Households across the UK are being told to pack nine essential items in an ‘emergency kit’ at home. Emergencies can unfold quickly in a few hours or develop and continue over several days and months, sometimes when least expected.
Such emergencies can include things like severe flooding and extreme weather, wildfires, or other natural hazards, which can result in power cuts or communities being cut off. As such, the UK government is urging households to prepare for such events by packing an ‘emergency kit’ to ensure access to essentials at home in such an emergency.
It’s recommended that these supplies are kept in one place in your home and somewhere that is easy to find in case the lights aren’t working. The essential items are all things that will help you if there is an emergency lasting for a few days, such as a power cut or water outage. The nine items to pack in an ‘emergency kit’, according to UK government advice, include:
- A battery or wind-up torch – torches are safer than candles
- A portable power bank for charging your mobile phone
- A battery or wind-up radio to get updates during a power cut – a car radio can also be used, but in severe weather it might be safer to stay inside
- Spare batteries for torches and radio and a backup battery for any medical equipment you rely on
- A first aid kit including items like waterproof plasters, bandages, a thermometer, antiseptic, eyewash solution, sterile dressings and gloves, medical tape for dressings and tweezers
- Hand sanitiser and wet wipes for hygiene purposes when the water is off
- Bottled water – the government says there’s no standard figure for this as emergencies can vary in duration and people use different amounts, but a minimum of 2.5 to 3 litres of drinking water per person per day is recommended by the World Health Organisation for survival. 10 litres per person per day will make you more comfortable by also providing for basic cooking and hygiene needs, and additional water might be needed to make up baby formula, for medical devices and for pets.
- Non-perishable food that doesn’t need cooking, such as ready-to-eat tinned meat, fruit or vegetables (and a tin opener). As with water, how much you need will vary based on your own circumstances. Don’t forget food for pets.
- Baby supplies such as nappies and baby formula – ready made or ‘ready-to-feed’ formula is best as you may not be able to boil water or sterilise bottles.
Government advice says these items don’t all need to be bought at once and can instead be added to an at-home emergency kit over time.
The government said: “Consider what supplies you and your household might need during an emergency lasting a few days, such as a power cut or water outage, or situations where you are advised to stay at home or to leave your home (evacuate) for safety reasons.
“It can be helpful to keep these items in one place in your home and ideally somewhere easy to find if the lights aren’t working – if you are escaping your house due to a fire you should not take anything with you at all. You could consider keeping items you might need to take with you if asked to leave your home quickly in a spare bag – you might hear some people call this a ‘grab bag’.
“You should ensure you have enough of the medication you need to keep you going for several days.”