UK Household Emergency Kit Checklist (72-Hour & 30-Day Guide)
Aligned with the UK Government's Prepare guidelines, NHS hydration rules, and SACN daily energy standards.
Why Every UK Household Needs a 72-Hour & 30-Day Plan
Whether caused by winter storm grid damage, burst water mains, cyber disruptions, or severe flooding, utility outages in the UK often happen with little warning. While the UK Cabinet Office recommends every home keep a baseline 72-hour (3-day) emergency kit, extending your pantry and water rotation to 14 or 30 days protects your household from supermarket panic-buying and prolonged local disruptions.
1. Drinking, Cooking & Hygiene Water
Target: 3.0 to 3.5 Litres per adult per day (minimum 10L per person for 72 hours)
- Bottled Still Water: 2L bottles or 5L supermarket water butts stored in a cool, dark cupboard away from direct sunlight.
- Drinking Allocation (NHS Benchmark): 2.0L/day per adult, 1.5L/day per child, 0.8L/day per infant (for formula preparation).
- Cooking & Hygiene Allocation: +0.8L/day for rehydrating oats/rice/pasta and +0.7L/day for basic washing.
- Backup Water Purification: Oasis or Aquatabs chlorine purification tablets (1 tablet per litre) plus a gravity water filter (e.g. British Berkefeld / Sawyer).
- Collapsible Water Carriers: Food-grade 10L–25L jerrycans to collect water from Scottish Water / Thames Water / Severn Trent emergency bowsers.
2. Non-Perishable Food & Segregated Pools
Target: 2,000–2,500 kcal per adult per day (SACN Reference Values)
- No-Cook Tinned Proteins: Tinned tuna in sunflower oil, mackerel, corned beef, sardines, and tinned chicken in white sauce.
- Tinned Meals & Pulses: Baked beans, tinned chilli con carne, lentil soup, chickpeas, and tinned chopped tomatoes.
- Calorie-Dense Carbs & Fats: Rolled porridge oats, basmati rice, peanut butter, olive/sunflower oil, honey, and digestives.
- UHT & Dried Milk: Long-life UHT whole/semi-skimmed milk and Marvel dried skimmed milk powder.
- Infant Formula & Baby Food (Segregated): Ready-to-feed liquid infant formula (requires zero boiling water during a power cut) and stage-appropriate pouches.
- Dog & Cat Food (Segregated): At least 14–30 days of wet tins and dry kibble + extra drinking water.
- Manual Tin Opener: A sturdy mechanical tin opener (never rely solely on an electric opener).
3. Backup Lighting, Communications & Power
Essential when the local substation goes offline
- Wind-Up or Battery FM/DAB Radio: Tuned to BBC Radio 4 (92–95 FM / 198 LW) or your local BBC station for official emergency broadcasts.
- LED Torches & Headtorches: At least one headtorch per adult + an LED camping lantern (never use unattended candles due to fire risk).
- Spare Alkaline & Lithium Batteries: AA, AAA, and 9V batteries kept in original packaging.
- USB Power Banks & Portable Power Stations: A 20,000 mAh USB-C power bank (~74 Wh) for mobile phones, or a 256 Wh–1,024 Wh LiFePO4 power station with a foldable solar panel.
4. Safe Off-Grid Heating, Cooking & CO Safety
Modern UK gas combi boilers require mains 230V electricity to run
- BS EN 50291 Carbon Monoxide (CO) Alarm: Mandatory if using any gas, paraffin, or wood appliance. Test the battery monthly.
- Portable Camping Stove & Butane/Propane: Dual-fuel or butane stove with spare CP250 canisters or a Calor Gas cylinder (use only in well-ventilated spaces).
- Thermal Insulation (Zero-Fuel Warmth): 3-season sleeping bags, wool blankets, thermal base layers, draught excluders, and foil emergency blankets.
- Fire Safety: A 1kg ABC dry powder fire extinguisher and a BS EN 1869 fire blanket in the kitchen.
5. NHS Repeat Prescriptions, First Aid & Hygiene
Pharmacy electronic prescription systems can stall during telecom outages
- Repeat Prescriptions: Order repeat medications 7–10 days before running out and track remaining tablet counts per person in PrepTrack.
- BS 8599-1 Household First Aid Kit: Sterile dressings, plasters, bandages, antiseptic wipes, tweezers, and trauma shears.
- Over-the-Counter Essentials: Paracetamol, Ibuprofen, Oral Rehydration Salts (Dioralyte), Loperamide, antihistamines, and thermometer.
- Sanitation without Mains Water: Heavy-duty bin liners, wet wipes, 70% alcohol hand sanitiser, toilet roll, and household bleach.
6. Essential UK Emergency Contacts & Documents
Keep a printed copy in your grab bag in case mobile batteries die
- 999 / 112: Police, Fire & Rescue, Ambulance (life-threatening emergencies).
- 105: National Power Cut Helpline (free from any UK landline or mobile — routes directly to your local electricity network operator).
- 111: NHS 111 urgent non-emergency medical advice.
- 0800 111 999: National Gas Emergency Service (24/7 if you smell gas or suspect a carbon monoxide leak).
- 0345 988 1188: Environment Agency Floodline (England, Wales & Scotland SEPA updates).
- Waterproof Document Pouch: Paper copies of home insurance policy numbers, NHS numbers, prescription lists, passports/driving licences, and £50–£100 in small £5/£10 notes (card machines fail during power cuts).
Turn This Static Checklist into a Live Household Readiness Plan
Spreadsheets and paper lists don't warn you when tinned food is expiring or when baby formula drops below your target days. PrepTrack automatically calculates your weakest-link readiness across Food, Water, Heating & Cooking Fuel, Electricity, and Medication.