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Status

Building

Current version

0.1

Last updated

July 2026

Maintainer

GreyOperator

Contents

What this plan is

The 72-Hour Plan is a household operating system for disruptions that last longer than expected but do not require pretending civilization has ended.

It is built around realistic Arizona and Southwest failure cases: power outages during extreme heat, water interruptions, wildfire or evacuation, cellular and internet outages, vehicle trouble, temporary displacement, severe weather, supply problems, and medical or logistical disruptions inside the household.

The objective is continuity: keep people and pets hydrated, maintain a safe temperature, preserve communications and mobility, manage sanitation and medical needs, retain access to important information, and reduce rushed decision-making.

Operating concept

1. Stabilize

Confirm immediate safety, account for people and pets, identify the actual failure, and stop preventable damage.

2. Establish continuity

Bring water, temperature, lighting, food, power, medical, sanitation, communications, and transportation systems online.

3. Reassess

Decide whether to remain, relocate, evacuate, request help, or transition into a longer-duration plan.

Stored components are not a plan. A plan defines how the components work together, who operates them, what failure looks like, and what happens next.

The twelve systems

Water

Operational 72-hour potable supply for three adults, one dog, and one cat; 25 gallons in fixed containers plus bottled water; redundant filtration, chemical treatment, and boiling; expanding toward a 90-gallon, 14-day target.

Food

Shelf-stable meals, no-power options, cooking, water use, dietary needs, and rotation.

Power

Battery banks, portable power, solar, vehicle charging, load priorities, and runtime estimates.

Lighting

Room lighting, personal lights, task lights, spare batteries, and night safety.

Medical

First aid, prescriptions, heat illness, hygiene, PPE, training, and pet medical needs.

Communications

Phones, alerts, broadcast radio, amateur radio, printed contacts, maps, and family procedures.

Shelter & temperature

Cooling, shade, ventilation, seasonal clothing, sleeping arrangements, and relocation triggers.

Sanitation

Toilet failure, waste handling, cleaning, hand hygiene, water conservation, and contamination control.

Transportation

Vehicle readiness, fuel or charging, routes, maps, go-kit placement, and moving communications.

Documents & money

Identification, insurance, emergency contacts, cash, account information, and offline copies.

Pets

Water, food, medications, restraint, comfort, records, evacuation, and temperature management.

Information

Situation awareness, weather, local instructions, radio references, procedures, and decision logs.

Current readiness baseline

This table is the current working baseline. It will be updated as each system is inventoried and tested.

System Current state Next action
Water Operational at 72 hours; expanding toward 14 days Count the bottled reserve, add 5-gallon containers toward 90 gallons, and maintain fill and rotation dates.
Food Building Create a complete three-day menu using stored food.
Power Testing Measure essential loads and produce a runtime budget.
Lighting Review required Assign lights by room and confirm spare batteries.
Medical Review required Inventory supplies, prescriptions, and training gaps.
Communications Operational + building Print contact, frequency, and family procedure sheets.
Temperature Planning Define Phoenix heat outage and relocation triggers.
Sanitation Planning Create a no-water sanitation procedure.
Transportation Operational + building Standardize Jeep evacuation and field loadout.
Documents Planning Build encrypted and printed emergency document sets.
Pets Building Create a dedicated dog evacuation and care checklist.
Information Building Assemble offline maps, references, and decision sheets.

Testing and maintenance

  • Monthly: Check critical batteries, medications, stored water condition, vehicle readiness, and urgent expiration dates.
  • Quarterly: Run a short no-grid exercise, test communications, prepare a stored meal, and review the household contact plan.
  • Twice yearly: Conduct a complete inventory, rotate supplies, update documents, and review seasonal heat or cold requirements.
  • After every real event: Record what was used, what failed, what was missing, and what should change.

The test is not whether equipment exists. The test is whether the household can operate it without internet access, perfect lighting, fresh batteries, or an hour to find the manual.

Known gaps

  • The complete non-water household inventory and quantities have not yet been documented.
  • The extreme-heat power-outage strategy needs measurable stay-or-relocate thresholds.
  • Power runtime estimates need real load measurements rather than product-label optimism.
  • The water supply is operational at 72 hours but still needs expansion from 25 fixed gallons plus bottled water to the 90-gallon goal, with complete fill and rotation dates.
  • The food plan still needs a full rotation schedule.
  • Printed procedures, maps, contacts, and radio references are not yet assembled into one offline package.
  • The plan needs at least one complete 24-hour exercise before it can be considered operational.

Next actions

  1. Count the bottled-water reserve and subtract it from the 90-gallon household target.
  2. Add filled 5-gallon potable-water containers until the remaining gap is closed; record every fill and six-month rotation date.
  3. Continue inventorying food, medical, power, lighting, and vehicle supplies.
  4. Build the first power budget using measured loads.
  5. Create the printed emergency contact and communications sheets.
  6. Define Phoenix heat relocation triggers.
  7. Run and document the first no-grid tabletop exercise.

Downloads and worksheets

The printable layer will be added as the system is validated. Planned documents include:

  • Master 72-hour checklist
  • Household and pet requirements worksheet
  • Water calculator and rotation log
  • Power budget and runtime worksheet
  • Emergency contact and communications sheet
  • Vehicle and evacuation checklist
  • Quarterly test record

Related Field Notes

Field Notes hold the dated research, inventories, operating practices, tests, failures, and revisions behind this live document.

Change log

July 14, 2026 — Version 0.2

  • Documented the water system for three adults, one 30-pound dog, and one 10-pound cat.
  • Recorded the rounded 20-gallon 72-hour target, 25 gallons in five filled containers plus bottled water, and the 90-gallon 14-day goal.
  • Recorded the conditioned-house closet and redundant bleach, tablet, LifeStraw, propane, gas, and wood treatment options.
  • Changed water readiness to operational at 72 hours and linked the supporting Field Note.

July 2026 — Version 0.1

  • Rebuilt the project as a public WordPress live document.
  • Removed paid, free, subscription, and gated-content structure.
  • Defined the twelve household systems and the initial readiness baseline.
  • Added Arizona heat, vehicle, pet, communications, testing, and offline-document priorities.