El Niño: How to pack emergency go-bag for floods or sudden evacuations
By Dan Kauna, September 14, 2026Kenya’s rainy seasons do not always give much warning. When water rises fast, the households that cope best are usually the ones that packed a bag before the rain started, not during it.
An emergency go-bag is simply a bag with what your family needs to leave home quickly and manage for a few days. Keep it by the door, ready to grab, so nobody is digging through drawers while water creeps under the gate.
What to put in the bag
Start with drinking water, food that needs no cooking, and a torch with spare batteries. Add a small first aid kit, any medication your family takes regularly, and a radio that runs on batteries or solar power to catch weather updates when electricity goes off.
Documents matter as much as supplies. Keep copies of national ID cards, birth certificates, land title deeds and insurance papers in a waterproof pouch.
Pack cash in small notes too, since mobile money and card machines can fail during a blackout. If your household has young children, elderly relatives or anyone managing a health condition, pack for their specific needs, from formula and nappies to spare glasses or hearing aid batteries.
A change of clothes, a light blanket, sanitary items and a phone charger complete the basics. Keep the whole bag light enough for one person to carry, since you may need to move fast.
Why most families are caught unprepared
Research backs up what disaster response teams see every rainy season. A 2025 study in the journal Heliyon, which reviewed 316 households that survived flash flooding in Uttarakhand, India, found that most families evacuated without food, water or hygiene supplies, leaving them “totally dependent on first responder agencies to come to their rescue.”
That gap between owning a go-bag and actually needing one is where most households fall short. Set a reminder every six months to check expiry dates on food and medicine, replace batteries and resize clothing for growing children.
A go-bag only earns its place by the door if it stays ready long before the first warning reaches your phone.