UK emergency kit: what the government says to keep at home
The UK emergency kit checklist from the Be Ready campaign, item by item: why each matters, how it compares with the US list, and power cut and flood plans.
Why it matters
The UK government now asks every household that can to keep three days of supplies. Knowing what is on the official list, and why, makes it easier to build a kit gradually and cheaply.
Three litres of water per person per day, for three days. That is the first line of the UK emergency kit the British government now asks every household to keep, published on October 22, 2026, as the opening stage of a three-year Cabinet Office campaign called Be Ready. The list covers water, food, light, warmth, a radio, cash, documents, medicine and supplies for babies and pets.
Quick answer: The UK government’s Be Ready checklist asks households to keep enough for 3 days: bottled water (3 litres per person per day), long-life food that needs no cooking, a torch with spare batteries, blankets and warm clothing, a battery or wind-up FM radio, a charged power bank, cash and cards, printed copies of key documents and phone numbers, a first aid kit, essential medicines, and baby and pet supplies where needed.
The official site, beready.campaign.gov.uk, replaced the government’s older Prepare site. Its reasoning is short: “Being ready for 3 days helps you manage while support reaches those in need.” The idea is that households who can look after themselves for a few days free up emergency services for people who cannot.
Security Minister Dan Jarvis, asked who the advice was for, said: “Those who can follow this advice should follow this advice.” More than 500 organizations, including charities and businesses, have signed up to share the campaign material, according to reports of the launch.
What is on the UK emergency kit list?
The list below follows the official checklist in its own order, with the government’s exact wording in quotation marks and a plain note on why each item is there.
Water. “Bottled water for 3 days,” at “3 litres per person per day for drinking.” For a household of four, that is 36 litres. Burst mains, contamination warnings and flooding can all cut off safe tap water, and water is the item people run short of first.
Food. “Non-perishable food for 3 days,” described as “food with a long shelf life that doesn’t need refrigeration or cooking.” The second half matters more than the first. In a power cut the fridge stops and an electric hob is useless, so a cupboard of dried pasta does little good.
Hygiene. “Hand sanitiser, wet wipes and bathroom products.” These cover the gap when water is too scarce for washing.
Light. “Torch (and spare batteries).” The government adds one blunt line: “Torches are safer than candles.” Candles left burning in a dark, unfamiliar room are a fire risk at exactly the moment the fire service is busiest.
Warmth. “Blankets, sleeping bags and warm clothing,” because “homes can become cold very quickly when the heating goes off.”
Radio. “FM radio (battery / wind up).” This is the item most people skip and the one that earns its place when everything else fails. When mobile masts lose power, phones and home broadband go with them, but broadcast radio keeps working. The checklist asks people to write down the frequencies of the national or local stations they use for news, since scanning in the dark for a signal wastes batteries.
Power bank. “Charged power bank,” to “charge phones or compatible medical devices.” The key word is charged. A flat power bank in a drawer is dead weight.
Money. “Cash (mix of coins and notes) and cards,” in case “electronic payments or ATMs are disrupted.” Card terminals and cash machines need power and a network connection. Small notes and coins matter because a shop with no working till may not be able to give change.
Documents. “Copies of IDs / documents,” meaning printed copies of passports, birth certificates and insurance details, plus instructions for any medical equipment someone in the home relies on.
Phone numbers. “Important phone numbers and information,” written down, along with a list of regular medicines and their doses. Few people know a relative’s number by heart once their phone dies.
First aid. “First aid kit / first aid items,” such as plasters, bandages, a thermometer, antiseptic and sterile dressings.
Medicine. “Essential medication and medical supplies.” The checklist says to request repeat prescriptions “up to 5 working days before you need your medicine,” so that a disruption does not land on the day the last pack runs out. This article is for information only and is not medical advice.
Babies. “Baby formula” and “nappies and wipes.” The government says ready-to-feed formula is best, “as you may not be able to boil water to make up powdered formula safely.”
Pets. “Pet food and bottled water.”
The government also suggests keeping the essentials in a spare bag, which it calls a “grab bag,” in case the household has to leave quickly.
How should you build the kit?
The official advice is to start with what is already in the cupboards, note what is missing, and buy the rest gradually during normal shopping trips “to help spread the cost.” It then asks people to set a reminder every six months to check expiry dates and replace items. No specific products or brands are recommended, and none are needed: most of the list is ordinary household stock.
The checklist also asks people to talk to neighbors and swap contact details, and to agree a backup plan with anyone who needs extra support, particularly people who live alone.
How does the UK list compare with the US Ready.gov kit?
The US version, published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) at Ready.gov, covers the same ground but asks for more water and more tools.
| Item | UK (Be Ready) | US (Ready.gov) |
|---|---|---|
| Water | 3 litres per person per day, for drinking, 3 days | 1 US gallon (about 3.8 litres) per person per day, for drinking and sanitation, several days |
| Food | 3 days, long-life, no cooking or fridge | Several days, non-perishable, plus a manual can opener |
| Radio | Battery or wind-up FM radio | Battery or hand-crank radio, plus a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert |
| Light and power | Torch, spare batteries, charged power bank | Flashlight, extra batteries, phone chargers and a backup battery |
| Tools | None listed | Whistle, dust mask, plastic sheeting, duct tape, wrench or pliers to turn off utilities, local maps |
| Money and papers | Cash and cards, printed documents, written phone numbers | Cash, copies of insurance, ID and bank records |
Source: UK Cabinet Office, Be Ready checklist, October 22, 2026; FEMA, Ready.gov “Build a Kit”, accessed October 27, 2026.
The differences follow the hazards. American guidance is written for hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes, where people may shelter in a damaged building, so it includes a whistle to signal for help, a dust mask and plastic sheeting to seal a room. The NOAA Weather Radio is a US service that broadcasts official warnings and can switch itself on with an alarm tone. Britain’s list is built around the disruptions it expects most often: storms, flooding and long power cuts.
The water figures are also measured differently. The UK’s 3 litres covers drinking only. FEMA’s gallon covers drinking and basic sanitation, and Ready.gov adds that children, nursing mothers and sick people may need more, and that “in very hot temperatures, water needs can double.”
The core is identical: water, food that needs no cooking, light, a radio that does not depend on the internet, medicine, cash and paper copies. The same basics sit behind the earthquake kit described in our guide to what to do in an earthquake.
What should a power cut plan include?
The kit is only half of the official advice. The Be Ready site also asks households to write a short plan, and for power cuts it is specific.
- Write down 105. It is the free national number for reporting a power cut in England, Scotland and Wales, set up by the electricity network companies in 2016 and answered by the local network operator whichever supplier sends the bill. In Northern Ireland the number is 03457 643643 (Northern Ireland Electricity). Keep it on paper where you can find it in the dark.
- Join the Priority Services Register at thepsr.co.uk if someone in the home is eligible, for example because they depend on medical equipment. It tells energy and water companies that the household needs extra support during an interruption.
- Charge the power bank and note the radio frequencies before winter, not during the outage.
- Plan for cold. Know where the blankets and warm clothing are, and who in the household or on the street will feel the cold first.
- Check on people. The government suggests agreeing that a trusted person will visit anyone who lives alone if they cannot be reached by phone.
What does official advice say about flooding?
For England, the government’s flood pages ask people to check their long-term flood risk online and to sign up for free flood warnings by text, phone or email through the Environment Agency’s Floodline, on 0345 988 1188. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland run separate services. The advice is to write a personal flood plan and keep it with medicines, documents and contact details: in practice, the same grab bag.
When a flood warning is issued, the GOV.UK guidance is to move family, pets and important items upstairs or to higher ground, and to “turn off your gas, electricity and water supplies if it’s safe to do so.” The Be Ready checklist makes the same point in advance: know how to turn off the gas, electricity and water before you ever need to. The guidance also says “do not touch an electrical switch if you’re standing in water,” and not to walk, cycle or drive through flood water. In a severe flood warning, which means danger to life, call 999 if anyone is in immediate danger.
Why the UK list changed, and what most coverage misses
Much of this advice is not new. Water, no-cook food, a torch, a radio, a power bank and first aid supplies were already on the old Prepare site. What changed on October 22 was the detail: a fixed water figure, an explicit three-day target, and new items for cash, warm clothing, printed documents and a written list of contacts, medicines and doses. The additions share a theme: each covers something people take for granted that depends on power or a network, from card payments to the contacts list on a phone.
One inconsistency is worth knowing about. Northern Ireland’s official site, nidirect, still lists “candles and matches” in its household kit, while the UK-wide Be Ready checklist says torches are safer. Where official lists differ, the newer national guidance is the one the government is now promoting.
According to coverage of the launch, the three-day target puts Britain in line with France, Ireland and the Netherlands. It is a floor, not a promise that help arrives on day four. The campaign is due to run for three years, with radio and social media adverts aimed at families with young children and older people over the coming months, so the checklist may grow. The printable PDF checklist on the Be Ready site is the version to tick off at home, and the six-monthly check the government suggests is a natural moment to see whether it has been updated.
