warm clothes) are commonly stocked by family programs; asking is not failure.
🚫 Mistakes to avoid
- Do not improvise these: prescription medication, naloxone, a working smoke or CO alarm, or a car seat.
- Do not buy expensive 'survival kits'. The contents are usually worth less than the box.
- Do not skip essentials to buy gear.
- Do not store fuel or chemicals near where you sleep.
Recovery afterward
First hour
First day
- Ask for help early — assistance runs out, and early requests are usually met.
First week
- Replace ID and medication through outreach or Service BC.
- Keep receipts for anything you spend.
Longer recovery
- Rebuild the kit one item at a time again. Nothing was wasted — you learned what mattered.
☎️ 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
- Start with information, not shopping.
- Free steps come first: water containers, a charged phone, numbers on paper.
- Use food banks and outreach before a crisis day.
Step-by-step
- Start free. Information is free. Learn the basics, save clean containers for water, and keep your phone charged whenever you can.
- Write it down. Write key phone numbers on paper so you have them even if your phone dies or is lost.
- Carry small comforts. Carry snacks when you can and keep a dry pair of socks — small things that protect your body and mood.
- Use community supports. Visit food banks before you run out, and ask outreach workers, churches, and community programs for help building a kit from donated items.
- One step at a time. One item a week is still progress. There is no shame in this — you're doing the work that matters.
✅ Printable checklist
- Saved containers for water
- Phone charged when possible
- Numbers written on paper
- Snacks carried when possible
- Food bank visit before crisis
- Dry socks kept handy
- One useful item added this week