UK Be Ready checklist explained
The UK Prepare campaign asks households to cope for about 72 hours if power, water, phones, or shops are disrupted — by building supplies on normal shopping trips, not panic buying.
What officials commonly list
- Water — about 3 litres drinking water per person per day; more if you can for cooking and hygiene.
- Food — tins and other non-perishables that need no cooking; tin opener.
- Light — torch (safer than candles); spare batteries.
- Information — battery or wind-up FM radio; charged power bank for phones.
- Health — first aid items; repeat prescriptions ahead of time.
- Baby / pet — nappies, ready-to-feed formula where relevant, pet food.
- Cash & documents — some notes and coins; copies of important papers.
- Warmth — blankets or warm layers if heating fails.
Free step if eligible: Priority Services Register.
Under the stairs, not a bunker
Most UK households need a home buffer, not a tactical bug-out bag. See go bag vs stay-home kit and pantry rotation.
Questions people ask (from search & video comments)
- Is the government warning us war is coming?
- Official messaging frames severe weather, outages, and resilience — not “buy a bunker.” Follow live alerts (Emergency Alerts SMS, BBC local radio, gov.uk) if something is imminent.
- Is 3 days enough?
- It is a minimum planning window many European governments use so emergency services can prioritise vulnerable people. Longer is fine if you rotate food so it does not expire.
- I cannot afford to stockpile.
- Prepare says spread the cost: one extra tin or bottle on each shop. Our Pantry Rotation Workbook includes a gradual 12-week plan.
- Candles or torch?
- Be Ready prefers torches over candles (fire risk). Use lanterns or headlamps with spare batteries.
- Why a wind-up radio in 2026?
- Mobile networks and home internet often fail in wide outages. FM radio still carries local BBC updates when powered.
- Ready-to-feed formula?
- If you rely on formula, officials note ready-to-feed may be safer when you cannot boil water — see baby kit for power cuts.