What Should Be in a UK 72-Hour Emergency Kit?

The UK Government’s Be Ready campaign asks households to think about managing for about three days if everyday services are disrupted. The point, as the campaign describes it, is to help you cope while support reaches people who need it most. You do not have to buy a branded “survival kit”, and you do not have to do everything in one trip to the shops.

The British Red Cross has explained the same idea in everyday language: the recommendation is not asking people to prepare for a major disaster or to stockpile supplies. It is about short-term disruption to electricity, water, communications, transport or shops.

This guide walks through the official checklist, notes where a figure is published and where it is not, and points you to the interactive kit builder if you want quantities tailored to your household.

Start with what you already have

Be Ready’s own starting advice is practical:

See what you already have in the cupboards.
Plan for your household, including medical supplies, baby formula or pet food if you rely on them.
Build the kit gradually by picking up an extra item or two during regular shopping.
Set a reminder every six months to check expiry dates and update the kit if your household has changed.
Talk to neighbours about extra support you might share, and swap contact details.

That sequence matters more than any shopping list. A torch you already own, tested and left where you can find it in the dark, is more useful than an expensive unused gadget still in a box.

Water and food

Water. Official guidance is to keep bottled water for three days, at 3 litres per person per day for drinking. More would be needed for cooking and washing. The extra amount is not given as an official litre figure, so this site does not invent one. If an outage is forecast, filling clean containers from the tap is a common planning step for washing and flushing; that is a suggestion, not a published volume.

Food. Keep non-perishable food for three days. Be Ready describes food with a long shelf life that does not need refrigeration or cooking — for example tinned meat, fish or vegetables, dried fruit and nuts — and says it is best to buy food you would usually eat. Official power-cut advice also mentions a tin opener.

There is no official calorie chart attached to the checklist. Households with babies, medical needs or special diets should plan around what they already eat and what their clinician or dietitian has advised.

Light, warmth and staying informed

A torch and spare batteries. Official pages are clear that torches are safer than candles. Prepare also notes that you probably will not want to use your phone as a torch, because that drains the battery more quickly.
Blankets, sleeping bags and warm clothing, because homes can become cold very quickly when the heating goes off.
An FM radio that runs on batteries or a wind-up mechanism, so you can still hear updates if the television and internet are down. Write down the frequencies of stations you use for news.
A charged power bank, to charge phones or compatible medical devices.

Documents, money and medical needs

Be Ready includes:

Cash (a mix of coins and notes) and cards, in case electronic payments or cash machines are disrupted. The amount “depends on your family’s specific needs for essentials” — no official cash figure is published.
Printed copies of important documents, such as passports, birth certificates, insurance details and instructions for medical equipment.
Written phone numbers, including anyone who might need checking on, plus a list of regular medicines and doses. Include the power-cut number: 105 in England, Scotland and Wales, or 03457 643643 in Northern Ireland.
A first aid kit or first aid items. The official examples include waterproof plasters, bandages, a thermometer, antiseptic, eyewash, sterile dressings and gloves, medical tape and tweezers.
Essential medication. Request repeat prescriptions in good time — up to five working days before you need your medicine.

If your household includes babies or pets

Official extras include ready-made or ready-to-feed baby formula (because you may not be able to boil water to make up powdered formula safely), nappies and wipes, and pet food plus bottled water. No official pack sizes or litre figures are given for those extras, so plan around usual use for three days.

What this checklist is not

It is not a guarantee that your household will be safe in every emergency. It is not a list of weapons, bunkers or conspiracy-themed supplies. It is not medical advice. And it is not an instruction to spend money you do not have: many of the most useful actions — writing down numbers, testing a torch, joining the Priority Services Register if you are eligible — cost nothing.

If you want a version you can tick, use the 72-hour kit builder or the printable checklist. For related reading see How much drinking water should you store? and How to prepare for a power cut in the UK.

Sources

Be Ready for emergencies, UK Government campaign
Households encouraged to take small, simple steps to stay prepared, GOV.UK, 22 October 2026
Why are we being asked to prepare for 72 hours at home?, British Red Cross
Prepare: power cuts

Open the 72-hour kit builder · Free checklists and official links