# The three-day emergency kit for UK homes

> The government's Be Ready list explained: water at 3 litres per person a day, food, torch, FM radio, power bank, cash, documents, medicines, baby and pet supplies.

- Canonical URL: https://powercutkit.co.uk/three-day-emergency-kit/
- Source: [UK government, Be Ready: be ready for emergencies](https://beready.campaign.gov.uk/be-ready-for-emergencies/)
- Checked: 2026-10-25
- Structured data: https://powercutkit.co.uk/data/three-day-emergency-kit.json

This page includes a free interactive tool that runs in the browser and sends no data. The figures and rules it uses are the ones stated on this page, with their sources.

## The official list

The government's Be Ready campaign asks every household to keep enough to manage for three days without power, water or shops ([gov.uk](https://beready.campaign.gov.uk/be-ready-for-emergencies/)). The checklist, in its own groups:

| Group | What to keep |
|---|---|
| Water | Bottled water for 3 days: 3 litres per person per day to drink, plus extra for cooking and washing |
| Food | Food for 3 days that needs no fridge and no cooking, ideally food you normally eat |
| Hygiene | Hand sanitiser, wet wipes, toilet and bathroom products |
| Light and warmth | A torch with spare batteries; blankets, sleeping bags or warm clothes |
| Communication | A battery or wind-up FM radio; a charged power bank |
| Money and papers | Cash in coins and notes, bank cards, printed copies of important documents, a list of key contacts and medicines |
| Medical | A first aid kit and essential medicines; request repeat prescriptions up to 5 working days ahead |
| Babies | Ready-to-feed formula (preferred), nappies, wipes |
| Pets | Pet food and bottled water |

## How much water is that?

Three litres per person per day for three days is 9 litres each. A family of two adults and two children needs 36 litres to drink, about six 6-litre packs, before anything for cooking or washing. The app works this out for your household and for longer periods if you want them.

## Where to keep it

Somewhere everyone knows, cool and dry, away from sunlight. Put a date on the water and food and check the kit when the clocks change, twice a year: batteries, power bank charge, use-by dates and prescriptions.

## A grab bag and the car

Be Ready also suggests a small grab bag with essentials in case you need to leave home quickly, and a few supplies in the car for winter: a blanket, water, a torch and a phone charger.

## Buying the kit in one go

If you start from nothing, the quickest route is: multipacks of bottled water, a box of long-life food you already eat, a manual tin opener, a wind-up or battery torch with spare batteries, a battery or wind-up FM radio, a power bank, a first aid kit, a waterproof wallet for documents, and blankets. Ready-made kits exist; check them against the official list above, because most leave out water, medicines and documents.

## Read next

What to look for in a [torch, power bank and radio](https://powercutkit.co.uk/choosing-your-kit/), and [what to do](https://powercutkit.co.uk/what-to-do-in-a-power-cut/) when the power goes.

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