Open the emergency kit before the storm does

What the box says

Assemble your kit. Store it in a cool, dry place. Enjoy peace of mind.

The box is half right. The peace of mind lasts until the first time you open the kit and find a flashlight with a green crust where the batteries used to be.

What you will actually need

Start with the official list. Ready.gov (FEMA's public preparedness site) calls for at least a three-day supply of water, at one gallon per person per day, plus nonperishable food, a battery-powered or hand-crank radio, a flashlight, extra batteries, a first aid kit, and a manual can opener. A whistle, dust masks, and a wrench or pliers for shutting off utilities are on there too. So are copies of your important papers and a way to charge your phone.

For the checkup itself, gather these:

• A marker and masking tape for dating things
• A trash bag for what's expired
• Fresh batteries in every size the kit uses
• A pen and paper
• A phone charging cable that fits the phone you own today
• A manual can opener. This is the item everybody forgets and then drives back to the store for. Check that you own one. Check that it still bites.

The steps

1. Pick a date and empty the kit onto the floor. The clock change in spring or fall works because you'll remember it. Put everything where you can see it. You can't audit a bin you haven't opened.

Every kit has one item nobody can identify. Give it a week. If nobody claims it, it goes in the bag.

1. Water first. Count the gallons. A family of four needs twelve for the three-day minimum, and more is better if you have the room. Bottled water carries a date, so go by it. Water you bottled yourself is generally replaced every six months. Swap anything old.

1. Food second. Check every date. Move anything near its end into your regular meals this month and buy fresh replacements to put in the kit. Eat the old, buy the new. Then check that your family will actually eat what's in there. A kit full of food nobody likes is a kit people raid or ignore.

Call it emergency chili night. The kids will vote on the beans, and you'll get your most honest taste test of the year.

1. Test every light, radio and battery. Turn it on. Don't assume. Look at the battery contacts for white or green crust, which means a leak. Alkaline batteries left inside a device can do that over time, so many people store spares in a sealed bag beside the device instead. Recharge any power bank, because they lose charge sitting in a bin. Plug in your cable and make sure it fits the phone in your pocket now. If you want a backup way to get news, the radio still works when the internet doesn't.

Somewhere in there is a cable for a phone you owned in 2019. It's a fine cable. It charges nothing.

1. Check the medications and first aid supplies. Look at the dates on bandages, ointments and over-the-counter medicine. Replace what's expired. For prescriptions, ask your pharmacist or doctor how much extra you can keep on hand and how to rotate it. Don't guess about an expired medication. Ask.

1. Check the people, not just the stuff. Kids grow. Pull out the spare clothes, shoes and rain gear and see who they still fit. Check diapers, formula, glasses, pet food, and anything for an older relative who lives with you. If your parents live on their own, think through what they'd need before a three-day outage.

The jacket my wife packed for our youngest fit him beautifully two winters ago. She'd put "check sizes" on the lid in her handwriting. I'd read it and filed it under someday.

1. Refresh the paper. Put copies of IDs, insurance cards and key phone numbers in a waterproof bag. Add small bills, since card readers go down with the power. Think about cash you can actually reach.

1. Repack and date it. Write today's date on the lid with the marker. Write the next check date under it. Then put that date on the calendar on your phone, the one you really look at.

One safety rule, stated flat: never run a camp stove, charcoal grill or generator indoors, in a garage or near a window. They produce carbon monoxide, which you can't see or smell. Keep fuel out of the living space, and check local rules on how much you can store.

Where it goes wrong

The kit gets raided. The flashlight walks to the garage. The duct tape ends up on a school project. Fix it with a labeled spot and one house rule: borrow from the kit, restock it the same day. Return it better than you found it.

The batteries leak anyway. It happens even when you do everything right. Keep spares sealed in a bag, check them at every review, and throw out any that look swollen or crusty.

You do it once and never again. Most kits fail this way, and that's a calendar problem. Put the next check date on the lid and on your phone. If you want a kit built for the way a family really lives, the seventy-two hour kit your family will actually use is a good place to start.

When to call a pro

Your pharmacist can tell you how to handle medication storage and expiration. Your doctor should weigh in on anything involving infants, chronic conditions or specialized equipment.

Your local emergency management office, usually run through your county, can tell you which hazards your area really faces and where the shelters are. Your fire department can help with smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.

Rules on fuel storage and generators vary by city and county, so check yours before you stock up.