THE FOUR ESSENTIALS FOR SURVIVAL IN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS

This is a list of of the four essentials for survival as listed by Susan Conniry through her Wilderness Survival Training and adapted and expanded by me for emergency situations, in general. They are in priority sequence. I've added a few things which would be nice to have in addition to the four essentials. As well, the list is geared not to be all-inclusive, but to be focused and basic. I suggest strongly that people have at a minimum seven days of food and water and resources on hand. Hopefully, by that time emergency shelters would be up and running. But for those who can do more, I would definitely suggest one do as much as one can. I would suggest maintaining an emergency supply of the basics enough for at least three months (if money allows a year's worth), to develop the skills of a self reliant life style; to learn to rotate your stock using the earlier bought stock first and then purchasing replacements. Buy what you use now. Learn to use more basic food items, but always buy what you regularly consume.
This is simply a list to help you survive in the northern hemisphere of North America if we are faced with a loss of energy (including oil, gas, propane, electricity, nuclear power, etc.) and water and waste problems and disturbances in the supply chain for food and sustenance.

1. SHELTER:

Set out your winter clothing now. Make sure you have enough for layered applications (which are warmer) Sweaters, t-shirts, thermal underwear and many pairs of socks. Your first shelter is that which encloses your own body.
Whether in a house or an apartment, identify one room furthest away from windows and drafts to set up for sleeping. Close off rooms not used. Pack under door space against drafts. Use extra mattresses and anything else you have to make a small shelter in the midst of a larger room. If you have a small tent, put it up and insulate with blankets, mattresses, drapes, rugs, rug foam etc. For two people, one ideas is to crawl between two mattresses and pack the edges. Conserve heat by everyone sleeping in same area (including pets). If possible, add additional insulation to walls and exterior doors and windows with slabs of Styrofoam. If not, plug up air leaks with newspapers or whatever you've got. Do not bring lighted candles/or anything into this area

2. WATER:

Buy spring water  or put water away in food-grade containers or both. 1 gallon per day per person for drinking is essential (1 gallon = 3.8 litres).

Most supermarkets sell spring water in large plastic bottles. One thing to know is that the plastic of these bottles will occasionally give out, especially if you have them around for several months. Keep checking them and store them, if possible, in a place where a leak will not mean a lot of problems. If they are in a location which is likely to freeze if the heating goes off, pour off approximately two inches or a little more into a new bottle, giving room for it to freeze and not break the bottle or split the plastic.
If you are storing your own water, use a couple drops of unscented bleach which is a 5.25-6% solution of sodium hypochlorite. Do not use scented, colorsafe, bleach with added detergent .Add 16 drops of bleach per gallon. Mix well and let stand for 30 minutes before use. Water should have a light bleachy odour. If not, add up to 8 more drops only. But even with this, boiling is still the only way to make absolutely certain water is safe. Never drink water that has not been boiled and stored in closed and secure container.
Store water as much as possible in cool and dark locations. Even throw a blanket or tarp over them to prevent light from reaching the bottles.
If you live in areas where you receive sub-zero temperatures, perhaps consider keeping the water in a place which will not freeze. A crawl space beneath a house, a basement or an attic may provide enough safety. Leave two inches on the top to give room for expansion. If necessary, put up some sheets of Styrofoam to insulate further. Another option is to consider wood kegs which will flex with freezing, but not break.

Note: If you are ever unsure about the quality of water, bring to rolling boil and keep there for 10 to 20 minutes, but not less than 10.[Here we have confusion. How long is in debate. FEMA says one minute, the Red Cross says 3-5 minutes, the
Mayo Clinic says 10 minutes and the National Safety Ag council says 15 minutes. I've also seen 10 minutes listed for outside
water after any kind of attack. For me, right or wrong, I've taken to doing 10 minutes for any water from lakes, rivers, streams etc. and one minute for water from our tap which is theoretically okay. (10+ people died and many sick this year in our area from contaminated water)If you have not personally made sure the water is safe through some other means, always boil it.

Do not use the water from your tap for the first week of January. Listen to your radio/television for local reports of water problems. When you start to use the water from your tap, boil it. Have anti-diarrhea medication available for any problems.
Note: One of the two main killers after natural emergencies is dysentery-type problems.  Always boil water before use. Always use containers for cooking or eating and utensils which have been cleaned with boiled water, not unboiled water. Always use boiled water to clean fresh fruit and vegetables. Always peel your fruit and vegetables. Always use boiled water to wash your body. Use rubber gloves in water not boiled for using with washing clothes, but even there, the best advice is to boil water before you use it to wash clothes or use gray water, i.e. water that has been used to clean vegetables or clean dishes or some other light duty.

3. FIRE (for Heating and Cooking)

Have lots of wooden matches, BIC lighters on hand, some waterproof matches.
Purchase a propane campstove which allows for conversion to the use of a bulk propane tank and consider buying a propane heater element to work off a propane tank.
Have long-lasting emergency candles, candle lanterns, kerosene lantern and kerosene fuel, flashlights, batteries, extra bulbs for light. For a little extra light, use aluminum foil on wall or on two sides of lantern or mirrors, to amplify light.
Buy a battery operated smoke and carbon monoxide detector alarm. The carbon monoxide alarms which have a digital readout are best since they are able to read very small amounts in the air plus batteries for it. Occasionally air out the apartment/house. Note: If you at any time feel very headachy, nauseous, open windows and get outside immediately - especially important if you do not have an alarm or it is not functioning.
NOTE: I specify propane because propane is the cleanest of the burning fuels. Still, it requires proper ventilation and will work well either outside or directly in front of a window open approximately 1 to 2 inches. If you already have other types of fuel and campstoves, the need for ventilation is even greater.

Buy sufficient quantities of Propane to get you through at least the winter months for heating and cooking. (4 hrs use per day two burner stove consumes 14.6 oz propane for one day; six 16.4 oz. cylinders for one week; 27 lbs. propane for one month; eight 20 lb. tanks for six months.)
(If there is no way you can afford a propane stove, fuel and heater, then consider laying in some cans of sterno fuel or eco-fuel which is very stable and can be re-used until empty. For a very short-term suggestion, fondue setups, chafing dishes etc. can be used. However, my first choice would be to get propane, propane stove with conversion unit to use bulk propane fuel.
Note: Care must be taken when you are burning anything. Although I haven't mentioned campstoves using other fuels, they are still useful but more care must be taken when using them. Increase the amount of fresh air. Never use charcoal briquettes inside a house or apartment. Always have candles in enclosed containers and away from places where they can be bumped. Have window open at least one inch.

4. FOOD:

Food is the last essential because a person can last for 3 weeks without food.

This is a compressed list of food items which will see you through an emergency.

white rice (If nothing else you can survive on white rice alone.)[Even if you have no meat, beans, rice and corn together during a day will give you a complete protein]
pinto beans
lentils (easy to cook, good source of protein)
Dehydrated vegies or cans of vegies, especially corn, cans of sardines, tuna, etc. cans of cooked beans of various kinds (black, kidney, white, romano, etc., cans of soup)
Several large cans of olive oil or canola oil.
Buy several 20 pound bags of potatoes. (During the 30s, potatoes saw many people through the bad times)
Pickles to help your body assimilate the food.
Salt
Spices
Sugar (Can be used to helps prevent things from spoiling)
Honey (Doesn't go bad without refrigeration)
Peanut Butter (one can survive on peanut butter alone for several days)
Tea/Coffee
Spices (garlic, onion, pepper, vinegar, oregano, dill, sage, hot sauces, etc.)
White all-purpose flour
Not an essential except for cheese lovers : Hard cheeses like parmesan (Do not require refrigeration. If mold develops, simply cut off)
Low-fat dry instant milk powder (for those who require it)
Hard Candy
Note on Necessity of Oil: a person can become ill to the point of death if they do not have enough oil every day. Whether in cooking or applied to various items, it is absolutely essential to have oil. Olive oil and canola oil have the longest life.

Note on Pots and Pans: Make sure you have stainless steel cookware (not Teflon coated) or better yet, a cast iron pan. You will have to season it, so get it as soon as possible. Remember, cooking over an open flame puts extra stress on pots and pans. Some aren't built for it.

Always wash your hands well before you cook food or eat food. Washing your hands often will prevent more disease than any medicine.

Try not to put your fingers/nails in your mouth or nose for any reason. Germs have a field day. With reduced medical services, it could mean your life.

THE FOUR ESSENTIALS PLUS...

BASIC MEDICAL SUPPLIES :

Prescription Medication : If you require daily prescription medication, make sure you have an extra supply on hand. Discuss with your doctor. If it is a life and death situation, make sure you have enough to at least get you to an emergency shelter. This is especially true for diabetics and epileptics and anyone on various machine-aided support.

Do you want to bet your life on everything being okay? on pharmaceutical supply lines being untouched?  The first people usually affected by any major crisis are those with major health problems. Be proactive. 

Over the Counter Medication

Diarrhea Medication (During various emergency situations, dysentery often kills many people)
Band-Aids, Antibiotic topical cream, Gauze, Alcohol, etc.
Painkillers : Coated aspirin, acetaminophen, etc.
Condoms
Dental Emergency Kit: Clove Oil (local anesthetic on painful tooth), Chewing Gum (to prevent air or fluids to make contact on a sore tooth), Temporary Filling Kits 
And any type you use on a regular basis.
Again, always wash your hands well before you cook food or eat food, after you pet the cat/dog/etc. , before you touch another person intimately. Washing your hands often will prevent more disease than any medicine.

Try not to put your fingers/nails in your mouth or nose for any reason. Germs have a field day. With reduced medical services, it could mean your life.

A good maxim to promote health in difficult circumstances is always change your underwear and socks each day and wash out used pair.

ELECTROLYTE FLUID REPLACEMENT (with thanks to misc. suvivalism)

If you have been out in the sun too long and/or have had inadequate water, consider drinking this combination. If you add a bit of koolaid, you've got a Gatorade equivalent.

1 tsp. Lite salt, 10 teaspoon white sugar, 1/3 teaspoon baking soda and one quart water. Mix well. Add koolaid if desired. Drink.

TOILET RESOURCES

Toilet paper
Liquid biodegradable all purpose soap
Clumping Cat Litter
5 gallon plastic pails
If you can't afford one of the specialty toilets, then consider the options below:

Clumping Cat Litter (Buy lots of kitchen garbage bags and clumping cat litter, not sand). One way to use this is to find a medium sized plastic bucket to fit in toilet, line with a plastic bag; add a cup or two of clumping cat litter. After you finish -- add another cup of litter. Depending on your sensibilities, you can use each bag one time or several times. But care must be taken with all human waste or sickness will result.
Backyard toilet. Make your own privy. Using shovel, dig a hole or trench several feet long and deep and away from any well-traveled areas. Depending on how far a breakdown goes, this may have to be used. However, purchase a book on wilderness survival for more information on creating outdoor facilities.
5 gallon plastic pail.
Buy lots of toilet paper (Also very good for trade goods)
Keep all your newspapers, old telephone books etc. for various purposes - soaking up urine and excrement; in lieu of toilet paper [Remember, if it comes to this, don't use the highly coloured ads or magazine pages; use the black and white, vegetable dyed newsprint)
Always wash your hands well after going to the bathroom or emptying or cleaning toilet resources.

Hopefully, any emergency situation will be minor and very short-lived; however, better to be safe than sorry or dead. Having enough cash for at least three days; making sure your car is filled with gas are additional safety measures. Sounds good to me but that is up to the individual. I focus on the essentials because I think it would be a shame if someone were to die because of lack of supplies laid in for three days when on the fourth day a shelter was up and functioning. Only you can know the parameters within which you can work.  Some of us have a more limited framework than others. But even in this list of basics, there is room for manipulation depending on your personal circumstances. All one can do is their best and remain as fluid as possible to factors that necessitate change. Your best tool in the event of any emergency is your own mind.