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Apartment renter emergency checklist

Every prep tip designed for this list respects three constraints: limited storage, no drilling into walls, and no risking your security deposit. You can do all of this in a studio or one-bedroom without your landlord noticing.

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Water (small-space edition)

  • 2 collapsible 5-gallon jugs (store flat, fill on storm forecasts)
  • 1 Aqua-Tainer 7-gallon jug for rotation baseline
  • Personal straw filter (Sawyer Mini or LifeStraw) in go-bag
  • Label each container with fill date

Food

  • 3 days of shelf-stable meals per person (canned soup, chili, tuna, peanut butter, crackers)
  • Manual can opener
  • Single-burner butane camp stove + 2 canisters (use outside or on balcony only)
  • Disposable plates, cups, utensils

Power & light

  • Headlamp per person
  • 20,000+ mAh USB battery bank (always kept topped off)
  • Tier 1 or Tier 2 portable power station (no fumes, safe indoors)
  • Roll of LED puck lights — stick-on, battery-powered, instant light in every room

Home safety (renter-friendly)

  • 10-year sealed-battery smoke + CO combo alarm for each bedroom
  • Compact ABC fire extinguisher (kitchen counter or under sink)
  • Second-story fire escape ladder if you're on the 2nd or 3rd floor
  • Adhesive strips — no drilling required for mounting detectors or plans
  • Printed escape plan taped inside the front door

First aid & meds

  • Compact 100–200-piece first-aid kit
  • Core OTC meds: acetaminophen, ibuprofen, antihistamine, loperamide
  • Prescription meds (14 days extra where possible)

Communication

  • Hand-crank NOAA radio with USB out
  • Enable Wireless Emergency Alerts on phone
  • Printed family check-in plan

Documents & money

  • Copies of ID, lease, renter's insurance in a waterproof pouch
  • $100 in small bills
  • USB drive with digital copies of documents

Storage hacks for small spaces

  • Under-bed plastic totes — keep water and dry goods hidden flat
  • Top of closet — stash the 72-hour go-bag where you can grab it fast
  • Over-the-door shoe organizer — instant "pharmacy" for OTC meds
  • Single go-bag per person by the front door for evacuation

Upstairs? Get a ladder

If your apartment is on the 2nd or 3rd floor and the building only has one stairway, a $40 escape ladder is the cheapest life-safety investment you can make. Practice deploying it once so you don't have to figure it out under stress. See our picks →