Home Emergency Kit Checklist UK
Build a practical three-day emergency kit for your household, with advice on water, food, lighting, communication and a free printable checklist.
Home Emergency Kit Checklist UK: How to Prepare for Three Days of Disruption
If your electricity went off this evening, would you know where to find a working torch? Could you prepare something to eat without your cooker? Would you have drinking water available if the taps stopped running?
Home preparedness starts with these everyday questions. Power cuts, water interruptions and severe weather can make familiar routines difficult, particularly when several services are affected together.
A practical home emergency kit gives you supplies you can find and use when you need them. Alongside a simple household plan, it can help you manage disruption with less confusion and fewer last-minute decisions.
This guide explains what to consider, how to build your kit gradually and why the details should reflect your household. You can also download the free SOS Outdoors Home Preparedness Checklist, which includes a printable kit list and a household emergency plan.
Start by checking what you already own
Before buying anything, look through your cupboards, drawers and camping equipment.
You may already have torches, blankets, a first-aid kit, a power bank and suitable food. The problem may simply be that these items are scattered around the house, have flat batteries or are difficult to find in the dark.
Gather useful supplies and check their condition. Test your lights, find the right charging cables and make sure everyone knows where the essentials will live.
Choose an accessible storage area. A labelled box can work for smaller items, while blankets and water may need separate spaces nearby. Keep heavy containers low down and store batteries and medication safely away from children.
Write down what is missing. That list will help you spend money on actual gaps rather than duplicate equipment.
Why prepare for three days?
UK Government guidance recommends having three days’ worth of essential supplies available at home.
Treat this as a useful starting point. It is not a guarantee that every disruption will last less than 72 hours, and it does not mean you should stay at home if conditions become unsafe.
Think about what your household uses during an ordinary day. Consider meals, drinks, washing, warmth, communication and any caring responsibilities. Then work through what would change if electricity or water were unavailable.
The right kit for someone living alone will differ from one for a family with young children or a person who relies on powered medical equipment.
1. Work out your drinking-water needs
Water deserves an early place on your checklist because it is easy to underestimate how much a household uses.
The Government’s three-day planning figure is 3 litres per person per day for drinking, with additional water needed for activities such as food preparation and washing.
For drinking alone, that means:
| People in your household | Three-day drinking-water allowance |
|---|---|
| 1 | 9 litres |
| 2 | 18 litres |
| 3 | 27 litres |
| 4 | 36 litres |
These figures do not include your pets’ needs or additional household uses. Individual requirements can also vary.
Choose containers you can move and use comfortably. Several smaller bottles may be more practical for your household than one large container.
Store bottled water according to its label and rotate supplies before their best-before dates. If your water company issues instructions during an incident, follow those instructions: a supply interruption and a contamination warning are different situations.
Do not assume that boiling water or using a camping filter will make every contaminated source safe.
2. Choose food you can eat without cooking
An emergency food cupboard is more useful when it contains familiar food that suits your dietary needs.
Look for products with a long shelf life that do not require refrigeration before opening. Include options clearly labelled ready to eat, so you can make meals even if you cannot use your cooker.
Depending on your household, choices might include ready-to-eat tinned beans, fish, fruit or vegetables, crackers, dried fruit and other suitable snacks. Check labels, allergies and storage instructions before deciding what belongs in your kit.
Pack a manual tin opener. It is a small item that makes a large difference if your food depends on one.
Think in meals rather than counting random tins. Can you put together a breakfast, lunch and evening meal that everyone will eat? Are the portions manageable without leaving leftovers that need refrigeration?
Avoid relying entirely on dried pasta, rice or instant meals that need boiling water. They may be useful additions, but they should not be your only option.
3. Prepare lighting you can find in the dark
Keep a working torch somewhere familiar and accessible. A headtorch can also be useful because it leaves both hands free.
Check which batteries your lights use and keep compatible spares. If you use rechargeable lighting, include it in your regular charging routine.
Your phone’s torch may help briefly, but using it continuously will consume power you may want for communication. A separate light gives you another option.
Torches are safer than candles during a power cut. Keep routes through your home clear so you can move between rooms without stepping over bags, equipment or trailing cables.
If several people live in the house, consider whether one shared torch is enough. Someone using the bathroom should not leave everyone else searching for things in darkness.
4. Plan for warmth without improvised heating
Keep warm clothing, socks and blankets accessible. If you already own suitable sleeping bags, they may also be useful.
Choose clothing that is comfortable to wear in layers. Think about the needs of everyone in your household, including anyone who may struggle to stay warm.
Never bring a camping stove, barbecue, lit charcoal or generator inside your home, garage or another enclosed space. Outdoor fuel-burning equipment can produce poisonous carbon monoxide.
Do not use cooking equipment to heat a room. Having camping equipment available does not make it suitable for indoor use during a power cut.
If your home becomes unsafe or you cannot manage the conditions, follow official advice and seek appropriate support. Supplies are useful, but they do not remove the need to change your plan.
5. Keep a way to receive information
A power cut can also affect internet access, phone charging and communications. Prepare more than one way to find information.
Keep a charged power bank with the correct cables for your phone. Test the combination beforehand rather than discovering during an outage that a cable is damaged or incompatible.
A battery-powered or wind-up FM radio can provide another way to receive updates. Write down useful station frequencies and keep them with your kit.
Put important contacts on paper as well as in your phone. Include family members, your water company and anyone nearby you may need to contact.
For reporting electricity outages:
- England, Scotland and Wales: call 105.
- Northern Ireland: call 03457 643643.
If someone is in immediate danger, call 999 or 112.
6. Include health and hygiene essentials
Review your first-aid supplies and replace anything missing or out of date. Add the everyday hygiene products your household relies on, such as toilet roll, sanitary products, toiletries, wipes and hand sanitiser.
Keep an up-to-date medication list and make sure you understand the storage instructions for any medicines you use. Speak to your pharmacist or care team if you need advice about managing them during a disruption.
If someone depends on powered medical equipment, telecare or another essential device, arrange a specific outage plan with their care team and equipment provider. Do not assume an ordinary phone power bank will be compatible or provide enough power.
Check whether your household is eligible for a utility Priority Services Register. In Northern Ireland, ask about Customer Care Registers.
7. Add the supplies your household specifically needs
A generic checklist is only the starting point.
For babies and young children, think about feeding supplies, nappies, wipes, changes of clothes and familiar comfort items. If feeding arrangements depend on electricity, refrigeration or hot water, seek suitable guidance before a disruption happens.
For pets, include food, drinking water, bowls, medication and anything needed to transport them safely if you must leave.
Glasses, hearing-aid supplies and accessibility equipment can be just as important as food and lighting. Add them to your written plan so they are not overlooked.
Simple activities can also help during a long evening without the usual entertainment. Books, cards or familiar games take little space and do not need charging.
8. Write a household plan
Equipment is easier to use when everyone understands the plan.
Write down where your kit is stored, who you will contact and where you could meet if you cannot return home or reach one another.
Include your address, key telephone numbers, relevant care needs and the location of important documents. Keep this information secure but accessible to the people who need it.
Discuss the plan together. If someone lives alone, agree how a trusted person could check on them when phone contact is unavailable, provided it is safe to do so.
Think about leaving home as well as staying in it. Keep a manageable bag available for essentials, but never delay an urgent evacuation to collect belongings.
Check your kit regularly
Set a date to review your supplies at least every six months and whenever your household’s needs change.
Test lights and the radio, check food and water dates, update contact details and replace anything you have used. Recharge power banks according to their instructions.
Build your supplies gradually within your budget. Start with what you already have, prioritise the gaps and choose equipment you understand how to use.
Get all five SOS Outdoors ebooks for FREE
Prepare for everyday disruption with the SOS Outdoors Home Preparedness Checklist, including a three-day emergency kit list, drinking-water quantities and a household plan you can print and fill in.
Sign up to the SOS Outdoors email list and receive this guide plus four more free ebooks:
- The UK Weekend Camping Guide
- The SOS Outdoors Guide to Buying Military Surplus
- Bushcraft From Scratch
- Tarp Camping Made Simple
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Explore outdoor essentials and camping equipment at SOS Outdoors, and choose practical kit that fits your household plan.
This guide covers general preparation for temporary disruption. During an incident, follow instructions from emergency services and your utility providers.
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