South Dakota Preparedness Checklists — Home, Hazards, Garden & Safety Net

Category 1 of 5

Home readiness.

72-Hour Kit Basics

Water — 1 gallon per person per day for 3 days minimumFamily of 4 = 12 gallons. Store in food-grade containers.

72-hour food supply — shelf-stable, no cooking requiredCanned goods, bars, jerky. Rotate every 6–12 months.

Flashlights + extra batteriesOne per household member. Test monthly.

Battery or hand-crank NOAA weather radioReliable when cell service and power fail together.

First aid kit — stocked and unexpiredConsider Red Cross certification.

7-day prescription medication supplyRequest early refill before storms.

Cash in small bills — $100–$200Card readers fail during extended outages.

Portable battery pack for phonesKeep at 80%+ charge continuously.

SD-Specific Actions

Ranchers: move livestock to shelter by October 1 — the 2013 Atlas blizzard killed 75,000 cattle in a single early-season storm

Sign up for SD Alert and your county emergency alerts at dps.sd.gov

Eastern SD residents: know your tornado shelter before May — the Sioux Falls to Aberdeen corridor is active tornado country

Missouri River communities: know your flood stage levels and have an elevated storage plan before April snowmelt

South Dakota expanded Medicaid July 1, 2023 via ballot initiative — adults up to 138% FPL now qualify at dss.sd.gov

Black Hills residents: have 72-hour kits for flash flooding — the 1972 Rapid City flood killed 238 people in canyons

Category 3 of 5

Community readiness.

Know Your Neighbors

Introduce yourself to the four households nearest yoursName + house number + phone number. That's all it takes.

Identify neighbors who may need checking onElderly alone, households with young children, anyone on medical equipment.

Know who has useful resources (chainsaw, generator, medical training)Informal mutual aid. A mental inventory doubles your capability.

Agree on a neighborhood meeting pointA driveway or landmark. 30 seconds to agree on before you need it.

Engage & Train

Find and consider enrolling in your county's CERT programFree training from county emergency management offices.

Get CPR/first aid certified through the Red CrossSearch classes at redcross.org/take-a-class.

Identify one volunteer role in your communityVolunteer fire, food bank, Habitat, Red Cross — one connection.

Attend one community event this seasonFind local events →

All seven tabs — complete

The SD guide is yours.

Local self-reliance starts with knowing your place.

SD State Homepage

Return to the full South Dakota guide overview.

First 72 Hours

The universal foundation before any local personalization.

What to do. In what order.

Home readiness.

72-Hour Kit Basics

SD-Specific Actions

SD hazard checklists.

Winter ice & snow storms Readiness

Tornadoes Readiness

Flooding Readiness

Wildfire Readiness

Community readiness.

Know Your Neighbors

Engage & Train

Safety net actions.

Job Loss — First 72 Hours

Annual Insurance Audit

Gardening by season.

Spring Prep

Fall & Year-Round

The SD guide is yours.

SD State Homepage

First 72 Hours

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