UK Government Be Ready Campaign: What You Need for 3 Days

Be Ready is a UK Government campaign designed to help ordinary households prepare for emergencies.

It encourages people to keep essential supplies at home, understand what to do if services are interrupted and make a basic household emergency plan.

The advice isn't about preparing for extreme survival situations. It's about making sure you and your family can manage a temporary disruption to normal life.

For a three-day emergency, these are some of the most useful supplies to consider:

• Drinking water: At least 3 litres per person per day.
• Food: Three days of non-perishable food, including options that can be eaten without cooking.
• Lighting: A torch and spare batteries.
• Communication: A battery-powered or wind-up radio.
• Phone charging: A fully charged portable power bank.
• Warmth: Blankets, sleeping bags and warm clothing.
• Medical supplies: A first aid kit, essential medication and any necessary medical equipment.
• Hygiene: Hand sanitiser, wet wipes and essential toiletries.
• Other essentials: Important phone numbers, copies of key documents, some cash and supplies for babies or pets where needed.

You don't need to purchase everything immediately. Start by checking what you already own, then build your supplies gradually.

A sensible minimum is 3 litres of drinking water per person per day.

For a family of four, that means:

This is for drinking only. Additional water may be needed for cooking, hygiene and other essential uses.

Calculate your household's emergency water supply

Choose familiar foods that keep well and can be eaten without refrigeration or cooking.

Tinned meals, beans, vegetables, fish, fruit and other long-life foods are useful options.

It's worth planning actual meals rather than simply buying a collection of tins.

See my practical emergency food shopping list

A prolonged power cut can affect lighting, heating, communications and cooking.

A torch, charged power bank, battery radio and warm clothing are sensible starting points.

You may also want to consider backup electricity or alternative cooking equipment, depending on your household's needs.

Use my printable power cut checklist

You don't need expensive equipment or a specialist emergency kit to get started.

Check your cupboards, gather your existing supplies and identify anything important that's missing.

Make a simple plan for your household, including how you'll contact one another and where essential supplies are stored.

If you have neighbours or relatives who might need additional help during an emergency, consider how you could support them.

You can find the full guidance and official checklist on the UK Government's Be Ready website: beready.campaign.gov.uk/be-ready-for-emergencies (official GOV.UK website, opens in a new tab)

Ready for the Unexpected is an independent information website. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the UK Government.