Preparedness Guides
Short, UK-specific guides you can act on this weekend. No jargon, no doom.
Start hereEmergency Kit UK: The Complete Checklist
The full 72-hour checklist by category — water, food, power, lighting, first aid, comms and your grab bag — plus the gear worth buying at every budget.
Free help firstWhat can you get for free in an emergency in the UK?
The Prepare campaign, the Priority Services Register, free flood warnings, council flood bags and free bottled water in an outage — plus the few things you still have to buy.
Buyer's guides
Straight comparisons of the kit we'd actually buy, at three budgets.
Best power banks for a UK power cut
Pocket bank, household all-rounder or a station that runs the fridge.
CompareBest emergency water storage and filters
How to hold 72 hours of water — and what to use if the supply is unsafe.
CompareBest car emergency kits for UK winter
What a February breakdown actually demands from your boot.
CompareBest wind-up and emergency radios
Stay informed when the mobile network and broadband go down.
CompareBest emergency stoves for a power cut
A hot drink and a hot meal when the hob is dead — safely, outdoors.
CompareWater
Safe drinking water for at least 3 days.
What can you get for free in an emergency in the UK?
More is free in a UK emergency than most people expect: free bottled water during a mains outage, the Priority Services Register, flood warnings, council flood bags and the government's Prepare checklists. Here is the complete list of what costs nothing — and the few items you still have to buy yourself.
7 min readThe 72-hour water plan
A simple day-by-day plan for keeping a household supplied with drinking water if the tap stops.
3 min readBuilding a flood grab bag: a practical packing list
What goes in the bag by the door if you have twenty minutes to leave — a packing list you can tick off.
4 min readThree days without water
Why 72 hours is the planning window for UK households, and how to cover it for under £40.
4 min readHow much water should you store for emergencies?
The three-litres-per-person-per-day rule, how to work out your household's number, how to store water safely and what to do if you run out.
5 min readPower
Backup power for phones and essentials.
What to do in a UK power cut
Who to call, what to switch off, and how to keep a household comfortable until the lights come back.
4 min readHow to prepare for a power cut in the UK
Storm season, grid faults and local network repairs all cut UK power. Here's the short preparation list, what to do in the first ten minutes, and how to stay warm and connected.
6 min readFirst Aid
Treat everyday injuries at home.
The Rule of Threes: what to fix first
Three minutes without air, three days without water, three weeks without food — the order that decides what you buy first.
4 min readThree minutes without air
Smoke, choking and cardiac arrest are the fastest killers in a home — and the cheapest to prepare for.
4 min readFood
No-cook food that keeps the family going.
Three weeks without food
Food is the last priority and the first thing people panic-buy. Here's a sane 72-hour store.
3 min read21 emergency supplies every UK household should have
The emergency essentials every UK home needs: water, light, power, first aid, food, documents and car kit — what 'enough' means, and build-your-own vs ready-made packs.
7 min readWhat is a 72-hour emergency kit?
Why 72 hours is the standard planning window, exactly what goes in the bag for a UK household, how to pack it and how much it costs to build.
6 min readAre there free government survival kits in the UK?
No — the UK has no free national survival kit scheme. Here's what the government does provide free, what it asks households to buy themselves, and how to build the same kit cheaply.
6 min readCommunications
Stay informed and reachable.
Vehicle
Ready for a roadside emergency.
Want to know which of these matters most for your household?
Size up my kitGet the free 72-Hour Household Checklist
One page, made for the fridge door: what your house needs for three days without power or water. Download it free — no email or newsletter subscription required.
- Water, power, food and first aid
- Space to note where things are kept
- Prints fine in black and white