MFP My Family Prepping

Preparedness

Household preparedness

Last reviewed: 10 November 2026

Practical, information-only guidance for your household of 4 people in Charleston, Dorchester, or Berkeley County, with a clear starting point for 72 hours, a two-week home supply, and a printable family plan.

For 3- and 14-day water and calorie totals, including pets, use the 3- and 14-day supply calculator.

This is a family reference, not a shop. It is written for your household of 4 people in Charleston, Dorchester, or Berkeley County, South Carolina, where hurricanes, flooding, long power outages, and dangerous heat when the air conditioning fails are the usual risks. After a major event, it can take days for roads, water, power, and stores to work normally. Local emergency managers ask residents to manage on their own for at least the first 72 hours. Being able to stay at home for about two weeks, if you are not told to leave, covers far more real events.

What to read next

Page What it helps you do
The first 72 hours The 72-hour idea, the main household needs, and how that sits next to a two-week home stock
Supply checklist A printable 3-day and 2-week tick list for your household of 4 people
3- and 14-day supply calculator Water and calorie totals for 3 and 14 days, for your household of 4 people, which you can adjust
Emergency prep supplies: where to buy Plain, non-affiliate links to products from a household emergency-prep list, at Amazon and other stores where a matching page could be confirmed
Preparedness books A short list of well-regarded preparedness and survival books, with plain, non-affiliate Amazon links
Water How much to store, how to store it, and how to treat water for germs — not for fuel or chemical contamination
Chemicals and water treatment safety Bleach for germs only, never-mix pairs, household chemicals worth keeping, mold cleanup, fuel and carbon monoxide safety, mosquitoes, and hazardous waste drop-off
Food A pantry of familiar meals, calorie ranges by age and activity, and food safety when the power is out
Power and lighting Lights, power-bank capacity, runtime examples, generators, and carbon monoxide safety
Heat and cooling Heat without air conditioning, heat illness, and warmth in a rare cold outage
First aid and medical A home medical kit, prescription planning, and when to call 911
Communications Radios, alerts, paper contact lists, and what to do when phones or the internet fail
Ham radio, GMRS, and Meshtastic A short licensing overview of amateur radio, GMRS, FRS, and Meshtastic for when phones or the internet are down
Sanitation and hygiene Toilets, trash, and cleanliness when water or sewer service is disrupted
Documents and money What to copy, how to keep it dry, and why cash still matters
Evacuation and go-bag What to take in 5, 10, or 30 minutes, and what to keep in the car
Bug-out bag checklist A 3-day go-bag packing list with suggested weights and a running pack-weight total
Home hardening Hurricane and flood steps, insurance, and making the house easier to protect
Pets Animals are part of the plan, the kit, and the evacuation decision
Family plan and checklists A printable household plan, fire escape steps, and shelter-in-place
Charleston, Dorchester, Berkeley, and South Carolina resources Evacuation zones, SCEMD, NWS Charleston, county alerts for all three counties, and local numbers

Planning quantities for your household of 4 people

Official U.S. guidance uses 1 gallon of water per person per day for drinking and sanitation. In very hot weather, Ready.gov notes that needs can double, so treat the gallon as a floor. For 4 people, that is 12 gallons for 3 days and 56 gallons for 14 days.

Purpose Water, 4 people Food at 2,000 kcal/person/day, 4 people
3 days (evacuation or first 72 hours) 12 gallons 24,000 calories
2 weeks at home 56 gallons 112,000 calories

Add extra water and food for pets. Keep about a 7-day supply of prescription medicines if you can, as the Red Cross recommends.

The food totals use a planning assumption of 2,000 calories per person per day. That is the general figure used on U.S. Nutrition Facts labels: “2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.” It is not a personal prescription. Needs vary by age, sex, height, weight, and activity; see the USDA ranges on the food page. Stock familiar meals first, then use the 2,000-calorie figure (or a personal USDA estimate) as a check. Use the 3- and 14-day supply calculator for 3- and 14-day water and calorie totals, including pets.

Keep medicines, documents, a headlamp, a charged power bank, and a small amount of cash where anyone in the house can find them in the dark.

How official information fits together

  • National Weather Service Charleston tells you what the weather is doing: watches, warnings, surge and flood risks, and tropical updates.
  • South Carolina Emergency Management Division and your county emergency management office tell you whether to evacuate, which zones are included, which routes to use, and when shelters are open.
  • Ready.gov, the CDC, the EPA, and the American Red Cross describe household supplies and the treatment and safety rules behind this section.

Always follow the instructions in an official alert or from local officials, even if they differ from a checklist on this site. If life is at risk, call 911.

Sources & further reading