The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension released guidance on May 19 for preparing three essential emergency kits to help households manage during hurricanes and floods. The publication comes as water-related disasters continue to disrupt daily life, impacting access to clean clothing, hygiene products, and safe shelter.
The guidance is intended to help people protect their health and safety in the face of severe storms that can cause power outages and contaminate water supplies. It highlights the importance of organizing clothing, textiles, and other necessities into separate bags tailored for different stages of a disaster.
The first kit, called the “Emergency Car Bag,” is designed for situations where individuals may need to evacuate quickly or become stranded. It includes waterproof bags containing items such as toothbrushes, sleeping bags, medicines, food and water for both family members and pets, chargers, first aid supplies, personal care products, changes of clothes, sanitary items, lights with batteries or solar power sources, trash bags, toilet kits or waste bags. National safety guidelines recommend keeping this bag in your car so you are prepared even if you cannot return home immediately.
A second kit—the “Coming Home/Clean-Up Safety Bag”—contains protective gear needed when reentering a flood-damaged home. This includes large waterproof dry bags; boots with steel toes; hard hats; disposable coveralls; N95 respirators or higher-level protection masks; gloves that are waterproof and cut-resistant; safety goggles without ventilation holes; earplugs or headphones; fire extinguishers rated at least 10A each; tarps; heavy-duty trash bags; alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol content; special laundry detergent for cleaning personal protective equipment. Each family member who plans to enter a damaged home should have their own bag.
The third kit—the “Daily Hygiene Bag”—is meant to be stored in a high place within the home so it remains dry during flooding. This bag contains uncontaminated clothing suitable for local weather conditions (including socks and underwear), sleeping gear such as blankets or sleeping bags, bug spray (as mosquitoes often breed after storms), sanitary products like diapers or pads along with rash cream if needed by infants or children in the household. It also includes soap/shampoo/hand sanitizer/toilet paper/wet wipes/first aid supplies/prescription medications/contact lenses/eyeglasses/chlorine bleach/laundry detergent/wallet/phone/documents/cash/checks/radio/manual can opener/plastic sheeting/scissors/wrench/pliers/jewelry/electronics—all kept together so they are easy to access after an event.
For laundering instructions on contaminated but usable clothing after hurricanes or floods—and additional details about building these kits—the University recommends consulting UGA Extension Bulletin 1585-02: How to Clean Clothes After a Hurricane or Flood.
