Did Dan Bongino tell Americans to stockpile? What he said, and what FEMA advises

What is being shared

On October 27, Mediaite, UNILAD and other sites reported that Dan Bongino, the podcast host and former FBI deputy director, had urged Americans to take stockpile warnings seriously. UNILAD's headline says he "reveals the most important items." The Bongino Report account on X shared the clip, quoting him: "Get your stuff today. Please. Do it for your family!"

It landed within a few days of the UK launching a preparedness campaign and Fox News reporting the Pentagon's plan for bases to run 90 days on their own. Read together, they can look like one coordinated warning. They are three separate things.

What Bongino actually said

Speaking on his podcast on Monday, October 26, Bongino pointed to recent warnings from the UK government and elsewhere "about 30 days of preparedness and having food ready and power." He said "panic kills," and that "the way to reduce anxiety and panic in tumultuous times is to be prepared."

His list: "Have yourself an emergency radio, have yourself some batteries, get yourself some emergency food," then rain collection, water filtration and filtration tablets. He described the Pentagon plan and said, "You have to make Fortress My House, Fortress My Apartment." He also said: "There's nothing wrong with being prepared. It's not panicking or anything like that." Mediaite and UNILAD both report that he urged people to keep three days of food and water ready. The 30 days was how he described warnings from abroad.

What is confirmed, and what is not

Confirmed: Bongino said it, and the Bongino Report account on X shared the clip. He left the FBI and is now a commentator, so this is his personal advice, not a federal warning.

Not right: the 30 days. The UK Cabinet Office's announcement on October 22 says "the advice to be prepared for three days of disruption" is at the heart of its campaign, the same message France, Ireland and the Netherlands use. It asks people to "keep a small supply of non-perishable food and bottled water at home." It doesn't mention 30 days or a month's supply. Bongino didn't name the other countries he meant.

The Pentagon part is real but narrow. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the FORTRESS program on September 30, and Fox News reported on October 25 that documents it reviewed set a requirement that major bases in the continental US run at least 90 days on their own. That is about running military bases without the civilian grid. It isn't advice for households, and we found no agency telling the public to prepare for a 90-day outage. Our Pentagon fact-check has the detail.

Why this is spreading

In the UK, the new campaign was followed by reports of shoppers buying beans, bottled water and radios, and The National reported items selling out on October 27. A campaign abroad, a Pentagon plan and a well-known voice saying "get your stuff today" travel fast together, especially as winter starts.

None of that changes the odds of a long outage at your home. EIA says US electricity customers averaged 11 hours of interruptions in all of 2024, a high year driven by hurricanes. Bad storms can cut power for days in some places, but averages are measured in hours a year, not weeks.

What it means for your home

Most of Bongino's list matches official advice. Ready.gov's basic kit includes a "battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert," a flashlight and extra batteries. It says to be ready to manage on your own for several days, and to choose foods your family will eat, so you don't need special emergency food to start.

Water is where to be careful. Store it first: CDC says at least 1 gallon per person, per day for 3 days, and a 2-week supply if possible. Filters and tablets are a backup. CDC says portable filters "will not remove viruses," chemical disinfectants "may not kill parasites," and "boiling is the best way to kill germs in water." Collected rainwater "is not necessarily safe to drink" until germs and chemicals are removed.

• Water: 1 gallon per person, per day, for at least 3 days; 2 weeks if you can
• Food your household already eats, for several days, that needs no fridge
• A battery-powered or hand-crank radio, ideally a NOAA Weather Radio
• Flashlights and spare batteries
• A backup way to make water safe: boiling, disinfection tablets or a filter

What not to do

Don't buy 30 days of supplies because of a figure the UK never gave. Food you never eat goes to waste, and Ready.gov says to choose foods your family will eat. Our how much water to store and make water safe guides, and the emergency kit checklist, cover the basics.

Don't drink collected rainwater without treating it. If you buy a generator, CDC says never to use it inside your home, basement or garage, or less than 20 feet from any window, door or vent.