100 Items That Will Disappear In An Emergency
These are at least 100 items that will disappear in an emergency at the very least at your local grocery or big box store. Can you picture the empty store shelves after a disaster? I have seen them after a flooding episode here in Southern Utah. Luckily, only the bottled water shelves were empty, but you can imagine if we had a major emergency. I’m hoping as you read this list you will think of the things that you will want to stock in your home so you are better prepared. You don’t have to store everything on this list, just the things that you would miss if the roads and highways shut down.
There may be over the counter medications and personal hygiene products, to name a few. We sometimes think we will stock up next month, I get it, I really do. I get nervous when I get down to three cases of toilet paper from Costco.
Yes, I have both cloth wipes and baby wipes. But what if the water is turned off for days or possibly weeks. Please visualize the grocery store near your home totally empty in two hours, yes two hours. On the news today they showed the shelves at a store in Hawaii with storm Lane on its way to the islands. Yes, the shelves were empty. YIKES! My point is this, please do not be one of those families that must stand in line to get water bottles from the city or country building.
Disappear In An Emergency
- Water Bottles
- Water Filters
- Matches (strike anywhere type)
- Diapers
- Baby Wipes
- Diaper Rash Ointment
- Toilet Paper
- Kleenex
- Menstrual Supplies
- Monistat (yeast infections)
- Cranberry Vitamins (UTI infections)
- Toothpaste/Toothbrushes
- Haircare Supplies
- Canned Food
- Frozen Food
- Dog Food
- Flashlights
- Batteries
- Coffee
- Alcohol
- Charcoal
- Gasoline Containers
- Coleman Fuel
- Coleman Stoves/Cooking Stoves
- Propane Canisters
- Hand Can Openers
- Honey/Sugar/White and Brown
- Yeast
- Wheat
- Wheat Grinder
- Large silver bowl to make bread
- Pancake Mix (or supplies to make from scratch)
- Baking Supplies (flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, etc.)
- Spices
- Wash Buckets/Washing Supplies
- Vitamins
- Aluminum Foil
- Garbage Bags
- Baggies
- Paper Towels
- Laundry Soap
- Hand Soap
- Kitchen Sink Soap
- Ajax/Comet
- Sink Scrubber
- Instant Milk
- Clothespins/Clotheslines
- Fire Extinguishers
- Insulated Ice Chests
- Duct Tape
- Cast Iron Pans
- Cast Iron Pan Scrubber
- Tarps/Tents/Shelters
- Sleeping Bags
- Carbon Monoxide Alarms (batteries)
- Candles
- Garden Tools
- Scissors and Sewing Supplies
- Bleach
- Mousetraps/Ant Traps/Roach Spray
- Board Games/Card Games
- Paper Plates/Paper Bowls/Paper Cups
- Plastic Silverware
- Shaving Cream/Shavers
- Hand Pumps
- Bicycle tires/pumps
- Reading Glasses
- First Aid Supplies
- Medical Handbook Survival Handbook
- Wool Socks
- Wool Blankets
- Scarves/Mittens/Warm Gloves
- Popcorn
- Peanut Butter and Jam
- Macaroni and Cheese
- Nuts
- Underwear
- Wagons
- Cots and Inflatable Mattresses
- Candles
- Vegetable Oil
- Chocolate
- Handkerchiefs
- Solar battery charger
- Pliers and wire
- Hand Crank Radio
- Prescriptions (please try and get a 90-day supply)
- Cash, small bills and coins
- Shoe Laces
- Dutch Ovens (you can never have too many)
- Lip Gloss/Chapstick
- Essential Oils
- Vicks VapoRub
- Steel Wool
- Sandpaper
- Lumber
- Hand-crank tools
- Food
- Bread
- Crackers
Here’s the deal, there are so many items that will disappear in an emergency or disaster. This is just a list of 100 items. Tell me things that you would add to this list. Thanks for being prepared for the unexpected. May God bless you and your family to have the basics in your home when you need them. A reader told me about these:
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Thank you Linda, I didn’t think about Monistat, but vinegar could work in a pinch. I also bought two solar showers, to fill put in the sun and then shower with.
Hi Janet, thanks for the tip on vinegar for Monistat, great one!! I need to buy a solar shower, great reminder. Thanks so much!!!! Linda
Linda, I’m assuming your very comprehensive list was in random order rather than order of importance. I mean, chocolate at number 82???? Get real, woman! Lol Seriously, a list that should be posted on every pantry door. Thanks!
Hi Linda, I should have put chocolate at #1!!! LOL! Thank you, my friend!!! Linda
In your recently posted lists, unless I missed them, you have not addressed heating, as in staying warm. Would it not be a good idea to have a couple of kerosene heaters? You can use them indoors and with a few drops of a treatment, the kerosene has a shelf life of many years. You can store kerosene in your basement and garage. You can use it in lamps and a kerosene Coleman lantern. Several generations of my family have used these, both at home and in recreational cabins.
Hi John, great reminder about heating, sometimes I’m writing at 2:00 a.m. and forget all the things I have in my mind. I wrote about them in my book, great tip!! Linda
Nylon dog and cat collars disappear here when we have a hurricane in the Gulf. Plain colored ones that can have a contact number put on with indelible or permanent markers go fast. We personally have several for putting on our goats, as well as each of our cats and dog. I also snap 2 together to put on the horse. I reapply the contact info each year, as the permanent marker does fade over time.
Markers, both permanent & paint markers seem to get scarce, too. I’ve taken to stocking up at back to school sales gor the next year’s use.
Hi BDN, this is a great comment!! I never thought about collars for goats or horses!!! I’m with you on permanent and paint markers! You can never have too many! Love this comment! Linda
Great list, Linda. I’d also encourage folks to think about dual purpose uses. For example, I might skip over diaper rash cream as I have no children at home but diaper rash cream is often zinc which is great for all kinds of rashes on little people and grown ups in the most delicate of places.
Make a game of finding a second use for items. (But be careful, this skill can be a curse as well as a talent as it’s hard to throw anything away as everything becomes a resource. I remember a time when we bought a new gas bar-b-que and were taking the old one to the dump. As we lifted the unit up into the pick up, I had a thought and by the look on my face, my husband knew that bbq would never make it to the dump so out it came. We took off the cooking unit and replaced the top with a scrap piece of plywood. That new ‘table’ has been used for everything from potting plants, to cutting fish, to a paint stand, to a place to make stepping stones. It’s 4′ long, rolls around on the wheels, and takes all kinds of abuse. You never know what items have a second use.)
Your columns are always food for thought.
Oh, Debbie, I LOVE your comment! The barbecue story is a great way to recycle items that no longer work. I would love a 4-foot table with wheels!!! Dual purpose is always on my mind as well. Love it! Linda
My friend told me she keeps a spare pair of reading glasses in her “go bags”, and few more in storage. For those of us that need reading glasses, it is vitally important.
Hi, Linda, I’m always afraid my glasses will break and I won’t be able to see. At least with some reading glasses, I can at least read a book! Linda
I have read a lot of lists about what to have, and yours is the only one with handkerchiefs. I wonder why people have not thought of how to wipe their drippy noses? I have lots of bandanas, as well as some nice white handkerchiefs for special occasions. Bought them at Walmart for $1 each.
I have enough toilet tissue for the household for two weeks, but have the coin tissues (search term for Amazon or Walmart.com) for an end of the world disaster.
Hi, Angela, I put handkerchiefs because I always have a runny nose it seems. LOL! A reader just told me about those coin tissues, I bought a bag from Amazon. Great tip! They take up so little space!! Linda
I have been making hankies out of flannel fat quarters and a rolled hem on my serger. I have pretty much stopped using paper products with the exception of TP. I now cut up old T-shirts and serge the cut edges to use where I would normally use paper towels. Of course, in an emergency situation where water for washing cloth might be a premium, paper towels and tissues for the drippy nose will be easier on the stress.
I would add to the matches: try to find “strike anywhere” matches. I found my latest batch at Ace Hardware. They are more convenient for carrying small supplies rather than the whole box.
As for glasses, I always keep my most recent old glasses for emergencies. They will work for me in a pinch.
We should all have a well stocked first aid kit as those will also go fast. I have an herbal first aid kit, standard first aid kit and an essential oil first aid kit. To all of that, I have added additional boxes of gauze pads, ace bandages in various lengths and widths, additional bandaging tape and anything else that I think I would use up quickly. I also have a couple of boxes of disposable gloves – they are so handy for protecting your hands when doing first aid but can also be filled with water and kept cold in the cooler for ice packs.
Everyone should have at least one hot water bottle – this can be used for hot or cold water depending on what you need. I have one I keep in the freezer with water/alcohol mixture for large area ice packs; one for cold water just to cool off and one for hot water. I would suggest getting one with a cloth covering for all but the just to cool off bottle!
Once you have decided to get all these things, do like Debbie Mc – determine what other uses things have. Not just for those things that are going to be thrown out and you decide on a repurpose, but there are many things on the list that can have multiple uses. For example: many menstrual supplies (sanitary pads and tampons) have uses for first aid as well as their intended use. Popcorn can be a snack or ground for making corn bread/corn meal. Paper plates can also be used as a craft supply for kids. And the list can go on.
If you have kids or grandkids that will be included for using your list, be sure to include crafts, small toys and games.
Hi Leanne, I just added strike anywhere to the matches, great reminder. I recently bought a couple of water bottles as well. Great tip!! Thank you for your awesome comment today!! I can tell you are one prepared woman!! I LOVE it! Linda
While I try very hard to be prepared, I know that there are lots of things I still need to do! I don’t think I will know how well prepared or ill-prepared I am until something major happens.
Having been through the last two hurricanes to come through Florida, I can tell you stuff goes FAST! Yes, water is the very first thing to go, but next is basically everything in the bread aisle. Then the milk. But grocery stores do try hard to restock them throughout the week so usually if you go first thing in the mornings, you can get some (but I wouldn’t recommend having to try). Honestly, wheat and a wheat grinder would not be on anyone’s radar. People don’t have the skills to use them anymore. Ready-made snacks like granola bars and chips go because people want their comfort foods. The hardest thing to try to get your hands on the week before a hurricane are flashlights/lanterns, tarps, plywood, and most of all, a generator! Fuel for said generator and propane are also scarce. There were places here in Florida without power for WEEKS! And it was HOT! We were lucky to only go without it for a day but many were not so lucky. Depending on where you are, power may not be an issue, but here in hot Florida (and on a well for water), some form of electricity is important!
Hi Carole, oh thank you so much for sharing your experience. My readers would love to hear this!!!! I’m sad that people no longer use wheat, I had to laugh at your comment, “it’s not on their radar” That is so true!!! I still grind my wheat and make freshly ground bread. I realize I am the minority. I’m so glad you only had to go one day without electricity. What a great learning experience. I wish I had a whole house generator but it’s way too far out of my budget. I do have a solar generator that I’m thankful to have. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts on living through two hurricanes. Be safe, Linda
Our family does not have a need for infant diapers. However, we do have the need for adult disposable underwear. If there are elderly members of your family, the adult underwear, bed underpads, adult wipes and disposable gloves may be a life saver. Also that wonderful diaper cream with zinc in it can be used here, too!
Hi Carol, great comment! I have two cases of straws for the elderly as well. Good tip on the adult disposable underwear, underpads, adult wipes, and gloves. Love it! Linda
Thanks for the reminder about the straws! Sippy cups might be in order as well. They would take less maintenance than worrying about straws all of the time. I kept one that dad had when he was in rehab. Another option is double handled mugs.
Hi, Carol, sippy cups would be great as well. I like the idea of a double handled mug too!! Linda
Having lived in Florida thru many a hurricane. I learned cast iron and a charcoal grill. As a kid I never worried about as my Daddy was a pretty prepared guy. He grew up Mennonite on a farm. The first time as an adult I had to relearn it. I learned all those fancy electric gadgets were useless. Also a propane grill is useless if you’re doing without an extended period of time. A charcoal grillcan use charcoal or any kind of wood.
Aslo when my late husband was first medically retired I learned to have a large supply of various herbs and spices. We were extremely short on money as it took 9 months for them to finally approve his medical retirement. He was not allowed to work at his job because of his health but also could not take another job for the same reason. The government takes a long time. He was a federal police officer. I learned even though we had to eat a lot of cheap hamburger and wild game it did not have to taste the same every time.
Hi Susie, it’s really too bad that the government takes so long to do their job right. It’s so frustrating, it’s crazy that it took nine months for them to get it right. Geez!!! I’m with you on the gas barbecue, it’s pretty much useless so charcoal and a grill or firepit will suffice. I can tell you are a survivor, you’re daddy taught you right! Awesome comment! Linda