What the official guidance says, and where it stops
The Government of Canada asks every household to be self-sufficient for at least 72 hours. American agencies go further for supplies kept at home: the American Red Cross suggests two weeks, and the CDC says to try to store a two-week supply of water if possible. We have not found a Canadian or American government recommendation for 30 days or more, and we do not describe our longer supplies as recommended by anyone.
Long disruptions do happen. After the 1998 ice storm some customers were without power for about five weeks. A deeper supply also covers ordinary life: a job loss, an illness, a stretch when getting to the shops is difficult.
Build in layers
Complete each layer before starting the next. A household with two solid weeks of supplies is better placed than one with a year of food and no water.
- 72 hours: water, food, light, a radio, first aid and medications for everyone. If you are starting here, use the kit finder.
- 14 days at home: the first long-term target, and the one with official support. Home Base 14 is designed as this layer for up to four people.
- 30 days and beyond: add food by total calories, and move from stored water to stored water plus treatment. Add sanitation, backup power and printed or offline reference material.
Water, food and the things people leave out
Water is the hard limit. At the federal figure of 4 litres per person per day, four people need 224 litres for two weeks. Beyond that, most homes cannot store enough, so you need a known source and a dependable way to filter and disinfect it. See water disruptions.
Compare long-term food by calories per day, not by servings. Serving sizes vary widely between brands, and a bucket labelled with a large serving count can hold surprisingly little food. Our pantry supplies are sized at about 2,100 kcal per person per day, in line with the humanitarian planning figure. Dried and freeze-dried foods also need water to prepare, which comes out of your water budget.
Then there is everything that is not food: a sanitation plan for when the toilet does not flush, a way to wash, prescription medications, a means of cooking that is safe where you intend to use it, and something to keep people occupied. Reference material that works with no internet earns its place too. The Offline Vault holds English Wikipedia and other references on a single drive.
Common mistakes
Long-term supplies fail quietly, in storage.
- Buying a year of food before two weeks of water.
- Storing food your household will not eat. Try a pouch of each type before buying in quantity.
- Keeping supplies in a hot garage or attic. Shelf-life figures assume cool, dry storage, and heat shortens them considerably.
- Reading shelf life as a single number. Food may keep for decades while batteries, medications and water tablets in the same kit last only a few years. Put a review date on the calendar.
- Planning indoor cooking around camp stoves. Fuel-burning outdoor equipment produces carbon monoxide and must be used outside.
- Skipping the plan. Supplies do not help if nobody else in the house knows where they are or how to use them.