UK emergency kit list: what Be Ready asks you to store
The UK government asks every household to be able to manage for 3 days if power, water, phone or internet services are disrupted. Store 3 litres of drinking water per person per day, plus more for cooking and washing, and build your supplies gradually rather than all at once.
What this means for your household
Set your household size to see the days, water and food the United Kingdom advice adds up to.
Be ready for up to 3 days of disruption.
Drinking water for 2 people. Official figure: 3 L per person per day for drinking, more for cooking and washing.
Person-days of food to cover (2 × 3). Pick food that needs no fridge and little or no cooking.
What the official Be Ready checklist covers
The government's checklist groups supplies into nine areas. Use it as a list to build up over a few shopping trips.
- Water: 3 litres per person per day for drinking, more for cooking and washing
- Food that keeps without a fridge, for 3 days
- Hygiene supplies
- Light and warmth: torch, spare batteries, warm layers
- Communication: an FM radio (battery or wind-up) and a charged power bank
- Money and documents: some cash, copies of key documents
- Medical supplies and your regular medicines
- Baby products, if you have young children
- Pet supplies, if you have pets
How you will be warned
- Emergency Alerts are sent to 4G and 5G phones in the area at risk. They don't need your number, your location, mobile data or wifi.
- An alert makes a loud siren-like sound for about 10 seconds, even when your phone is on silent.
- You may not get alerts if your phone is off, on 2G or 3G, wifi-only, or in airplane mode.
- Sign up for flood warnings if your home or business is at risk of flooding.
- The Be Ready site is not updated during an emergency. For live information use the Met Office and local news, and call 999 in an emergency.
UK-specific steps most lists miss
- Fill in the official Household Emergency Plan: a meeting point, contact numbers, medication list and insurance details.
- Find your water stopcock, gas valve and electricity switch now. You can turn water and electricity back on yourself, but never the gas: that must be done by a qualified engineer.
- Join the Priority Services Register if someone at home has health or mobility needs, is of pensionable age, or is a child aged five or under. Utility companies use it to find households that need extra help.
- In the government's 2026 public survey, 35% of people thought a local power cut of 3 days or more was likely within two years.
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.
- Build toward 7 days of water and food, even if the official minimum is 3. Outages often last longer than planned.
- 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
- 999 (or 112) · Emergency services
- 105 · Power cut (any network)
- Met Office · Live weather warnings
Keep a paper copy: your phone may be flat when you need it.
Your kit, ready when the network isn't
HAVEN turns the Be Ready checklist into a tracked kit with quantities, expiry reminders every six months, and offline guides that still work when the network is down.
- Coverage in days for your household
- Expiry reminders
- Offline guides and AI
- Free to start, no account needed
How United Kingdom compares
United Kingdom: 3 days. 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.
United Kingdom preparedness FAQ
How many days of supplies does the UK government recommend?
3 days. The Be Ready campaign asks households to be able to manage for 3 days if power, water, phone or internet services are disrupted.
How much water should I store in the UK?
3 litres per person per day for drinking, plus extra for cooking and washing. For a family of four over 3 days that is at least 36 litres of drinking water.
What is on the Be Ready checklist?
Water, food, hygiene, light and warmth, communication (an FM radio and a charged power bank), money and documents, medical supplies, baby products and pet supplies.
Will an Emergency Alert sound if my phone is on silent?
Yes. Alerts make a loud siren-like sound for about 10 seconds even on silent. They reach 4G and 5G phones in the area at risk and don't need your number or location.
What is the Priority Services Register?
A free register that utility companies use to find households that need extra support during a power or water cut. You can join if someone at home has health or mobility needs, is of pensionable age, or is a child aged five or under.
Can I turn the gas back on myself after an emergency?
No. The official household plan says you can restore water and electricity yourself, but the gas must be turned back on by a qualified engineer.
Official sources
- Be Ready: be ready for emergencies (UK Government)
- Be Ready checklist, October 2026 (PDF)
- Be Ready Household Emergency Plan (PDF)
- How Emergency Alerts work (GOV.UK)
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.