Taiwan's public safety guide: 7 days at home, 1 to 3 days in a go-bag
Taiwan's National Public Safety Guide asks every household to keep at least 7 days of supplies at home, and every person to have a go-bag for 1 to 3 days. Store at least 3 litres of water per person per day, label expiry dates, and check your supplies every six months.
What this means for your household
Set your household size to see the days, water and food the Taiwan advice adds up to.
At least 7 days of supplies at home. Go-bag: 1 to 3 days per person.
Drinking water for 2 people. Official figure: At least 3 L per person per day.
Person-days of food to cover (2 × 7). Pick food that needs no fridge and little or no cooking.
Home supplies and go-bag
From the Ministry of National Defense's guide, 'In Case of Crisis'.
- Home: at least 3 L of water per person per day, for 7 days or more
- Home: food that needs no cooking, labelled with expiry dates
- Home: lighting, a portable radio, batteries, a power bank and a hand-crank generator
- Home: a portable gas stove and canisters for power cuts
- Go-bag: one backpack per person, about 15 kg at most for men and 10 kg for women
- Go-bag: 2 bottles of 600 ml water, masks, medicines, a flashlight, a whistle and warm layers
How Taiwan warns you, and what to do in an air raid
- Disaster alerts reach phones by cell broadcast, which uses its own channel and isn't affected by network congestion. The alert tone can't be changed.
- In an air raid alarm, look for 'Air-Defense Shelter' signs or follow police and civil defence staff to the nearest shelter.
- Indoors: stay away from windows and exterior walls, protect your head, and move to a lower floor if you can.
- Outdoors: enter the nearest building, or take cover under an underpass or culvert.
- In a vehicle: get out and find shelter if it is safe. If you can't, get below window level and protect your head.
Taiwan-specific steps
- Find your nearest air-defence shelter now in the Police Service App, or in the Fire Agency's app, which also has offline maps.
- Eat supplies close to their expiry date first and replace them, checking everything every six months.
- Keep the go-bag light enough to carry: about 15 kg for men and 10 kg for women.
- Read the full guide, 'In Case of Crisis', in Chinese or English on the Ministry of National Defense site.
Go beyond the minimum: what we recommend
Official lists cover the basics. These are the gaps we see most often when an emergency lasts longer than expected.
- Rotate a long supply: eat the oldest first and replace it, so a week or more of food and water stays in date.
- Keep paper and digital copies of IDs, insurance and prescriptions, so you can prove who you are and get medicines.
- Write the expiry date on everything and check the kit every 6 months, so it doesn't quietly go out of date.
- Plan for phone power: a charged power bank, plus a solar panel or car charger for longer outages.
- Save offline maps of your area and agree a meeting point, in case the mobile network is down.
- An offline survival guide on your phone: HAVEN tracks your kit and expiry dates and works with no signal.Download HAVEN free
Numbers to write down
- 110 · Police
- 119 · Fire and ambulance
Keep a paper copy: your phone may be flat when you need it.
Your kit, ready when the network isn't
HAVEN tracks your 7-day supplies and go-bag with six-monthly expiry reminders, and keeps offline guides on your phone for when the network is down.
- Coverage in days for your household
- Expiry reminders
- Offline guides and AI
- Free to start, no account needed
How Taiwan compares
Taiwan: 1 week. Across the 25 governments we checked, most ask for 3 days, a growing group asks for a week, and Austria asks for the most, at 10 to 14 days. See every country's advice.
Taiwan preparedness FAQ
How many days of supplies does Taiwan recommend?
At least 7 days of supplies at home, plus a go-bag with 1 to 3 days of supplies for each person.
How much water should I store in Taiwan?
At least 3 litres per person per day. For 7 days that is 21 litres per person.
What goes in a go-bag?
Two 600 ml bottles of water, masks, medicines, a flashlight, a whistle and warm layers, in one backpack per person that you can carry.
What should I do in an air raid alarm?
Go to the nearest air-defence shelter if you can. Indoors, keep away from windows and exterior walls and protect your head. Outdoors, get into the nearest building or under an underpass.
How often should I check my supplies?
Every six months. Label expiry dates and eat items close to expiry first, then replace them.
Official sources
- Household supplies (Taiwan's National Public Safety Guide)
- Go-bag (Taiwan's National Public Safety Guide)
- In Case of Crisis, English edition (PDF)
- English air-raid shelter infographic (National Police Agency)
This page summarises official advice and is not a substitute for it. Always follow the instructions of your local emergency services. Last checked 2 November 2026.