Plainly Prepared
Make a plan your household can follow, then build the kit that fits it.
Start with the family emergency plan, then build out the kit that fits your household. Plainly Prepared turns official guidance into plain steps, without the alarm-siren tone.
Plans & Evacuation
Family Emergency Plan: A Simple Step-by-Step Guide
Build a family emergency plan in five steps, with a free printable checklist you can fill in at the kitchen table.
Read it →Start with our picks
7 picks
7 Prepper Supplies to Buy First, Plus the Full List by Category in 2026
A calm prepper supplies list built from official guidance: water, food, light, power, first aid, tools and documents, with seven picks that fill common gaps.
6 picks
6 Best Emergency Radios for Storms and Outages in 2026
What an emergency radio needs for storms and outages: NOAA weather alerts, more than one power source and a sound you can hear. Six real picks and how they differ.
6 picks
6 Car Kit Emergency Supplies to Keep in Your Car in 2026
The car kit emergency supplies Ready.gov lists, what to add for winter and evacuation traffic, and six real picks for a car kit that fits your trunk.
6 picks
6 Emergency Preparedness Products Worth Buying First in 2026
Six emergency preparedness products that fill the gaps in a basic kit, matched to the official Ready.gov and Red Cross supply lists.
6 picks
6 Water Storage Containers for Emergencies, by Size in 2026
Food-grade water storage containers from 5-gallon jugs to 55-gallon barrels and bathtub bladders, with official rules on how much to store and when to replace it.
6 picks
6 Portable Water Filter Picks for Emergencies and Trips in 2026
How a portable water filter works, what the CDC says it can and cannot remove, and six filters compared: straws, squeeze filters, a pump filter and a gravity bag.
Browse by topic
Plans & Evacuation
Evacuation Planning: Guides for Every Household
3 buying guides
Hurricane
4 Emergency Hurricane Kit Essentials to Buy Before the Season in 2026
Water Storage
5 Rain Water Barrel and Water Storage Picks, Plus Setup in 2026
10 buying guides
Earthquake
4 Emergency Kit for Earthquake Essentials to Buy First in 2026
Plans & Evacuation
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Evacuation Planning: Guides for Every Household Start here: build a family emergency plan, then work through the evacuation guides that match your household. -
5 Preparedness Supplies That Back Up Your Plan and Kit in 2026 What household preparedness means, the three official basics, and five supplies that close the most common gaps. - 6 Emergency Preparedness Products Worth Buying First in 2026 Six emergency preparedness products that fill the gaps in a basic kit, matched to the official Ready.gov and Red Cross supply lists.
- 7 Prepper Supplies to Buy First, Plus the Full List by Category in 2026 A calm prepper supplies list built from official guidance: water, food, light, power, first aid, tools and documents, with seven picks that fill common gaps.
Water Storage
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5 Rain Water Barrel and Water Storage Picks, Plus Setup in 2026 What a rain water barrel is good for, why its water is not for drinking untreated, three barrel picks, and how it fits with stored drinking water and filters. -
3 Options for a 1000 Gallon Water Storage Tank and What It Takes in 2026 What a 1000 gallon water storage tank weighs, where it can go, how rigid tanks compare with bladders, and three large-capacity options. -
3 Underground Water Storage Tanks: Pros, Limits and Options in 2026 How underground water storage tanks and cisterns work, when a buried tank beats one above ground, what installation involves, and three options to compare. -
4 Best Water Purification Tablets for Emergency Kits in 2026 The best water purification tablets for go-bags and home kits: chlorine and iodine tablets compared, what the CDC says each kills, and how to use them.
Radios
All 6 →- 6 Best Emergency Radios for Storms and Outages in 2026 What an emergency radio needs for storms and outages: NOAA weather alerts, more than one power source and a sound you can hear. Six real picks and how they differ.
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5 Best Hand Crank Radios and What to Expect From One in 2026 What a hand crank radio can and cannot do in a long outage, and five crank radios with NOAA weather band compared by size and power. -
5 Best Weather Radios for Home Alerts and Outages in 2026 The best weather radio depends on whether it has to wake you or keep you informed. Five NOAA weather radios compared, plus what SAME coding does. -
5 Midland Weather Radios and Which Job Each One Fits in 2026 Midland weather radio models sorted by use: SAME alert radios for the bedside and crank radios for the kit, with the features Midland lists for each.
Car Kits
All 5 →- 6 Car Kit Emergency Supplies to Keep in Your Car in 2026 The car kit emergency supplies Ready.gov lists, what to add for winter and evacuation traffic, and six real picks for a car kit that fits your trunk.
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4 Auto Transfer Switch Picks: How They Work and Which Type You Need in 2026 What an auto transfer switch does for backup power, how it differs from a manual switch, why backfeeding is dangerous, and four picks from standby to RV. -
4 Car Kit Essentials: A Simple Build-It-Yourself Emergency List in 2026 How to build a car kit for emergencies from items you own plus a few buys: Ready.gov's list, what to add by season, and four picks to fill the gaps. -
5 Best Car Emergency Kits and What to Add in 2026 The best car emergency kit is a pre-made roadside kit plus the people supplies it leaves out. Five picks compared, and a checklist of what to add.
Hurricane
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4 Emergency Hurricane Kit Essentials to Buy Before the Season in 2026 What actually belongs in a hurricane kit, sized to how long you may be without power or water, plus four picks that cover the gaps. -
Florida Hurricane Preparedness: What's Different Here What Florida households need beyond a general hurricane kit: evacuation zones, storm surge, and the state's own alert system. -
Hurricane Preparedness Items: The Full Checklist Every hurricane preparedness item worth having, grouped by what it actually solves, not just a long undifferentiated list. -
Hurricane Safety Tips: Before, During, and After What matters at each stage of a hurricane: the days before, the hours during, and the first days after.
Earthquake
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4 Emergency Kit for Earthquake Essentials to Buy First in 2026 Four picks that fix what a general kit misses for earthquake risk, plus what to do during and after the shaking. -
What to Do During an Earthquake: A Full Readiness Guide The full before, during, and after picture: fix home hazards, build a household plan, and know the short version of the response. -
What to Do in an Earthquake: A Safety Checklist Drop, cover, and hold on, plus what changes indoors, outdoors, driving, in bed, and at work.