Emergency Preparedness Guide

Preparedness is not panic. It means having the basics at home to get through a few days without running water, electricity, a payment system, or the ability to leave, which is what happens during a flood, blackout, transportation strike, or supply crisis. The official minimum target is 3 days (72 hours). Ideally, a household should have 7 to 14 days, built up gradually with what you already consume.

Calculator · People Days

Water

Allow 4 liters per person per day: 2 for drinking and 2 for cooking and hygiene. Pets count too.
Store sealed bottled water (gallons or bottles) in a cool, dark place. Observe the expiration date and rotate your supply: use the oldest items first and replace them.
To treat water from a questionable source: boil it for 1 minute, or use 2.5% sodium hypochlorite (2 drops per liter and wait 30 minutes), according to guidance from Brazil's Ministry of Health (applies to Brazil).
Have a clay or gravity-fed water filter, which works without electricity.

Food

Build your stock with what the family already eats, so you can rotate it without waste: first in, first out.
Prefer items that do not need refrigeration and require little water and little gas: rice, beans, pasta, oats, powdered milk, canned tuna and sardines, canned meat, nuts, peanut butter, crackers, dried fruit, salt, sugar, oil, and coffee.
Include ready-to-eat food for days without gas: canned goods that can be eaten cold and cereal bars.
Have a manual can opener and a camping stove with a gas canister. Stoves and generators must be used only outdoors and in ventilated areas, never inside the home.
Remember special needs: infant formula, foods for restricted diets, and pet food.
Buy gradually. Panic buying empties shelves and harms everyone, including you.

Medications

For medications taken continuously: try to maintain a 30-day reserve, after discussing it with your doctor. Keep copies of prescriptions.
Write down each person's medication list, including dosage and schedule, as well as allergies.
Basic items: pain reliever and fever reducer, antihistamine, oral rehydration solution, medicine for nausea and diarrhea (with guidance), burn ointment, and insect repellent.
Check expiration dates every 6 months and follow storage conditions (temperature, light, and humidity).

First aid

Kit: gauze, bandages, adhesive tape, adhesive bandages, disposable gloves, saline solution, antiseptic, blunt-tip scissors, tweezers, thermometer, thermal blanket, and PFF2 masks.
A tourniquet is useful only with training. Take a first-aid course (Brazilian Red Cross, Fire Department, or SENAC; Brazilian organizations): it is the item that saves the most lives.
Phone numbers in Brazil: SAMU 192, Fire Department 193, Civil Defense 199, Police 190 (Brazil-specific emergency numbers).

Power and lighting

LED flashlights (one per person) and spare batteries. Avoid candles: they cause fires during blackouts.
Portable chargers (power banks) kept fully charged. A small solar panel helps during a prolonged power outage.
Battery- or hand-crank-powered AM/FM radio: during an internet and cellphone blackout, the radio continues receiving official announcements.
An uninterruptible power supply for the router and modem keeps the internet running for a few hours when the power goes out.

Communication and technology

Sign up for Civil Defense alerts: send an SMS with your ZIP code (numbers only) to 40199. It is free and accepts multiple ZIP codes, such as for home and work. You can also sign up through WhatsApp at (61) 2034-4611. Defesa Civil Alerta reaches your cellphone based on location, without registration, and the SMS provides additional coverage (Brazil-specific Civil Defense services).
Keep important contacts written on paper, because your cellphone may run out of battery.
Make a plan with your family: who will pick up the children, the meeting point, and a contact in another city to centralize news.
Digitize documents and keep a copy in the cloud and on an encrypted flash drive. Enable two-step verification for email and banking.
Download maps for offline use on your cellphone.
Be skeptical of alarming messages without a source. Before forwarding them, check an official channel.

Money and documents

Have some cash in small bills. Pix and cards stop working when there is no electricity or internet.
Prepare a waterproof folder with copies of your RG, CPF, driver's license, certificates, deeds, policies, prescriptions, vaccination cards, and firearm records, if applicable.
Keep the car's fuel tank above half full at all times.

Hygiene and sanitation

Toilet paper, soap, hand sanitizer, menstrual pads, diapers, toothbrushes, and toothpaste.
Heavy-duty garbage bags and lidded buckets are useful when there is no water for flushing.
Bleach can be used to disinfect surfaces.

Tools and survival supplies

Multi-tool knife, heavy-duty adhesive tape (duct tape), rope, lighter and matches in a plastic bag, whistle, rain poncho, blankets, and zip bags.
A fire extinguisher within its expiration date, and know how to use it.
Go-bag, one per person: water, 72 hours of food, medications, flashlight, charger, copies of documents, money, clothing, and the first-aid kit.

Fuel and mobility

Do not store gasoline at home: it is dangerous and subject to regulations. If essential, use only a certified container, in a small quantity and in a ventilated place, away from heat sources.
A generator must be operated only outside the house, because of the risk of carbon monoxide.
A well-maintained bicycle is reliable transportation during a fuel crisis.

Firearms and ammunition: law and safety

Official civil protection guides do not include weapons in the emergency kit. In a crisis, the priority is to avoid confrontation and follow the authorities.
In Brazil, Law 10.826/2003 (Disarmament Statute) and its decrees distinguish possession (keeping the firearm at home or at work, with registration) from carrying (carrying it with specific authorization). A firearm without valid registration is a crime. (Brazil-specific law.)
For those who already have legal possession or carrying authorization: keep the registration (CRAF) and authorization valid, and check with the Federal Police (SINARM) or the Army (SIGMA) for the ammunition limits currently in effect. (Brazil-specific agencies and systems.)
Store the firearm in a locked safe, separately from the ammunition, out of reach of children and visitors. Most accidents happen at home.
Without carrying authorization, transport the firearm unloaded, in a case, with the required transport permit.
Train and refresh your skills periodically at an accredited club or range. Never display the firearm or use it to "protect your stock" in public.

Pets

Seven days of food and water, medications, a carrier, an identification collar, and vaccination records.

What not to do

Buy in a panic or speculate with products in short supply.
Forward an alarming audio message or text without a source.
Go to risk areas to watch or film.
Use a generator, camping stove, or barbecue indoors.
Store fuel in an improvised manner.