A gentle guide to 72-hour preparedness, with simple checklists and Scripture for a steady heart
There’s been a lot of noise online lately about “preparing for 72 hours.” Much of it picked up after October 25, when Fox News Digital reported on a Pentagon initiative called FORTRESS, which aims to have major U.S. military bases able to operate for at least 90 days without outside power, water, fuel, or supplies. Others simply point back to the ordinary advice most of us have heard for years: keep a basic emergency kit so your household can manage on its own for at least three days.
In Canada, Public Safety Canada has long said the same thing: be ready to be self-sufficient for at least 72 hours. The Canadian Red Cross echoes this, noting that people in remote areas, or places more likely to be cut off, should plan for longer. The United States gives nearly identical guidance. Japan has recommended the same baseline for years (at least three days of food and water, ideally a week) because earthquakes and typhoons can isolate communities. The UK, the European Union, the Netherlands, France, and others have issued similar calls, and some countries aim higher, a week or more. The details vary, but the core message is consistent: households should be able to manage for a few days if ordinary systems are interrupted.
Military planners think in longer timelines because bases must keep functioning even when civilian systems are strained or attacked. That is an operational requirement, not a secret countdown. Still, when these numbers appear side by side in our feeds (72 hours for families, 90 days for bases, a week for other countries) it is easy to feel a flicker of unease. What do they know that we don’t? Who decides these things? What should we be doing?
Those questions are not wrong to ask. We live in a world where power can be misused, systems can fail, and the people who hold authority do not always act for the common good. Scripture has never pretended otherwise. Jesus told His disciples, “Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves” (Matthew 10:16, NABRE). Wisdom looks at reality clearly. Simplicity of heart refuses to let that clarity turn into panic or hatred.
“The astute see an evil and hide, while the naive continue on and pay the penalty” (Proverbs 22:3, NABRE). Joseph did not wait until the famine arrived to start storing grain; he prepared while the years of plenty still held (Genesis 41). And Jesus asks, “Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion?” (Luke 14:28, NABRE). Preparation is not faithlessness. It is one of the ordinary ways faith expresses itself in a broken world: good stewardship of the people and the place entrusted to us.
At the same time, the same Scriptures that call us to prudence refuse to let fear become our master. “For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7, NABRE). Jesus said, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat [or drink], or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they?” (Matthew 6:25–26, NABRE). Paul wrote from prison, “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6–7, NABRE).
So we do the sensible things. We keep a little extra water and food. We know where the flashlights are. We have a plan for how we would reach one another if the phones go quiet. We check on neighbours, especially the ones who would struggle most. In our own home, I recently bought enough LifeStraw water filters for my family, just in case, and I am adding purification tablets as a backup. These are small, ordinary acts. They do not make us immune to hardship, but they keep us from being caught completely unready, and they free our minds from the low-grade anxiety that comes from knowing we have done nothing at all.
Then we place the rest where it belongs. “Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7, NABRE). “The horse is equipped for the day of battle, but victory is the Lord’s” (Proverbs 21:31, NABRE). We do not know what the days ahead will hold. We do know Who holds them. Jesus tells us, “Even all the hairs of your head are counted” (Matthew 10:30, NABRE). That same God is not surprised by the schemes of the powerful or the failures of systems. He is not waiting to see how the story turns out. He is already its end.
What About the “Three Days of Darkness”?
Many of you have found this blog while searching for the Three Days of Darkness, so I want to speak to it gently and honestly.
The Three Days of Darkness is a prophecy found in certain Catholic devotional circles. It describes a time when the whole earth will be covered in supernatural darkness, and the faithful are told to stay indoors, light blessed candles, and pray. It is most often attributed to Blessed Anna Maria Taigi and to the French mystic Marie-Julie Jahenny, and sometimes to Padre Pio.
Here is what is helpful to know:
It is not Church teaching. At most it is private revelation. The Catechism reminds us that private revelations, even approved ones, do not add to the deposit of faith; their role is to help us live the Gospel more fully in a particular time (CCC 67). Catholics are free to accept or set aside such prophecies, and no one is bound to believe them.
Its sources are uncertain. Catholic apologist Jimmy Akin has noted that the quotations attributed to Blessed Anna Maria Taigi did not appear in print until 1863, decades after her death, and cannot be found in her own words. A letter attributed to Padre Pio on this subject has long been rejected as a forgery by his own Capuchin order.
Scripture does speak of darkness, but it does not predict a future three days of darkness. The darkness over Egypt was a plague of the Exodus: “So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and there was dense darkness throughout the land of Egypt for three days” (Exodus 10:22, NABRE). The darkness at the Crucifixion lasted three hours: “From noon onward, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon” (Matthew 27:45, NABRE).
Blessed candles, the Rosary, and time spent in prayer are good and beautiful things. But they are not charms against a coming date. They are ways of staying close to Christ every day, in ordinary times and hard ones. If a prophecy leaves you more afraid than prayerful, set it down. The Gospel we have already been given is enough: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12, NABRE).
Let the News Be News
So let the news be news. Let the checklists be useful. And let the deeper work remain what it has always been: to stay awake without becoming afraid, to love the people in front of us without needing to control the future, and to remember that our true safety was never stored in a basement or a base. As Saint Paul writes, “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3, NABRE).
If you are putting a kit together this week, do it with a steady heart. And if the noise online starts to press in, step outside it for a moment. Open the Psalms. Say the name of Jesus. The One who calmed the storm is still Lord of every storm that comes: “He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ The wind ceased and there was great calm” (Mark 4:39, NABRE).
Scripture Stories and Verses: Hearing God’s Voice in the Noise
These are offered as quiet companions when the noise grows loud. Read them slowly. Sit with them. Let them settle deeper than the headlines. All verses are from the New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE), a Catholic translation approved by the U.S. bishops.
Joseph stores grain in the years of plenty (Genesis 41)
Pharaoh dreams of seven fat cows and seven lean cows, seven healthy ears of grain and seven scorched ones. Joseph interprets: seven years of abundance will be followed by seven years of famine. Pharaoh sets Joseph over the land, and Joseph stores the harvest of the good years:
“Joseph collected grain like the sands of the sea, so much that at last he stopped measuring it, for it was beyond measure.” (Genesis 41:49, NABRE)
When the famine comes, Egypt has enough, and becomes a place of refuge for others. Preparation, done in the season of plenty and under God’s direction, becomes mercy.
The one who builds a tower (Luke 14:28)
“Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion?” (Luke 14:28, NABRE)
Counting the cost is not anxiety. It is ordinary wisdom. Faith does not cancel prudence; it steadies it.
The astute see danger (Proverbs 22:3 and 27:12)
“The astute see an evil and hide, while the naive continue on and pay the penalty.” (Proverbs 22:3, NABRE)
“The astute see evil and hide; the naive continue on and pay the penalty.” (Proverbs 27:12, NABRE)
Seeing clearly and taking shelter is not the same as living in fear. It is the opposite of denial.
Do not be anxious (Matthew 6:34 and Philippians 4:6–7)
“Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil.” (Matthew 6:34, NABRE)
“Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6–7, NABRE)
Jesus looks at the birds and the lilies and tells us not to worry about food or clothing. Paul, writing from prison, tells us to bring every need to God with thanksgiving. Both passages assume we still live in a world of real needs; they simply refuse to let those needs master us.
Not a spirit of cowardice (2 Timothy 1:7)
“For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control.” (2 Timothy 1:7, NABRE)
Fear that shrinks the heart is not from Him. Power, love, and self-control are.
Cast your worries on Him (1 Peter 5:7)
“Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7, NABRE)
The invitation is not to pretend the worry does not exist. It is to place it, deliberately, into hands that are stronger than ours.
The horse is equipped (Proverbs 21:31)
“The horse is equipped for the day of battle, but victory is the Lord’s.” (Proverbs 21:31, NABRE)
We do our part. We do not confuse our part with the whole of the outcome.
Be still and know (Psalm 46:11)
“Be still and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth.” (Psalm 46:11, NABRE; numbered 46:10 in some other Bibles)
In the middle of the noise, stillness is one of the ways we make room to hear.
A short practice: When the feed feels heavy, close it. Read one of these passages aloud. Then sit for a few minutes in silence and pray the words of young Samuel: “Speak, for your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:10, NABRE). You may not receive a dramatic word. You may simply feel the peace that guards the heart. That, too, is God speaking.
72-Hour Emergency Kit Checklist
Enough for at least three days per person. Keep it in an easy-to-reach place, and consider a smaller grab-and-go bag for each household member. In Canadian winters, prioritize warmth. Japan and some other countries suggest aiming for a week where possible.
Water
☐ 4 litres per person per day (2 for drinking, 2 for cooking and washing)
☐ Some smaller bottles that are easy to carry
☐ A plan to rotate or replace regularly
☐ A portable water filter (such as LifeStraw or Sawyer) and purification tablets (see the water section below)
Food
☐ Non-perishable food for 3 days (canned goods, energy bars, dried fruit, peanut butter, crackers, granola)
☐ Manual can opener
☐ Baby formula or pet food if needed
Light & Communication
☐ Battery-powered or hand-crank flashlight
☐ Battery-powered or hand-crank radio
☐ Extra batteries
☐ Charged power bank for phones
First Aid & Medications
☐ Basic first-aid kit (see the full list below)
☐ At least one week’s prescription medications, plus copies of prescriptions
☐ Common over-the-counter items you use
Documents & Cash
☐ Copies of ID, health cards, insurance papers, birth certificates
☐ A simple household emergency plan with contacts and a meeting place
☐ Cash in small bills
Warmth & Clothing
☐ Extra layers, socks, gloves, hats, sturdy shoes
☐ Blankets or sleeping bags
☐ Hand warmers (optional but useful in winter)
Hygiene & Sanitation
☐ Toilet paper, soap, hand sanitizer, wet wipes
☐ Heavy garbage bags
☐ Bucket, bags, and absorbent material for waste if plumbing fails (see the sanitation guide below)
Tools & Extras
☐ Multi-tool or knife
☐ Whistle
☐ Duct tape
☐ Waterproof matches or lighter
☐ Spare house and car keys
Special Needs
☐ Pet supplies (food, water, leash, medications)
☐ Comfort items, glasses, hearing-aid batteries, or other specific needs for children or older adults
☐ A backup plan if anyone relies on medical equipment
Tips: Build the kit gradually. Keep it accessible. Review and refresh supplies twice a year; when the clocks change is a good reminder. In remote areas or for certain hazards, plan for longer than 72 hours.
A printable one-page version of this checklist is available to download below.
Medical / First-Aid Kit: What to Put in It
A basic first-aid kit for a household emergency kit, drawn from Canadian Red Cross guidance, should include:
Sterile gauze pads (small and large)
Adhesive bandages in assorted sizes
Adhesive tape
Roller gauze and a triangular bandage (for slings)
Antiseptic wipes or soap
Disposable non-latex gloves
Scissors and tweezers
Instant cold pack
Emergency blanket
Barrier device for CPR (pocket mask or face shield)
Pain relievers you normally use
At least a week’s supply of any prescription medications, plus copies of the prescriptions
Personal items: extra glasses, hearing-aid batteries, diabetes supplies if needed
Keep the kit in a waterproof bag or small backpack so it can be grabbed quickly. Check expiry dates twice a year. A pre-made Red Cross kit can be a good starting point if you prefer not to assemble one yourself.
Water Filters and Purification Tablets
Stored water is the simplest start: about 4 litres per person per day, following Canadian guidance. Filters and tablets become useful if an outage lasts longer, or if you need to treat water from other sources.
Common portable options that need no electricity:
Sawyer Squeeze: a lightweight hollow-fibre filter (0.1 micron) that removes bacteria and protozoa. Rated for a very high volume and works with squeeze pouches or standard water bottles. Excellent for a go-bag or household backup. Does not remove viruses.
LifeStraw: a good budget choice, and what I bought for my own family. Check which model you have. The small personal straw removes bacteria and parasites but not viruses. The larger LifeStraw Family gravity purifier uses a finer membrane and does remove viruses.
Grayl GeoPress or similar press purifiers: remove bacteria, protozoa, and viruses. Useful if floodwater or an unknown source is a concern.
Purification tablets
Tablets are small, inexpensive, and never clog. Two good options:
Katadyn Micropur MP1 (chlorine dioxide): kills viruses, bacteria, and parasites, including Cryptosporidium. One tablet treats one litre, but the water needs to sit up to 4 hours for full protection.
Aquatabs (a chlorine-based tablet): kills viruses, bacteria, and Giardia in about 30 minutes, but does not kill Cryptosporidium.
Follow the dose on the package, since tablet sizes vary. Iodine tablets also work but are not recommended for pregnant women or people with thyroid conditions.
The simplest combination: filter first (a LifeStraw or Sawyer removes parasites, bacteria, and dirt), then add a purification tablet to take care of viruses. Together they cover nearly everything. Neither removes chemicals, so avoid water that may contain fuel or industrial runoff. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions, and check the expiry date on tablets and the capacity of each filter.
Sanitation Guide (No Running Water)
When toilets and taps stop working, sanitation becomes a health priority.
If the sewer or septic system is still draining
You can usually flush a toilet by pouring a bucket of water (about 4 to 8 litres) quickly into the bowl. Use non-drinking water for this if possible.
If the drain is not working: the twin-bucket system
Recommended for short-term home use.
Two 20-litre (5-gallon) buckets, one labelled for liquid waste and one for solid waste.
Line the solid-waste bucket with a heavy garbage bag.
After each use, add a layer of sawdust, shredded paper, wood pellets, or dry leaves to control odour.
Put toilet paper in the solid-waste bucket.
Keep bags sealed and stored away from food and water. Double-bag when full.
A snap-on toilet seat made for these buckets makes this much easier to use.
Set up a handwashing station: soap and a way to pour clean water, or hand sanitizer when hands are not visibly dirty.
Other options
Line an existing toilet bowl with a heavy bag and absorbent material if you prefer not to use a separate bucket.
In rural settings and for very short periods, a properly dug cat hole (at least 15 cm deep and at least 60 metres from any water source) can be used, then covered.
Key supplies to have on hand
Heavy garbage bags, toilet paper, hand soap, hand sanitizer, disposable gloves, absorbent material (sawdust, paper, cat litter), and a bucket or portable toilet seat.
Handwashing after using the toilet and before eating remains one of the most important steps for staying healthy.
All of these are ordinary, practical steps. They do not remove every risk, but they reduce the ones we can. And they free the heart to rest more fully in the One who already holds the days ahead.
Helpful resources
Get Prepared (Public Safety Canada): getprepared.gc.ca
Canadian Red Cross: redcross.ca
Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, Revised Edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved.
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