City, forest and village plans, small solar power, water barrels, chemical incidents and fallout. Includes an 18-page downloadable manual and equipment comparison links.
A practical starting point for outages, disrupted supplies and evacuation. Follow current local instructions first. Immediate danger needs emergency help, not a checklist.
Start with the essentials
Build a three-day foundation, then extend it to match your local recommendation and household needs. A small reserve, a written plan and familiar equipment are useful starting points. Check medicines, infant supplies, disability needs and pet care. UK Be Ready checklist.
01 / Safe drinking water
Use sealed drinking water or a confirmed safe supply. For microbial contamination, first settle and filter cloudy water through a clean cloth; then bring clear water to a rolling boil for one minute, or three minutes above roughly 1,980 metres. Cool covered and store in clean containers. Boiling does not remove fuel, toxic chemicals or radioactive contamination: choose another source. CDC water-treatment guidance.
Planning calculation: people × days × 3 litres for drinking, based on the UK checklist. Add water for cooking, washing, pets, heat and individual health needs. This is not a complete household-water allowance.
02 / Food without reliable power
Choose familiar shelf-stable food you can eat with little or no cooking: canned pulses, suitable canned fish or meat, crackers, oats, nut butter and fruit. Count the water and fuel that cooking requires. Store a manual can opener. Adapt meals for allergies and medical diets.
Keep fridge and freezer doors closed. UK guidance estimates about four hours of cold retention for a closed fridge; a full freezer may retain freezing for about 48 hours, or 24 if half-full. Conditions vary. Use a thermometer and the full temperature/time rules; never taste food to establish safety. Food Standards Agency power-cut advice.
03 / Warmth and safe shelter
Keep clothes and bedding dry, wear layers and insulate underneath sleeping areas. Move to a safer warm location before exhaustion develops. Confusion, slurred speech, slow breathing or unusual drowsiness after cold exposure can indicate hypothermia. Seek urgent help; move the person to shelter, replace wet clothing and wrap in dry insulation. Do not use a hot bath, rub limbs or give alcohol. Give a warm drink only when fully awake and able to swallow. NHS hypothermia first aid.
04 / Power and communication
Prioritise a radio, lighting, essential medical equipment and phones. Energy use in watt-hours equals watts multiplied by hours. Check actual device requirements before selecting a battery. Use a compatible solar panel, charge controller and protected battery; never connect a raw panel directly to a battery. Government guidance on battery systems.
Fuel generators must run outdoors, at least about 6 metres from doors, windows and vents, with exhaust directed away. Never run one in a garage, tent or enclosed shelter. Use working carbon-monoxide alarms. CDC generator safety.
05 / Sanitation and health
Keep waste away from food and water. Wash hands with soap after toileting or handling waste and before food preparation. Avoid sewage and floodwater. If drains fail, use proper temporary containment and follow local waste-disposal instructions; do not put human waste in food-garden compost. CDC emergency hygiene.
Keep a medication and allergy list, first-aid supplies and a backup plan for powered or refrigerated medical equipment. Take a practical first-aid course. Do not stop or change essential medicine without professional advice. British Red Cross first-aid guidance.
06 / Longer disruptions: food growing and storage
A garden supplements stored food; it does not produce immediate replacement calories. Start with a manageable sunny area, sound soil, dependable water and crops suited to the season. Follow seed-packet spacing and sow small repeat batches where appropriate. RHS growing basics.
Preserve food only with tested procedures. Low-acid vegetables and meat need a suitable pressure canner; ordinary boiling-water processing is insufficient. Drying or vacuum packing does not rescue spoiled food. National Center for Home Food Preservation.
07 / Leaving home and conflict precautions
Plan two destinations and routes, transport for anyone who needs help, essential medicines, documents and pet supplies. Keep your bag manageable. Follow incident-specific official shelter or evacuation instructions. Do not touch ammunition, suspicious objects or military debris; use established safe routes and report hazards from a safe location. ICRC weapon-contamination information.
08 / Practise your plan
- Find your torch in darkness and test the radio.
- Prepare one no-cook meal using your actual supplies.
- Write contacts, meeting points and medication needs on paper.
- Check water, dates, battery condition and changing household needs every six months.
- Measure backup-power runtime without interrupting essential medical care.
Editorial planning guidance reviewed 10 November 2026. The full handbook expands these topics and explains the limits of improvised power and hydrogen systems.