West Virginia 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.

WV-Specific Actions

Store at least 2 weeks of water — the 2014 MCHM spill proved Kanawha Valley tap water can be unsafe without warning

Hollow residents: have an uphill evacuation route that doesn't rely on roads — flash floods cut them instantly

Keep a backup heat source for ice storms — remote WV counties can be road-isolated for 1-2 weeks

Sign up for WV Alert and your county emergency alerts at emd.wv.gov

Know your upstream chemical facilities — the Kanawha Valley and Ohio River corridor have significant spill risk

Hillside homes: watch for slope movement after heavy rain — landslide risk is real in saturated soils

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 WV guide is yours.

Local self-reliance starts with knowing your place.

WV State Homepage

Return to the full West Virginia guide overview.

First 72 Hours

The universal foundation before any local personalization.

What to do. In what order.

Home readiness.

72-Hour Kit Basics

WV-Specific Actions

WV hazard checklists.

Flooding Readiness

Severe thunderstorms Readiness

Severe thunderstorms Readiness

Landslides 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 WV guide is yours.

WV State Homepage

First 72 Hours

Print All Checklists