The list
Nine things.
Every realistic emergency in Britain is met with the same nine things. Each one has a version that costs nothing, a version that costs a little, and a note about what you probably already own.
Water
It is the only thing on this list you cannot go three days without. Taps can stop for repairs, floods, freezes or a burst main, with no warning and no politics involved.
Free versionRefill clean fizzy drink bottles from the tap and stand them in a dark cupboard. Free. Change them every six months.Better versionBottled water bought a few at a time on the normal shop, plus a bucket you can fill from the tap the moment you hear there is a problem.You probably already haveA full kettle, a full water filter jug, and the cold tank in an older house are all water you already own.Food you do not have to cook
The most common real emergency in every country we cover is a power cut. No power usually means no cooking, and for many people no hot water either.
Free versionThree days of tinned food you actually eat, bought one extra tin at a time. A manual tin opener costs almost nothing and is the single most forgotten item.Better versionA week of food, rotated through your normal cooking so nothing is ever wasted. Add something nice. Morale is a supply.You probably already haveMost kitchens already hold two or three days of food. Look before you buy anything.Light
A dark house with children in it is a different kind of night. Light is the thing that turns an emergency back into an evening.
Free versionThe torch on your phone, plus a power bank so using it does not cost you your phone.Better versionOne wind-up or battery torch per person, kept where they sleep. Head torches for anyone with jobs to do.You probably already haveBike lights, camping lanterns and the glovebox torch all count. Candles are a last resort, not a plan, and never near children or pets.Warmth
In winter, a house without heating drops below comfortable in hours and below safe in a day or two, especially for babies and older people.
Free versionLayers, hats indoors, and everyone sleeping in one room. Free, and it works.Better versionA proper sleeping bag or two extra blankets per person, and a way to make one hot drink without electricity.You probably already haveDuvets, coats, curtains closed at dusk, and towels rolled against the bottom of doors.A way to hear what is happening
In almost every incident, the shortage that hurts most is not food. It is knowing whether this is a street, a city or a country, and whether it will be over by teatime.
Free versionLeave Emergency Alerts switched on. It is free and automatic.Better versionA wind-up or battery radio. It is the only device on this list that still works when the power, the internet and the mobile network are all down at once.You probably already haveA car radio, if you have a car. Do not run the engine in a closed garage.A charged phone
Your phone is your torch, your radio, your bank, your medical record and your way of telling people you are fine.
Free versionCharge it every night rather than every morning. Free. Turns a 20 percent morning into a 100 percent one.Better versionOne power bank per adult, charged, kept in the same place. Check it twice a year.You probably already haveLaptops, tablets and battery packs in old kit can all charge a phone.Medicine and first aid
A week without a repeat prescription is a much bigger problem for most households than a week without pasta.
Free versionOrder repeat prescriptions the day they open, not the day you run out. Free, and it quietly builds a buffer.Better versionA written list of everyone in the house, their medicines and their doses, in a waterproof bag with a small first aid kit.You probably already haveYou almost certainly have painkillers, plasters and antiseptic already. Put them in one place.A little cash
Card payments run on the same networks as everything else. When they go down, they go down for the shop, the pump and the bus at the same time.
Free versionWhatever you can spare, in small notes, somewhere you will not spend it.Better versionEnough for two or three days of essentials for your household, plus coins.You probably already haveThe jar. Count it. Most people are further along than they think.Your documents
Insurance claims, benefits, prescriptions, school places and border crossings all go faster when you can show the paperwork.
Free versionPhotograph everything and email it to yourself. Free, takes ten minutes, and survives a flooded house.Better versionPaper copies in a waterproof wallet with the first aid kit. Passports, birth certificates, insurance, prescriptions, pet records.You probably already haveThe photos are probably already on your phone. Put them in one album and label it.