I checked various websites – including the CDC – and compiled a list of preparation materials.

These are real concerns.  In the “snowmaggedon” of 2018 in East Texas, a friend ran to Wal-Mart for some things.   Keep in mind that this was less than an inch of snow one night and the below freezing weather only last for 2 days.  This is an actual photo of shelves on day 2.  A good friend of mine is an inventory manager for Brookshires.  With NORMAL usage, he predicts 3 days or so before the shelves would be essentially empty, if trucks weren’t able to bring restock.

3 days.

Normal usage.  Think your plan to just stock up if we knew something were coming would be effective?

Preparation List
Be prepared to take kids out of school… and to be prepared to have another option in case childcare or schools are shut down.

Be prepared for banking and credit services to be down… so you may need to use cash as things escalate into crisis.

Public places may quickly become unsafe, especially in large cities.  Even being just a few days ahead of the masses can be huge… but if you have to go into public places, be cautious, especially if it is an epidemic.  Have an option other than public transportation.

Create a Family communication plan.  The chances of being all together when you realize the time has come to act is unlikely.  Cell service may be interrupted.  Know where you will meet.  Know where you will leave notes in case you get separated.

Given this fact, that we are likely to not be home, where we are safest when a crisis hits, I believe it is wise to have a”get home” bag in your vehicles.  This bag is exclusively to give you to tools to get from those places 20 or less miles from home, to home.

Consider footwear.  You may be wearing dress shows inappropriate for walking miles home if you car is not functioning.  Think some water, some food, maybe something to sleep in (most people unprepared will be pretty lucky to walk more than 12 miles in a day).  Light sources, some very basic first aid, socks, maybe some rain gear.  Of course, a knife or multi-tool is a good idea as well.

Honestly, you know yourself best.  Consider if you needed to walk home from work or town, how long would it take you… and what would you need?  Incidentally, if you don’t think you could walk home from your work or where you spend a lot of time, I recommend getting in the shape that would allow you to do so.

At Home:
Stock at least two weeks of water and non-perishable food items. A month is better.  Remember everyone in your home.  Obviously a year is even better, but that is quite a commitment financially and in storage.

Water:  According to ready.gov you need about a gallon of water per person per day.  You can survive on less for a long time, but that is best.  That is quite a bit!  In my family of 7, it’s 35-50 gallons a week.  Though, if you have access to another source of water, you can purchase or make some pretty good filters for that water.  Further, bleach, purification tablets, and boiling (a rolling boil for 2 minutes) can also make water much more safe.  Very little natural source water is safe without purification in the US.

Food:   if you knew for sure that you were going to need food for the next two weeks, starting today, this might be easy.  Dry cereal, canned foods, peanut butter, cans of juice, dried fruit, etc are all good choices.  However, most of even these expire in weeks, or in the case of canned good – about a year.  Another option to consider is MRE’s (meals ready to eat) which typically last about 5 years safely.  Maybe best of all is Freeze dried food, which can last for as long as 25 years.  And, honey lasts essentially forever 😉

You will need to take into account preparation of the food – you will need a way to heat most foods… avoid eating raw meats in particular.

And you may need to stock up on some salt for multiple purposes.

Other supplies:

Medical needs: (obviously all prescription meds that are life-and-death – I would think at least two months of these would be a good idea if you can convince your doctor to do it.)  medicine for fevers, pain relief, anti-diarrheal etc.

Heat – if you live in an area that has cold conditions, or if you think conditions might change, you should keep in mind fire, blankets, sleeping bags, etc.

Others:  can opener (manual), garbage bags, vitamins, thermometer, cleansing supplies, soap, alcohol cleansers,  fire starters, gas for grills (never use a grill indoors), batteries, flashlights, portable radio (hand cranked or solar powered are good), good knives and tools.

Next levels would include firearms, ammo, a generator… and then things can go on as far as you want to be taken…  but that is beyond my interests for this article. Carefully research these (easily done online at this point) items before purchasing them. The wrong one could be a train wreck.

I imagined a scenario in which I had short warning before an event.  What would I run to grab from the stores?  I think in that moment, I would not be able to think well or strategically – so I created a list and have it handy.  Storing a piece of paper in the car isn’t that tough.  I recommend you create your list and do the same. My list is available upon request, but it changes too often to post it here.

I am editing this after Winter Storm Uri of 2021. If the relatively minor damage of Covid 19 pandemic (compared to a much worse pandemic) and the near miss of the US power grid facing Uri doesn’t motivate you to get more prepared, then I am not sure how to help. If you are motivated, you might keep researching here.