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.
Ask five governments how long your household should be able to cope on its own after a disaster and you will get five different answers, ranging from three days to two weeks. None of them is wrong. They are planning for different events, and the number that makes sense for you depends on which of those events is realistic where you live.
This guide lays the official figures side by side, explains why they differ, and suggests a way to choose.
What each authority recommends
| Authority | Duration | Water figure | Planning for |
|---|---|---|---|
| European Commission | At least 72 hours | Not specified | All hazards, including conflict, sabotage and climate events |
| UK Government (Prepare) | No fixed number in the pages we checked | 2.5 to 3 L drinking per person per day minimum; 10 L more comfortable | All hazards |
| Germany (BBK) | Up to 10 days | 2 L per person per day (1.5 L drinking, 0.5 L cooking) | All hazards, including long power cuts |
| Sweden (Civil Defence and Resilience Agency) | At least one week | Water named as the top priority | Crisis and war |
| US (Ready.gov) | Several days | 1 US gal (3.8 L) per person per day, drinking and sanitation | All hazards |
| Oregon and Washington | Two weeks | Follows the federal water figure | A Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake |
Why the numbers differ
Each figure is really an answer to one question: after the worst event this government plans for, how long could it take before help and normal supplies reach everyone?
The EU's 72 hours came in its March 2025 Preparedness Union Strategy, published with explicit reference to Russia's war against Ukraine, sabotage of critical infrastructure and more frequent climate disasters. It is a floor intended to apply across 27 countries with very different risks, which is why it is short.
Sweden's week is set in the context of its civil defence planning for crisis and war, and its guidance goes further on some items: it suggests keeping enough of your regular medicines to last a month.
Germany's ten days reflects the BBK's view of how long it could take to organise supply everywhere after a major disruption such as a long, wide power cut. Its tables let you plan for 3, 5, 7 or 10 days, so the full ten is a goal rather than an entry requirement.
Two weeks in Oregon and Washington comes from planning for a very large earthquake on the Cascadia Subduction Zone, which would damage the bridges, roads and ports any response would need. Oregon states it anticipates being without services and assistance for at least two weeks after such a quake.
What changes as the number grows
Going from three days to a week or two does not make everything harder equally. It makes one thing much harder.
| Duration | Water | Water weight | Food |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 days | 45 L / 12 US gal | 45 kg / 100 lb | 21,000 kcal |
| 7 days | 106 L / 28 US gal | 106 kg / 234 lb | 49,000 kcal |
| 10 days | 151 L / 40 US gal | 151 kg / 334 lb | 70,000 kcal |
| 14 days | 212 L / 56 US gal | 212 kg / 467 lb | 98,000 kcal |
Water is the whole difficulty. Three days fits in a cupboard. Two weeks is over 200 kg (450 lb), the weight of two or three adults, and needs a cool, dark, permanent home that will not be the first place to flood. Food, by contrast, just takes more shelf space: fourteen days of tins presents no new kind of problem.
So if you are extending beyond three days, extend water and sanitation first. Buying more tinned food feels productive and is the easy half.
How to choose a number for your household
- Start by completing three days across every category: water, food, light, radio, first aid, medicines, sanitation, documents. A complete short supply is more useful than a deep one with gaps. The 72-hour kit checklist covers it.
- Then find out what your own national or local agency recommends, and extend toward that. It knows the local hazards, the infrastructure, and how long help would realistically take.
- Adjust for your situation. Living rurally, depending on powered medical equipment, caring for someone vulnerable or living somewhere with a specific hazard all argue for more.
- Treat medicines separately. Their duration is set by your prescription and pharmacist, not by a general target.
A plan for a week or more without power often turns toward generators, camping stoves or fuel-burning heaters. Never use any of them indoors, in a garage or near a window or vent. They produce carbon monoxide, which has no smell. The CDC advises keeping a generator at least 6 metres (20 feet) from any door, window or vent. Fit a carbon monoxide alarm.
And talk to your pharmacist well before you need to about how much of your medication you can keep. We will not suggest a quantity.
Whatever number you choose, it has to be set somewhere and checked against. In StayReady Kits you choose the number of days for each kit, by default fourteen for a home kit and three for a Bug Out Bag, and every water and food target recalculates from it, so moving from the EU minimum toward the German or Swedish figure is one setting rather than a new shopping spreadsheet.
Common questions
How many days of supplies should I keep?
At least three. Beyond that, follow your own national or local agency: Sweden asks for a week, Germany plans for up to ten days, and parts of the US Pacific coast ask for two weeks.
Why do countries disagree?
They plan for different worst cases, such as a Cascadia earthquake on the US west coast or armed conflict in Northern Europe, and those take different lengths of time to recover from.
What is hardest about a longer supply?
Water. A family of four needs over 200 litres for two weeks, which weighs over 200 kg (450 lb). Food scales much more easily.
Sources
- European Commission, EU Preparedness Union Strategy, 26 March 2025.
- UK Government, Prepare: get prepared for emergencies.
- Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK), Essen und Trinken bevorraten (in German).
- Swedish Civil Defence and Resilience Agency (formerly MSB), Home preparedness, prepping for at least a week.
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Water, Ready.gov.
- Oregon Department of Emergency Management, Cascadia Subduction Zone.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Carbon monoxide poisoning basics.
Set your target once, and let the numbers follow
StayReady Kits recalculates the water and food each kit needs from the number of days you choose and the people and pets in your household, in litres or gallons, then shows exactly what is still missing. Free on the App Store, no account required.
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