The UK emergency kit: what the government’s Prepare campaign says

The UK government’s Prepare campaign asks households to be ready for a few days without help. Its water advice is more realistic than most: 3 litres per person per day is the minimum, 10 litres if you want to cook and wash. Ready Scotland adds a few practical extras, such as a whistle and pipe-repair putty.

The official numbers

• Self-reliance: a few days
• Water: 3 litres per person per day minimum, 10 litres recommended

What UK Government (Prepare) and Ready Scotland recommends

Gear

• First aid kit (home)
• Flashlight / torch
• Manual can opener
• Emergency radio
• Whistle
• Pencil and notebook
• Multitool / pocket knife
• Go-bag backpack
• Waterproof document pouch
• Playing cards, games, books

Supplies to buy

• Bottled drinking water
• Long-life food (ready to eat)
• Pet food and water
• Baby food / formula
• Hand sanitiser
• Wet wipes
• Go-bag toiletries

To arrange

• Paper list of emergency contacts
• Personal medication supply
• Spare glasses / contact lenses
• Copies of ID and key documents
• Spare house and car keys
• Household emergency plan

What the authorities advise beyond the kit

• Write a household emergency plan with everyone you live with: who to call, where to meet if you can’t get home, and how each person gets out.
• Know how to turn off gas, electricity and water at the mains, and keep any tool you need next to the valve.
• Go in, stay in, tune in. In most emergencies the advice is to get indoors, stay there and follow local radio or TV. The exception is a fire: get out, stay out and call 999.
• Emergency Alerts come to mobile phones as a loud siren-like sound, and only when there is a danger to life. Read the alert and follow it.
• Flood warnings in England are free from the Environment Agency, by phone, text or email (Floodline 0345 988 1188).
• Check on neighbours who may struggle on their own, such as older or disabled people.

Food to keep at home

What the official list says: Ready-to-eat food that won’t go off, for a few days, plus baby food and pet food where needed.

General advice from the official food lists:

• Stock food you already eat, and rotate it: use the oldest first and replace it, so nothing expires unnoticed.
• For 72 hours, choose food that keeps at room temperature and can be eaten without cooking: tins, crispbread, dried fruit, nuts, muesli, long-life milk.
• For a week or longer, add dry staples such as rice, pasta, oats and pulses, plus oil, salt and sugar, and a stove to cook on.
• Dry staples need water to cook: count it in your water stock.
• Store food cool, dry and dark, in airtight containers once opened.
• Allow for babies, special diets, allergies and pets.
• Keep a manual can opener, and throw away tins that are swollen, dented or rusty.

Printable 72-hour food list, combined from official lists. Print it or save it as a PDF.

What other governments add

These appear on most of the 12 official lists we compared, but not on this one:

• Spare batteries (10 of 12 lists)
• Power bank (8 of 12 lists)
• Lighter and waterproof matches (6 of 12 lists)
• Blankets and warm clothing (6 of 12 lists)

Build your kit

Every item above is in our L1 kit (72 hours). Use the household calculator to get quantities for your household, and download the shopping list for the supplies you’ll buy at the supermarket and pharmacy.

FAQ

How long should an emergency kit last in United Kingdom? A few days, according to UK Government (Prepare) and Ready Scotland.

Do I need to buy a ready-made kit? No. Building your own from the official list is cheaper and you know what’s in it. Our picks cover the gear; the rest comes from the supermarket.

Source: UK Government (Prepare) and Ready Scotland. Last reviewed: October 2026.