The shelter-in-place kit behind our survival facts
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In our story DON'T OPEN THE DOOR, the narrator has 39 cans and 3 gallons of water. Here's what the official guidance says that apartment was missing.
1. Food-grade water containers (1 gallon per person per day)
Ready.gov says store at least 1 gallon per person per day for several days. The story's 3 gallons cover one person for 3 days, and no more (fact #2).
Source: ready.gov/water
Find water containers2. A manual can opener
It's on Ready.gov's basic kit list, and 39 cans are useless without one (fact #8).
Source: ready.gov/kit
Find a manual can opener3. A battery or hand-crank NOAA weather radio
When phones and power fail, it's how the alerts still reach you. It's on Ready.gov's basic kit list.
Source: ready.gov/kit
Find a NOAA radio4. Appliance thermometers for the fridge and freezer
A closed fridge keeps food safe for about 4 hours (fact #7). The USDA's power-outage guidance says to keep appliance thermometers in the fridge and freezer so you know the temperature instead of guessing. Never taste food to check it.
Source: foodsafety.gov
Find appliance thermometers5. Plastic sheeting and duct tape
Both are on Ready.gov's basic kit list, for sealing a room when you're told to shelter in place (fact #9).
Source: ready.gov/shelter, ready.gov/kit
Find plastic sheeting6. A whistle and dust masks
A whistle signals for help without shouting, and dust masks filter contaminated air. Both are on the basic kit list.
Source: ready.gov/kit
Find an emergency whistle7. A flashlight, extra batteries and a first-aid kit
They're the boring core of every official kit list, and the first things people realize they can't find in the dark.
Source: ready.gov/kit
Find a first-aid kit8. A backup power bank and a corded phone
Cordless home phones and VoIP lines die in an outage without a battery. The FCC suggests keeping charged backup power for your phone (fact #10).
Source: fcc.gov/emergency
Find a power bank9. Unscented household bleach and a dropper
CDC: 8 drops of unscented 5-9% bleach per gallon of clear water, stir, then wait 30 minutes (fact #4). Check the label: scented, color-safe or "splash-less" bleach won't work. Boiling is still better (fact #5), and neither fixes chemical or fuel contamination (fact #6).
Source: cdc.gov water emergency
Find a dropperThis is general preparedness information, not a replacement for instructions from your local authorities: in a real emergency, follow them first. The story on this site is AI-generated fiction by Cliffhanger Studio. Checked 2026-10-23.