Learn & Prepare
Factual UK preparedness guides
Open sectionUK household preparedness
Be ready for the unexpected.
Ready or Not UK is a calm, practical information hub for ordinary UK households — parents, renters, homeowners and older adults. We explain official advice on power cuts, flooding, 72-hour supplies and simple planning, in plain British English. You do not need to buy anything to use this site.
Independent, not a government website
Sources cited, including GOV.UK and the Environment Agency
Affiliate recommendations are secondary and labelled
Start with the subject that matters today
This site is organised like a consumer advice desk, not a shop. Pick a topic, read the guide, then use a free tool if you want to personalise a plan.
Power Cuts & Blackouts
Before, during and after an outage
Open sectionFlooding & Severe Weather
Official warnings and household plans
Open section72-Hour Preparedness
Kit builder and household planning
Open sectionPractical Projects
Hands-on projects, including Project Nomad
Open sectionEquipment Reviews
Recommendations and comparisons
Open sectionFree Resources
Checklists, plan template and official links
Open sectionLatest preparedness guides
Read practical guides based on published UK guidance, with links to original sources.
Water
How Much Drinking Water Should You Store?
The official UK figure is 3 litres per person per day for drinking, for three days. Here is what that adds up to, and what official pages do not specify.
Read the guidePower cuts
How to Prepare for a Power Cut in the UK
Official steps to take before and during a UK electricity outage, including 105, warmth, food safety and the Priority Services Register.
Read the guidePower cuts
How to Stay Warm During a Winter Power Cut
Official warmth advice for a UK winter outage, and why barbecues and generators must stay outside.
Read the guideInteractive tool
Build your own 72-hour emergency kit
Choose your household size and any extra needs. The builder uses official Be Ready figures where they exist — such as 3 litres of drinking water per person per day — and labels planning suggestions separately.
Tick what you already own, save your progress in this browser, print or download a PDF with no affiliate links.
Open the kit builderFree download
UK 72-hour household checklist
Print it without giving us your email address. A household emergency plan template and a list of official links sit alongside it.
Download the checklist PDFPractical projects
Practical household projects, including our upcoming offline-phone experiment Project Nomad.
Project Nomad
An upcoming hands-on project exploring how to prepare a spare phone for offline use.
Explore Project NomadMore projects
Start with a written household plan, a cupboard check and a six-month reminder — useful work that does not require new gadgets.
Browse projectsEquipment we discuss
Recommendations come after the advice, not before it. Our equipment notes explain what matters when choosing supplies. Product recommendations will be added only after careful checking.
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Wind-up or battery FM radio
A radio that still works when the television and home internet do not.
Read the noteBottled drinking water
Sealed drinking water for the official three-day supply of 3 litres per person per day.
Read the noteSpare blankets
Extra blankets or a sleeping bag for warmth if the heating stops.
Read the noteFamily first aid kit
A basic kit covering the sorts of items listed on the official Be Ready checklist.
Read the noteHandheld LED torch
A basic handheld torch so you are not using your phone as a light in a power cut.
Read the notePortable power bank
A charged power bank for phones or compatible medical devices.
Read the noteA note on trust
We write for everyday Britain: flats as well as houses, tight budgets as well as well-stocked cupboards. We cite official sources such as GOV.UK, the Environment Agency, the Met Office, the NHS (where relevant), fire safety advice and the British Red Cross. Completing a checklist is not a guarantee of safety. In an emergency call 999.
This website is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the UK Government’s Be Ready campaign or any emergency service.