READY.
The lights go out. The taps run dry. The roads flood. With a few simple things in the cupboard, your home can ride out 3 days calmly.
3 days.
No power. No water.
No problem.
The UK Government asks every household to be ready to cope on its own for 3 days in an emergency. It sounds like a lot. It isn't: water, light, warmth, food and a way to hear the news.
What it's for
The three you're most likely to face.
Power cut
Torches rather than candles for moving about. Keep the freezer shut. Call 105 to report it.
Water off
Keep 3 litres of drinking water per person per day. That's 9 litres each for 3 days.
Free - about 10 minutes
Start the 3-day checklist.
Tick off what you already have and see exactly what's missing. Most homes are halfway there before they start.
- Drinking water: 3 litres a day each
- Torch and spare batteries
- Wind-up or battery radio
- First aid kit and medicines
- Food you can eat cold
- Power bank for your phone
- Copies of key documents
Kit we trust
Four things worth buying first.
We earn a small commission if you buy through our links. It costs you nothing extra, and we only recommend kit we'd use ourselves. How we choose kit.
A proper torch
Bright, long-running and safer than candles. One per person.
Wind-up radio
Hear local news when phones and the internet are down.
Water storage
3 litres of drinking water a day each, kept somewhere cool and dark.
First aid kit
A complete kit, plus a week of any regular medicines.
Latest guides
Fresh from the blog.
Be ready.
Then relax.
Ten minutes now saves a cold, dark, worried night later.
Our advice follows the UK Government's Be Ready guidance. In an emergency, call 999. To report a power cut, call 105.
