Emergency preparedness guides
How much water and food a household actually needs, what to do before a power cut, flood, cold snap or crisis, and how to keep supplies from quietly expiring. Written for households in the UK, Europe and North America, and meant to be read before an emergency rather than during one.
How these are written
Every quantity on this site is attributed to a named public source and linked so you can check it: national civil protection bodies such as the UK Government's Prepare campaign, the European Commission, Germany's BBK, Sweden's Civil Defence and Resilience Agency and the US FEMA, and public health bodies such as the NHS and the CDC. Where those sources disagree, and on how many days to prepare for they do, we show each of them side by side rather than picking one. Where no official figure exists, we say so rather than inventing one.
These guides are general information, not professional advice. The numbers are planning estimates, not guarantees, and individual needs vary with health, age, medication, diet, climate and local hazard. Where guidance from your local emergency management agency, physician or veterinarian differs from anything here, follow theirs.
Planning
3 guides72-Hour Emergency Kit Checklist
What to keep at home to get through the first three days of an emergency on your own, the minimum the EU now asks every household to cover, with quantities worked out for a family of four.
Emergency Grab Bag Checklist
What to pack in a grab bag you can take if you are told to leave home at short notice, how it differs from the supplies you keep at home, and how heavy it should be.
How Long Should Emergency Supplies Last?
Three days, a week, ten days or two weeks: what the EU, the UK, Germany, Sweden and US agencies each recommend, why they differ, and how to pick a target for your own household.
Threats
4 guidesHow to Prepare for a Power Cut or Blackout
What to do before, during and after a power cut, from the torch in the drawer to keeping food safe and running a generator without poisoning anyone, with lessons from the 2025 Iberian blackout.
How to Prepare for a Flood
How to find out whether you are at risk, sign up for flood warnings, protect your home and documents, and stay safe in and after a flood, including why you should never drive through floodwater.
How to Prepare for Snow and Extreme Cold
Keeping a home warm and safe through snow, ice and a cold snap, especially if the power or heating fails, and how to spot hypothermia and carbon monoxide before they become emergencies.
How to Prepare for a Crisis or War at Home
What European governments now ask households to prepare for a serious crisis or armed conflict, from supplies and cash to alerts, shelter and radiation advice, drawn from official public guidance.
Water
1 guideFood
2 guidesEmergency Food Storage Calculator
Work out how much emergency food your household needs in calories and kilograms, and which shelf-stable foods carry the most energy for their weight.
How to Rotate Emergency Food Storage
How to rotate emergency food so nothing expires unnoticed, and what date labels actually mean, which is not the same in the UK and EU as it is in the US.