Go bag list for evacuation

A go-bag is the part of your kit you can carry. Ready.gov says to prepare one you can take if you evacuate on foot or by public transportation, and to make sure everyone in the household knows where it is. After a nuclear detonation, official guidance is to get inside and stay inside first (Ready.gov). This bag is for when officials tell you to leave, or for any other evacuation. The evacuate or shelter guide covers that decision.

What goes in the bag

The products below follow Ready.gov’s Build A Kit list, cut down to what one person can carry.

• Water: the kit standard is one gallon per person per day (Ready.gov). That is too heavy to carry for long, so the bag pairs sealed pouches with a filter for refills.
• Food: non-perishable food that needs no cooking.
• Light and power: a flashlight, extra batteries, and a phone with a charger and backup battery (Ready.gov).
• Protection: a first aid kit and a dust mask to help filter contaminated air (Ready.gov).
• Warmth: a sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person (Ready.gov).
• Navigation: local maps. Ready.gov also says to know alternate routes out of your area (Ready.gov). The evacuation routes guide walks through planning them.

If you have a car

Ready.gov says to keep a portable emergency kit in the car, keep at least a half tank of gas at all times, and fill the tank if an evacuation seems likely, since gas stations may be closed or without power (Ready.gov). With a car you can also take the larger supplies from the fallout shelter kit.

Add these from home

Ready.gov’s kit list adds prescription medicines, glasses, copies of important documents in a waterproof container, cash, a change of clothes and sturdy shoes, a whistle, and hygiene items. Its nuclear explosion guidance adds a spare set of clothes and a trash bag for contaminated clothing.