A practical, step-by-step program for families in Rexburg and Madison County, built on Church home storage guidance and official federal, Idaho, and county emergency resources.
What no one has required
No federal or Church source used here sets a mandatory 90-day supply, and this site does not claim that one exists. The White House message of September 2, 2026 recommends understanding your local risks, reviewing insurance, knowing evacuation routes, keeping an emergency kit, and staying informed through trusted local news and real-time alerts. The Church's Family Home Storage guidance recommends gradually building a three-month supply of foods your family normally eats.
What the federal government has said
The White House message on National Preparedness Month, dated September 2, 2026, calls on Americans to prepare for natural and man-made threats and lists practical steps: understanding the risks that matter most locally, purchasing affordable insurance against those risks, knowing evacuation routes, maintaining an emergency kit, and staying informed through trusted local news and real-time alerts. It does not name a 90-day food or water requirement.
The First Presidency's Family Home Storage message teaches members to build a small supply of food that is part of their normal daily diet, add a few extra items each week until the supply reaches three months, rotate it regularly, store drinking water, keep a financial reserve, and, for longer-term needs, gradually add long-lasting staples such as wheat, white rice, and beans. It also counsels against going into debt to build storage all at once.
A 90-day program is simply a way to break those recommendations into workable steps for one household. Days 1 to 90 describe a sequence of goals, not a countdown. A family that reaches the two-week milestone and stops is better prepared than one that never started.
The four milestones below are household goals you set for yourself. They are not deadlines, not emergency orders, and not requirements from any government, Church leader, or ward. Move at the pace your budget, space, and family allow.
Where the 90 days go
Four progressive milestones
These are goals for your household, not deadlines and not emergency orders. Most families take a year or more to work through all four, and stopping after the first two still leaves you far better prepared than before.
1
72-Hour Emergency Kit
Commonly the first month
Be able to leave or stay put for three days with no outside help. This is the milestone that covers evacuations, a night without power, and the first hours after a storm.
At least one gallon of water per person per day for three days, stored where you can carry it
Three days of food that needs no refrigeration, no cooking, and no water to prepare
A battery or hand-crank radio, working flashlights, and spare batteries
Prescriptions, glasses, first aid, and hygiene basics for every person in the home
Copies of identification, insurance, and contact information in a waterproof bag
A small amount of cash in small bills
You are done when: Your kit is packed, portable, and reachable in the dark. Every adult in the home knows where it is and what it is for.
2
Two-Week Household Readiness
Weeks 2 through 6
Move from a portable kit to staying home through a long winter storm or an extended outage. Two weeks is the point where cooking, sanitation, warmth, and medications start to matter more than portability.
Fourteen days of food your family actually eats, plus a way to cook it without utility power
Stored water for fourteen days, or stored water for a shorter period plus a reliable way to treat more
Sanitation supplies for two weeks: bags, buckets, disinfectant, soap, and toilet paper
A first aid kit and a written medication plan for each person
A safe backup heat plan and carbon monoxide detectors where people sleep
Two ways to reach family and to receive official alerts
A winter vehicle kit in every vehicle
You are done when: Your household could stay warm, fed, clean, and informed at home for two weeks with the power out and the roads closed.
3
Three-Month Food Supply
Months 2 through 4, in weekly increments
The Church's Family Home Storage guidance recommends gradually building a three-month supply of foods your family normally eats. Buy a few extra items each week rather than a single large purchase.
Twelve weeks of food your family already eats, built one week at a time
Every item labeled with the date it was purchased or packaged
A rotation plan that uses the oldest items first and restocks what you use
Storage that keeps food dry, cool, dark, and off the floor
A list of dietary needs in your household and food that meets them
No debt taken on to build the supply
You are done when: You could feed your household from your own shelves for twelve weeks using meals you normally cook, and you rotate what you store.
4
Longer-Term Household Resilience
Ongoing, no finish line
Add the durable parts of preparedness: treatment capability, savings, insurance review, evacuation practice, neighbors who know each other, and skills that work when the stores are closed.
Water treatment capability such as boiling, disinfection, or a certified filter, plus containers to store treated water
A growing financial reserve and insurance you have actually read
A written evacuation plan with two routes and a meeting place, practiced once a year
An emergency contact outside the area who can relay messages
A neighbor plan for people who live alone, have medical needs, or lack transportation
Food with very long storage life, such as wheat, white rice, and beans, properly packaged
Skills shared across the ward: cooking, repair, first aid, and heating without utility power
You are done when: Your household could handle not just three days, but a season of disruption, and you know who around you needs help.
Do the arithmetic once
Plan for your actual household
Both planners use the numbers you enter and show every assumption they rely on. Nothing you type is sent anywhere: the calculation happens in your browser.
Household food planner
Estimate how much food your household would need for the number of days you choose. Adjust the household, meals per day, and meal plan to match how your family actually eats.
A child is counted as 0.6 of an adult portion in this estimate.
Food to store for 14 days
79 lb
About 40 lb per week, across 134 servings for 3.2 adult equivalents.
Category
Total
Per week
Grains: rice, pasta, wheat, oats
21 lb
11 lb
Beans and shelf-stable protein
12 lb
6 lb
Canned or dried fruit and vegetables
29 lb
15 lb
Oils, fats, and spreads
3 lb
1 lb
Dairy, eggs, and other items
13 lb
7 lb
Cooking water
12.4 gallons
In addition to drinking water, estimated at 0.35 liters per serving.
Storage space
3.2 cubic feet
Estimated at 0.04 cubic feet per pound of packaged food.
How this is calculated, and what it is not
The estimate multiplies your household size, the days you choose, and your meals per day, then applies the per-serving weights of the meal plan you picked. Those weights are planning estimates for dry and canned food, not a nutrition plan or a shopping list. It does not account for what you already have in your pantry, and it is not a 90-day requirement set by any government or Church leader.
Household water planner
Drinking water is planned separately from food. Ready.gov recommends storing at least one gallon of water per person per day for drinking and sanitation, and notes that children, nursing mothers, and sick people may need more.
One gallon is the Ready.gov minimum for drinking and sanitation. Increase it for hot weather, hard physical work, illness, or medical needs.
Water to store for 14 days
56 gal
For 4 people: about 12 five-gallon containers, or 424 half-liter bottles.
Liters
212 L
Storage space
7.5 cu ft
Five-gallon jugs
12
Why this planner stops at 30 days of stored water
A three-month food goal does not mean storing 90 days of drinking water. For this household, 90 days would be 360 gal, or about 72 five-gallon containers and roughly 48 cubic feet of storage, which most homes cannot safely hold. The practical approach is staged:
Three days of portable water in the 72-hour kit.
Fourteen days stored at home in food-grade containers you can move.
Beyond that, rely on treatment capability and clean containers rather than storage volume.
Replace water you bottled yourself every six months, and keep stored water out of sunlight and away from fuel or chemicals.
Treating water when the stored supply runs out
Let suspended particles settle, or strain the water through a clean cloth, paper towel, or coffee filter.
Boiling is the safest method: bring clear water to a rolling boil for one full minute, or three minutes above 6,500 feet elevation, then let it cool.
If you cannot boil, disinfect with 8 drops of unscented 5 to 9 percent bleach per gallon, stir, and let it stand at least 30 minutes.
A filter alone does not remove viruses. Combine filtration with boiling or disinfection when the source is uncertain.
Boiling and disinfecting cannot make water containing fuel, toxic chemicals, or radioactive material safe. Find another source and contact the health department.
Examples and prompts rather than a single universal shopping list. Buy the foods your family eats, and expand the supply a week at a time.
There is no single shopping list that fits every household. The examples below are starting points: choose the foods your family already eats, check the labels for what your household can safely eat, and build the supply one week at a time.
Common shelf-stable meals
Meals you already cook, made from ingredients that keep without refrigeration.
Rice and canned beans with cumin, chili powder, and canned tomatoes
Oatmeal with raisins, brown sugar, and powdered milk
Pasta with canned sauce, canned chicken, or tuna
Canned soup or chili with bread, crackers, or tortillas
Pancakes or biscuits from a shelf-stable mix with canned fruit
Peanut butter sandwiches with honey or jam
Instant potatoes with canned vegetables and canned meat
Tortilla and bean burritos with canned corn and salsa
Ramen or noodles with canned vegetables and an egg if available
Macaroni and cheese with canned tuna or chicken
Pantry staples that hold meals together
Small, inexpensive items that turn plain ingredients into food a family will actually eat.
Salt, pepper, and a few spices your family uses weekly
Cooking oil, shortening, or another shelf-stable fat
Sugar, honey, or another sweetener
Baking powder, baking soda, and yeast
Flour, cornmeal, and rolled oats
Bouillon cubes or granules and dried soup mix
Powdered milk or shelf-stable milk
Vinegar, soy sauce, and hot sauce
Coffee, tea, or cocoa for comfort and routine
Canned foods
The backbone of a two-week supply: already cooked, already safe, and usable with no water.
Canned beans: black, pinto, kidney, and white
Canned vegetables: corn, green beans, peas, carrots, tomatoes
Canned fruit in juice or light syrup
Canned chicken, tuna, salmon, and sardines
Canned soup, stew, and chili
Canned tomato sauce, paste, and diced tomatoes
Canned evaporated or sweetened condensed milk
Applesauce and canned peaches, which children usually eat
Grains and beans for longer storage
The Church's home storage guidance points to wheat, white rice, and beans for longer-term needs because they store for decades when packaged properly.
White rice, which stores longer than brown rice
Wheat, whole grains, or wheat flour packaged for long storage
Dried beans, lentils, and split peas
Rolled oats and other whole grains
Pasta and noodles in sealed packages
Cornmeal and grits, rotated more often than whole grains
Store grains in food-grade containers with oxygen absorbers or in sealed cans
Shelf-stable protein sources
Protein is the item households most often forget, and the hardest to replace later.
Canned tuna, chicken, salmon, and sardines
Peanut butter and other nut or seed butters
Dried or canned beans and lentils
Textured vegetable protein or freeze-dried meat
Shelf-stable milk, powdered milk, and shelf-stable yogurt drinks
Hard cheese waxed for storage, if your family eats it
Nuts, seeds, and trail mix, rotated every few months
Protein powder or meal-replacement shakes for specific medical needs
Cooking oils and other ingredients
Fats go rancid faster than grains, so buy smaller containers and rotate them first.
Cooking oil in sealed containers, replaced every 12 to 18 months
Shortening or coconut oil for baking
Nonstick spray or a small bottle for pans
Leavening agents, which lose strength over time
Masa, baking mixes, and other items your family uses weekly
Instant drink mixes and electrolyte packets for illness or heat
Pet food and pet medications, stored apart from human food
Foods for dietary restrictions
A storage supply is only useful if every person in the household can eat from it. Plan around allergies, medical diets, and infants first.
Gluten-free grains and pasta if anyone avoids gluten
Low-sodium canned goods and no-salt-added vegetables
Diabetic-friendly proteins and vegetables with carbohydrate counts noted
Allergy-safe alternatives for households avoiding nuts, dairy, or eggs
Infant formula, baby food, and safe water for mixing if there is a baby
Soft or pureed foods for anyone with chewing or swallowing difficulty
Cultural and religious food preferences, because comfort matters in a crisis
Food-safe storage containers
The container decides whether the food is still good in a year.
Food-grade buckets with gasket lids for grains and flour
Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers for long-term dry goods
Number 10 cans or sealed pouches for staples in humid spaces
Glass jars with new lids for repackaged dry goods
Food-grade plastic containers, never used buckets that held chemicals
Labels and a permanent marker for contents and dates
A shelf system that keeps containers off a concrete floor
Rotation and expiration tracking
Rotation is what separates a food supply from a donation pile.
Label every item with the month and year it was purchased or packaged
Keep a use-first shelf at eye level for the oldest items
Cook from storage one meal a week so rotation happens naturally
Keep a simple inventory sheet and update it each time you shop
Review the full supply twice a year and remove anything expired
Replace what you use within the next shopping trip
Track long-term items separately with the date they were sealed
Approximate storage space
Space is a real constraint, especially in apartments and student housing. Measure before you buy, and use the space you already have.
One pound of dry goods takes roughly 0.04 cubic feet of packaged space, so 100 pounds is about four cubic feet
A five-gallon bucket holds roughly 35 pounds of grain or 25 pounds of flour
Under-bed bins, closet floors, and the back of a cool pantry all count
Keep food between 40 and 70 degrees F if you can, and away from water heaters and furnaces
Never store food directly on concrete, which wicks moisture
Store the heaviest containers lowest and label the outside of each bin
If space is tight, favor calorie-dense foods and fewer, larger containers
Buying gradually and without debt
The First Presidency has specifically counselled against going into debt to build storage all at once.
Add one extra week of food to each normal shopping trip
Buy what is on sale if your family will eat it
Set a small monthly preparedness budget and keep it steady
Start with the two-week supply before buying long-term staples
Buy in bulk only for foods you already use every week
Never finance food storage; a smaller supply owned outright is better
Printable and persistent
Household checklist
Mark items as you finish them, print the list for the refrigerator, or reset it and start again. Progress is saved in this browser only, and no household, medical, or family information is collected.
0 of 141 items checked
Saved in this browser only. No account needed, and nothing about your household is sent anywhere.
Milestone 1: 72-Hour Emergency Kit
72 hours of water
One gallon per person per day for drinking and sanitation.
72 hours of food
Food that needs no refrigeration, no cooking, and no water to prepare.
Light, heat, and shelter for 72 hours
Working light in the dark, and warmth without utility power.
Communication, documents, and cash
The information that lets you reach people and prove who you are.
First aid and medications
A stocked kit you know how to use, plus the medications people depend on.
Milestone 2: Two-Week Household Readiness
Two weeks of food
Fourteen days of meals your household already eats.
Two weeks of water
Two weeks of stored water, or a shorter store plus a way to treat more.
Cooking without utility power
A two-week food supply only helps if you can prepare it.
Sanitation and hygiene
Water and sewer service fail more often than people expect.
Warmth, backup heat, and carbon monoxide
Rexburg cold is the hazard most likely to reach your household.
Children, older adults, pets, and accessibility
A plan that only works for healthy adults does not work for a household.
Winter vehicle supplies
Every vehicle, from November through March.
Milestone 3: Three-Month Food Supply
Three-month food supply
Twelve weeks of the food your family normally eats, built gradually.
Rotation and storage space
A supply nobody rotates becomes expired food.
Milestone 4: Longer-Term Household Resilience
Water treatment and long-term storage
The capability to make water safe after the stored water is gone.
Financial reserve and insurance
Money and coverage are part of household resilience.
Evacuation plan and contacts
Two routes, one meeting place, and a practiced plan.
Neighbors and community
The first help after a storm usually comes from next door.
Local focus
Madison County and Rexburg hazards
The program is written for the storms, cold, flooding, and other hazards that reach our ward.
What this looks like in Rexburg and Madison County
Every milestone on this page is aimed at the hazards that actually reach our households. Winter is the most likely, but flooding, wind, fire, and earthquakes belong in the plan too.
Winter storms
Blizzards and drifting snow close highways and can trap vehicles between Rexburg and Idaho Falls.
Extreme cold
Wind chill and hard freezes burst pipes and make an unheated home dangerous within hours.
Power outages
Heavy snow, ice, and wind bring down lines; outages can last days in rural parts of the county.
River and flash flooding
Spring snowmelt and rain on frozen ground raise the Henry's Fork, Teton, and Snake rivers quickly.
Severe weather
High wind, thunderstorms, hail, and blowing dust arrive fast across open farmland.
Fire
Home fires and wildland fire along the county's grass and range land threaten homes and access roads.
Earthquakes
Eastern Idaho is seismically active; the Tetons and Yellowstone region produce felt quakes.
Detailed before, during, and after guidance for each hazard is on the Local Hazards page.
Every recommendation on this page traces to one of these sources. Publication and revision dates are shown so you can judge how current the guidance is.
Prepare Every Needful Thing: Family Home Storage
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, First Presidency | 2007
Build a small supply of food that is part of your normal daily diet, increase it gradually to a three-month supply, rotate it, store drinking water, and establish a financial reserve. Do not go into debt for storage.
Presidential Message on National Preparedness Month
The White House | September 2, 2026
Calls for understanding local risks, reviewing insurance, knowing evacuation routes, maintaining an emergency kit, and staying informed through trusted local news and real-time alerts. No supply mandate is stated.
Ready.gov (FEMA) | Page last updated February 22, 2021
Store at least one gallon of water per person per day for drinking and sanitation. Boil water for one full minute, or disinfect with 1/8 teaspoon of unscented 5.25 to 6.0 percent bleach per gallon and let stand 30 minutes. Replace self-bottled water every six months.
FoodSafety.gov (USDA, HHS, CDC) | Page last reviewed August 8, 2024
A closed refrigerator keeps food safe for up to four hours; discard perishable food left above 40 degrees F for more than two hours. A full freezer holds a safe temperature for about 48 hours.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention | Page dated September 19, 2024
Bring clear water to a rolling boil for one minute, or three minutes above 6,500 feet elevation. Alternatively use 8 drops of 5 to 9 percent unscented bleach per gallon and let stand at least 30 minutes. Filters alone do not remove viruses.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention | Page updated October 26, 2026
Install carbon monoxide detectors near every sleeping area, test them twice a year and replace them every five years. Never run a generator indoors or closer than 20 feet from windows, doors, and vents. Never burn charcoal indoors or use a gas oven for heat.
The Complete Preparedness Plan PDF now includes this 90-day program, a printable three-month food checklist, household planning worksheets, a food rotation tracker, a water planning worksheet, an emergency supply inventory, and a preparedness progress worksheet. It is generated in your browser and needs no account.
