Could Your Household Make It Through the First 72 Hours?

Prepare & Recover Series — Article 3

Published during Hurricane Lowell. Storm conditions can change quickly. Visit the Central Pacific Hurricane Center and follow County emergency alerts for current official information.

The storm has passed. Your family is safe. But the road is blocked, the power is out and you do not know when help—or your next supply run—will arrive.

Could your household make it through the first 72 hours?

That question is not meant to suggest that three days of supplies is enough. Hawaiʻi emergency officials recommend preparing with at least 14 days of food, water, medication and other essentials because damaged ports, roads and utilities could disrupt supplies for much longer.

But the first 72 hours provide a useful place to begin.

Those are the hours when your household may be checking for injuries, assessing damage, conserving supplies and trying to understand what happened beyond your neighborhood.

The First Emergency May Not Be the Only Emergency

Imagine that Hurricane Lowell—or another disaster—has passed near your island.

Your home avoided major structural damage, but cellular service is unreliable. The refrigerator is warming. Tap water is unavailable or may not be safe to drink. A fallen utility pole blocks the road, and stores and gas stations are closed.

Then someone in your household realizes that an important medication is almost gone.

Another family member needs electricity for a medical device. Your elderly neighbor lives alone. Your phone battery is at 18 percent, and no one knows how long the outage will last.

The storm may be over, but the household emergency is just beginning.

Wildfires, tsunamis, earthquakes, floods and Kona Lows can create similar conditions. The cause may change, but households often face the same immediate needs:

• Safe drinking water.

• Food that does not require refrigeration.

• Medication and medical equipment.

• Light and backup power.

• Reliable information.

• Sanitation.

• A way to communicate.

• A plan for family members and pets.

Preparedness means thinking beyond surviving the hazard itself. It means preparing for the disruption that follows.

Start With Water

Water should be one of the first things every household evaluates.

Hawaiʻi emergency guidance recommends storing at least one gallon of water per person per day. That means a household of four would need:

• 12 gallons for the first three days.

• 28 gallons for the first week.

• 56 gallons for two weeks.

That amount can feel overwhelming when viewed all at once. Start with the first 72 hours, then build toward the full 14-day recommendation.

Do not forget additional water for pets, medical needs or unusually hot conditions.

Stored water also needs to remain accessible. If all of it is kept in one location and that part of the home becomes damaged, your family could lose its entire supply. Dividing water between safe locations may provide an additional layer of protection.

Food Is More Than a Case of Canned Goods

A useful emergency food supply should reflect what your household will actually eat.

Consider foods that:

• Can be stored without refrigeration.

• Require little or no cooking.

• Provide enough calories and protein.

• Match dietary and medical needs.

• Can be opened without electricity.

• Are familiar to children and kūpuna.

• Can be rotated into regular household meals.

Make sure you have a manual can opener. If your plan depends on a camp stove or grill, store the correct fuel and never use outdoor cooking equipment inside an enclosed space.

You do not need to purchase everything at once. Adding a few shelf-stable items during each shopping trip can gradually build a more dependable supply.

Medication Cannot Always Wait

Food and water receive most of the attention, but medication may become the most urgent need in an isolated household.

Ask:

• Does anyone rely on daily prescriptions?

• Which medications require refrigeration?

• Does anyone use oxygen, a nebulizer or another powered medical device?

• Are copies of prescriptions and medical information available?

• Who could help if a caregiver cannot reach the household?

• What is the backup plan during an extended power outage?

Refill rules and medical needs vary. Speak with your healthcare provider or pharmacist before an emergency about safe options for maintaining an appropriate supply.

Keep an updated written medication list where another trusted person can find it. A list stored only on a dead or damaged phone may not be available when it is needed.

Your Phone Is Not a Complete Communication Plan

During a widespread disaster, cellular towers may be damaged, overloaded or operating on limited backup power.

Your household communication plan should answer three questions:

1. Where will we receive official information?

2. How will we contact one another if calls do not connect?

3. Who outside our immediate area should know our status?

A battery-powered or hand-crank radio can provide information when internet and cellular service are unavailable. Portable battery banks can extend phone use, but they must be charged before the outage.

Text messages may sometimes go through when calls do not, but no single method should be treated as guaranteed.

Write important phone numbers on paper. Agree on a family meeting location and designate an off-island or out-of-area contact who can help relay information if local communication becomes difficult.

Take the Ten-Minute Household Test

Walk through your home and imagine that the power, water, cellular service and road access are unavailable for three days.

Then answer:

1. How much safe drinking water do we have right now?

2. What meals could we prepare without electricity?

3. Who will run out of medication first?

4. What equipment stops working when the power fails?

5. How will we receive official information?

6. How will we charge or conserve our phones?

7. Who is responsible for children, kūpuna and pets?

8. Which nearby neighbor may need assistance?

9. Where are our identification, insurance and medical records?

10. What is the first missing item we can address today?

Do not let a long list prevent you from taking the first step.

Correct the most serious gap first. Then continue building from 72 hours toward the State of Hawaiʻi’s two-week preparedness recommendation.

Your Preparation Helps More Than Your Household

During a major disaster, KEMA, emergency responders, utilities, healthcare providers and community organizations may be managing urgent needs across the entire island.

A household that can safely manage its immediate food, water, medication and communication needs is less likely to require preventable emergency assistance. That allows limited resources to remain focused on life safety, serious medical needs and residents who cannot safely care for themselves.

Prepared households can also provide clearer information:

• Is everyone accounted for?

• Is there an urgent medical need?

• Is the road blocked?

• Are utilities damaged?

• Is evacuation assistance needed?

• What help is actually required?

Clear, verified reports can improve situational awareness and help organizations match available resources with identified needs. They do not guarantee that assistance will arrive immediately, but they make community conditions easier to understand.

This is where household preparedness connects with neighborhood preparedness.

Preparedness Begins at Home—but It Becomes Stronger Through Connection

ʻĀina Alliance created a voluntary neighborhood registry using NRDS Software so participating Anahola households can begin identifying their locations, support needs, skills and available resources before a disaster.

Registration does not guarantee assistance or replace personal preparedness. It does not replace 911, KEMA or official emergency services.

It helps create a clearer picture of participating households within Anahola’s potential isolation areas. That information may help the community identify residents who could need additional support and understand what capabilities already exist nearby.

JOIN THE ANAHOLA VOLUNTARY NEIGHBORHOOD REGISTRY

Lowell’s track and potential impacts remain uncertain. Continue following official forecasts and County emergency information as conditions change.

But preparing now is not wasted effort. The water, medication plan, backup power and family connections established today will remain valuable for the next hurricane, flood, wildfire, tsunami or extended outage.

Your household does not need to become perfectly prepared overnight. It needs to become more prepared with every step.

COMING NEXT — ARTICLE 4

How Prepared Communities Help Emergency Response Work Better

During a disaster, KEMA and Kauaʻi COAD help coordinate information, resources and assistance across the island. What do they need from communities—and how can organized neighborhoods help without interfering with official response?

START AT THE BEGINNING — ARTICLE 1

What Happens After the Wind Stops?

PREVIOUS — ARTICLE 2

Could Your Community Become Isolated After a Disaster?

EXPLORE THE PREPARE & RECOVER SERIES

About This Series

This series is developed by ʻĀina Alliance, with leadership and preparedness perspective contributed by Jeremie Makepa, an Anahola community member who also serves as a Kauaʻi Fire Captain. The views and guidance presented are those of ʻĀina Alliance and do not constitute official communications from the County of Kauaʻi, Kauaʻi Fire Department or Kauaʻi Emergency Management Agency.

The ʻĀina Alliance neighborhood registry and community preparedness activities do not replace 911, official evacuation instructions, emergency shelters, police, fire, emergency medical services or government response agencies. During an emergency, follow all official warnings and instructions.