UK 72-Hour Household Preparedness Checklist
A printable checklist based on official Be Ready categories, with official quantities where they exist.
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Checklists, plans and official links
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Household emergency plan template
Our original fill-in template for contacts, meeting points, medicines and utility shut-offs. The government also publishes its own Be Ready plan, which you should consider using as well.
Download the plan templateCurated official links
Be Ready campaign
UK Government household checklist and emergency planning advice.
Prepare: power cuts
Official actions to take before and during a power cut.
Report a power cut (105)
105 is the free number in England, Scotland and Wales. In Northern Ireland call 03457 643643. You can also look up your load block letter.
Priority Services Register
Free extra support from energy and water companies if you are eligible. In Northern Ireland: Customer Care Registers.
Ofgem: Priority Services Register
What joining the register can include.
Check for flooding
Current flood warnings and risk in the next five days (England).
Get flood warnings
Free Environment Agency warnings by text, phone or email in England. The service does not cover surface water (flash) flooding.
Flood alerts and warnings explained
What flood alert, flood warning and severe flood warning mean in England.
What to do before or during a flood
Official safety steps, including not walking or driving through flood water.
Met Office warnings
UK weather warnings.
Food Standards Agency: food safety in a power cut
Fridge and freezer advice during an outage.
British Red Cross: 72-hour preparedness
Independent explanation of the three-day advice.
Floodline
0345 988 1188 (textphone 0345 602 6340), 24-hour service.
GOV.UK news: households encouraged to prepare
Announcement of the preparedness campaign (22 October 2026).