Choosing emergency supplies that actually help: the grab bag, home supplies and the things people forget

The short answer

Emergency supplies are not finished the moment you buy a ready-made kit. They help most when you choose them by picturing the situations your household would actually struggle with. The most dependable items are the ones you already use every day.

Think of supplies in two parts: a grab bag you take when you evacuate, and home supplies that let you keep living at home. Then write down the things particular people cannot do without, such as glasses, regular medicine and a way to charge a phone. That alone closes many gaps.

A grab bag and home supplies do different jobs

The grab bag (the first layer) is what you carry on your back when you evacuate. The checklist published by the Prime Minister's Office and supervised by the Cabinet Office lists water, food, a torch, a portable radio, spare batteries and a phone charger, first-aid supplies, portable toilets, clothing, rainwear and valuables. Keeping it to a weight you can walk with is the realistic approach.

Home supplies (the second layer) let you keep living in a home without power or water. The same checklist calls for food and water for at least three days, ideally a week, for everyone in the household, plus everyday goods such as toilet paper, cling film, rubbish bags and water containers, and portable toilets.

There is also a small everyday kit you carry in your usual bag. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government suggests keeping items such as a phone charger, regular medicine and a copy of your medication record, cash, a portable toilet, a whistle and a headlamp in a pouch or zip bag. If disaster strikes while you are out, small items like these are what help.

Build around what you already use

The Prime Minister's Office page describes stocking ordinary food rather than special emergency products: buy a little extra, use it, and replace it. Tokyo's stockpiling guide site, Tokyo Bichiku Navi, likewise recommends buying a little more of everyday goods and using them in daily life. Enter the number, sex and age group of the people in your household and it shows suggested items and quantities.

The same idea works beyond food: spare batteries for the torch you already use, the medicine you take every day, the wet wipes you are used to. You will not hesitate over how to use them, and you will notice when they are about to expire. Food quantities and rotation are covered in detail in the column on how many days of stock to keep at home and at work.

Think by situation

Listing, for each situation, what you need at home and in your bag makes the gaps visible.

Toilets are where estimates matter most. Tokyo uses five uses per person per day for at least three days as a guide: 60 for a family of four, and ideally a week's worth. Portable toilets need no electricity or water and take little storage space. Practical tips are in the column on getting by during blackouts and water cuts.

Things people forget

Some items are on every checklist yet still go missing from real bags.

• Cash, including small change: keep a little cash, with some small denominations, for times when cashless payment does not work.
• Spare glasses: if you cannot get around without glasses, put a pair in the grab bag, even an old one.
• A note of your medicines: write down the names and doses of your medicines and your regular clinic, or include a copy of your medication record. Paper still works when your phone is dead.
• A charged power bank: power banks left in the bag often turn out to be empty. Charge them whenever you review the bag.
• Portable toilets: people stock food and water but often forget toilets.
• A headlamp: it keeps your hands free for tidying up and for night-time trips to the toilet.
• A whistle: if you are trapped, it is a way to signal where you are without having to keep shouting.

Review twice a year, on fixed dates

Without fixed dates, reviews get put off. Tying them to the twice-yearly change of seasonal clothes, for example, also lets you swap seasonal items.

• Spring (around June): take out some heat packs and heavy clothing, add sweat wipes and more drinks, and check use-by dates on water and food.
• Autumn (October to November): add blankets, heat packs and gloves, and charge or replace batteries and power banks.

Tokyo marks 19 November as Stockpiling Day and asks people to check their supplies at least once a year; timing your autumn review to that date is one option. Tape a note to the outside of the bag with the item that expires first and its date, so you can tell without opening it.

What not to rely on

Be careful with backup power chosen on price alone. The Consumer Affairs Agency advises checking, when choosing a portable power station, that the manufacturer or seller is clearly identified, that it supports collection and recycling, and that it is not subject to a recall. NITE (the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation) also reports that accidents involving portable power stations are trending upwards, and recommends checking recall information before buying lithium-ion battery products and keeping them out of hot cars and direct sunlight.

Using a portable generator indoors during a blackout risks carbon monoxide poisoning, and the Consumer Affairs Agency strongly warns against it. A ready-made kit you have never opened may not suit your household either. Open it once after buying and add what is missing. Choosing and storing power banks is covered in the column on preventing power bank fires.

Households with babies, older people or pets

The Prime Minister's Office checklist lists extras to add for particular family members.

• Babies and children: formula (including allergy formula) or liquid formula, disposable bottles, baby food, nappies, wipes, a baby carrier and children's shoes.
• Older people: regular medicine and a copy of the medication record, dentures and cleaning solution, hearing aids, a walking stick, food that is easy to eat, and adult incontinence pants.
• Women: sanitary products, opaque rubbish bags, and a personal alarm or whistle.

For pets, Miyagi Prefecture, referring to the Ministry of the Environment's guidelines, advises at least five days' food and water, ideally seven or more, with therapeutic diets and medicine as the top priority. It also lists a spare collar, a non-stretch lead, a carrier or cage, and photos of your pet on paper and on your phone. Getting pets used to their carrier in everyday life means less panic when you evacuate.

[Our household emergency supplies check]
Everyday bag: medicine, charger, portable toilet, whistle, headlamp, cash
Grab bag: water, food, radio, first aid, rainwear, copies of documents
Must-haves: spare glasses, regular medicine (__ days), medicine note
Home: water (people x 3 L x days), toilets (people x 5 uses x days)
Extras: formula / nappies / dentures / pet food (__ days)
First item to expire: ________ (month/year)
Next reviews: spring __/__ , autumn __/__