# Emergency Preparedness Plan — Household of 4
**Household:** 2 adults, 1 child (age 8), 1 dog (40 lbs), 1 adult on daily medication
**Region:** Pacific Northwest — earthquake, wildfire smoke, winter ice storms, multi-day power outages
**Current level:** scattered flashlights, 2 days of food, no formal plan
**Budget:** $600 over 90 days
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## Water Math
- Baseline: 1 gallon per person per day (drinking + sanitation)
- Dog: 0.5 gallons per day
- **72-hour target:** 4 people × 3 days × 1 gal = 12 gal + 1.5 gal dog = **13.5 gallons**
- **2-week target:** **63 gallons** (use 5-gal jugs or WaterBOB for bathtub at first warning)
- **30-day target:** add a manual-pump water filter rated for 10,000+ gallons ($60-90)
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## Food Math
- 2,000 cal/day/adult, 1,600 cal/day/child → ~7,600 cal/day household
- **72-hour target:** shelf-stable food covering 22,800 calories
- **2-week target:** ~106,000 calories — mix of canned (40%), freeze-dried (30%), and rotating pantry (30%)
- **30-day target:** add a manual can opener, camp stove with 8 fuel canisters
Sample 72-hour food box: peanut butter (40oz), canned chicken (8 cans), instant oats (2 lbs), dried fruit (2 lbs), granola bars (24), hard cheese, shelf-stable milk, trail mix, electrolyte tablets.
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## Medical & Prescription Plan
- **Refill strategy:** request a 90-day prescription fill every 30 days so you always have 60+ days on hand (insurance permitting). Ask your doctor about emergency early refills.
- **First aid:** stocked kit for 4 people, trauma shears, tourniquet (CAT brand), SAM splint, blister care, children's Tylenol and Benadryl dosing chart laminated.
- **Health documents:** current med list with dosages, allergies, insurance cards, pharmacy contacts — printed, not just on phones.
- **Glasses:** backup pair of prescription glasses in the go-bag.
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## Communication Plan (when networks fail)
1. **Out-of-state contact:** a relative or friend in a different region who every family member knows by heart. Local lines fail; long-distance often still works.
2. **Meeting points:** two — one inside the neighborhood (the big oak at the park), one outside (grandparents' house in the next town).
3. **Radios:** one hand-crank NOAA weather radio, two GMRS handhelds (get the license — $35 covers whole family for 10 years).
4. **Laminated card** in each backpack with: out-of-state contact, meeting points, home address, medical info.
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## Document & Cash Prep
- **Waterproof document pouch** with copies of: IDs, passports, birth certificates, home insurance, car titles, marriage cert, pet vaccination records, 2 recent photos of each family member
- **Cash:** $500 in small bills ($20s and smaller) — ATMs and card readers fail first
- **Thumb drive** with encrypted scans of everything above, plus key photos
- One physical copy with a trusted out-of-state family member
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## 90-Day Phased Shopping Plan ($600 budget)
### Month 1 — Foundation ($200)
- 13.5 gallons water ($20)
- 72-hour food box ($80)
- 2 LED lanterns + 4 headlamps ($60)
- Basic first aid kit upgrade ($40)
### Month 2 — Expansion ($200)
- Additional 50 gallons water storage ($70)
- Camp stove + 4 fuel canisters ($60)
- Hand-crank NOAA radio ($35)
- Waterproof document pouch + thumb drive ($35)
### Month 3 — Resilience ($200)
- Water filter (Big Berkey or equivalent) ($80)
- 2 GMRS handhelds + license ($75)
- Trauma/first aid upgrade (tourniquet, shears, SAM splint) ($45)
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## Quarterly Maintenance Calendar
**January:** rotate water (replace any over 6 months old), test all flashlights/lanterns, check medication expirations
**April:** rotate food box (donate anything within 6 months of expiry), test radios, practice family meeting point drill
**July:** wildfire season check — N95 masks stocked, HVAC filter upgraded, go-bags refreshed
**October:** winter storm prep — check generator fuel stabilizer, bring in outdoor gear, verify heating backup
**The #1 reason prep fails: it sits untouched for 3 years.** Put these dates in your calendar today as recurring events, or none of this matters.