Home Emergency Preparedness: Are You Ready for the Unexpected?
Most of us expect the basics of everyday life to simply work. We turn on the tap and expect water, flick a switch and expect electricity, open the fridge and expect food to be safely stored.
Usually, they do.
But storms, flooding, power cuts, water-supply problems, transport disruption and other local emergencies can quickly change normal life. Being prepared isn't about expecting disaster. It's simply about having enough essential supplies and a basic plan to keep your household comfortable and safe until normal services return.
Why Prepare for an Emergency?
An emergency doesn't need to be a major national disaster.
A prolonged power cut can leave a home without lighting, heating, internet access and the ability to charge mobile phones. A burst water main can interrupt drinking water. Severe weather can make travelling difficult and prevent shops from receiving normal deliveries.
Having an emergency kit means that when something does happen, you're not immediately dependent on getting to the shops.
A sensible starting point is to prepare your household to manage independently for at least three days, with additional supplies available if disruption lasts longer.
Water Comes First
Clean drinking water should be one of your highest priorities.
Store bottled drinking water somewhere cool and away from direct sunlight. Remember that you'll need water for more than drinking: basic food preparation and hygiene also require water.
Collapsible water containers are useful because they take up very little room when they're not being used.
Water purification tablets or an appropriate water filter can provide an additional backup, but they shouldn't replace your normal emergency drinking-water supply.
Remember to periodically check stored water and replace it when necessary.
Build an Emergency Food Supply
You don't need specialist survival food to create a useful emergency food cupboard.
Choose ordinary long-life foods that your household actually likes eating. Suitable choices include tinned meat and fish, beans, soups, vegetables, fruit, crackers, cereal bars, dried fruit and other foods that can be stored for long periods.
Try to include foods that can be eaten without cooking.
A manual tin opener is easily forgotten but extremely useful when your emergency food supply contains tins.
Rather than buying everything at once, gradually add a few extra long-life products to your normal shopping and rotate them into everyday use before their best-before dates.
Lighting
A power cut at night immediately demonstrates why every household should have several reliable light sources.
Keep LED torches somewhere that everyone can find them.
Head torches are particularly useful because they leave both hands free. A rechargeable or wind-up torch provides another option, while battery-powered lanterns can illuminate an entire room.
If your torches use replaceable batteries, keep unopened spare batteries alongside them.
Avoid relying entirely on your mobile phone's torch. You may need to conserve the phone's battery for communication.
Keeping Phones and Other Devices Charged
Mobile phones have become an important emergency tool.
They provide communication, information, maps, weather warnings and access to emergency contacts.
Keep at least one charged power bank available and make sure you have the correct charging cables for your household's devices.
For longer emergencies, larger-capacity power banks, solar chargers or portable power stations can provide additional backup power.
Check and recharge stored power banks periodically rather than discovering they're empty when you actually need them.
Emergency Radio
During a widespread power or communications failure, your normal sources of information may not always be available.
A small battery-operated or wind-up radio allows you to receive news and emergency information without relying on broadband or mobile data.
A combined emergency radio incorporating a torch, USB charging facility and hand-crank generator can be particularly useful.
First Aid and Medication
Every household should have a properly stocked first-aid kit.
At minimum, consider dressings, plasters, bandages, antiseptic products, disposable gloves and other everyday first-aid essentials.
Regularly check your kit and replace anything that's been used or has expired.
Household members who rely on prescription medicines should also consider what they would need during an interruption to normal services. Keep an up-to-date list of medications and prescriptions.
Spare glasses and other essential personal items are also worth considering.
Staying Warm
Power failures during winter can quickly make a home uncomfortable.
Keep warm clothing, blankets and sleeping bags accessible. Emergency foil blankets take up very little space and can provide an additional backup.
Rather than trying to heat an entire house during a prolonged heating failure, households may find it easier to concentrate everyone into one suitable room and retain warmth there.
Never bring outdoor barbecues, charcoal burners or unsuitable camping appliances indoors. They can produce dangerous levels of carbon monoxide.
Cooking During a Power Cut
If your normal cooker relies on electricity, think about how you would prepare food without it.
Having food that requires no cooking is the safest and simplest solution.
Where appropriate, equipment specifically designed for emergency or camping cooking can provide additional options, but it must always be used according to the manufacturer's instructions and only in environments for which it was designed.
Keep matches or suitable ignition equipment with your emergency supplies where appropriate and safely stored.
Hygiene and Sanitation
Loss of water can create problems surprisingly quickly.
Useful emergency hygiene supplies include toilet paper, wet wipes, hand sanitiser, soap, refuse sacks, kitchen roll, toothbrushes and toothpaste.
Don't forget personal sanitary products and nappies where required.
Heavy-duty refuse bags and a suitable emergency toilet arrangement can also be invaluable during a prolonged interruption to water or sewage services.
Basic Emergency Tools
A small selection of tools can solve many minor problems.
Consider keeping work gloves, duct tape, strong cord, cable ties, scissors and a basic tool kit with your emergency supplies.
A suitable multi-tool or folding pocket knife can also be useful for everyday emergency tasks.
Tools should be stored responsibly and kept away from children.
Important Documents
If you suddenly had to leave your home, could you quickly access your important information?
Keep essential telephone numbers written down rather than relying entirely on your mobile phone.
Consider securely storing copies of important information such as insurance details, identification, prescriptions and emergency contacts.
A waterproof document wallet is inexpensive and can help protect paperwork from water damage.
Keep Some Cash
Electronic payments are extremely convenient, but they depend on electricity and communications networks.
During a significant outage, card terminals and cash machines may not work normally.
Keeping a modest amount of cash securely at home, including smaller denominations, provides another useful backup.
Don't Forget Your Pets
Emergency planning should include every member of the household — including animals.
Keep some additional pet food and water available.
Depending on the animal, your emergency supplies might also include medication, bowls, leads, waste bags, bedding and a suitable carrier.
Make sure identification and microchip information is kept up to date.
Create a Grab Bag
Your home emergency supplies don't necessarily need to be portable, but it's sensible to have a smaller grab bag ready in case you need to leave quickly.
A grab bag could contain essentials such as:
- Water and some high-energy food
- Torch
- Power bank and charging cable
- Small first-aid kit
- Emergency blanket
- Whistle
- Personal medication
- Copies of essential information
- Basic hygiene products
- Local map
- Notebook and pencil
- Spare clothing appropriate for the season
Keep it somewhere accessible rather than buried at the back of a cupboard.
Have a Family Emergency Plan
Equipment is only one part of preparedness.
Discuss what your household would do if there were a fire, flood, prolonged power cut or evacuation.
Everyone should know where emergency supplies are kept, where the water and electricity can be turned off if necessary, and how to contact one another.
Consider agreeing on a meeting point in case household members become separated.
Children should understand the plan at an age-appropriate level without making emergencies frightening.
Check Your Kit Regularly
An emergency kit isn't something you should pack once and forget.
Check it every six months.
Replace expired food, water, medicines and batteries. Recharge power banks. Test torches and radios. Replace anything you've borrowed from the kit.
An easy way to remember is to check your emergency supplies when the clocks change.
Prepared, Not Panicked
Emergency preparedness doesn't require a bunker, years of food or expensive specialist equipment.
It's about asking a straightforward question:
If normal services stopped working today, could our household comfortably manage for the next three days?
Start with water, food, lighting, communication, first aid and warmth. Then gradually build your supplies to suit the particular needs of your household.
A relatively small amount of preparation today can make an unexpected situation considerably easier to manage tomorrow.
Prepare for the unexpected. Hope you never need it — but have it ready if you do.