Emergency preparedness for free: what to do before you spend anything

Quick checklist

Emergency preparedness for free: why start here

Be Ready asks households to build up gradually. It does not ask you to buy everything at once. Our other budget guides show what to buy first, such as the budget emergency kit guide and the £5-a-week plan. This page comes before both. It is a useful way to find out what you really need before you shop.

Water and food: use what you have

• Fill clean bottles from the cold tap. Use washed 2-litre drinks bottles, cap them and write the date on them. Be Ready advises 3 litres per person per day.
• Look in your cupboards. Count the tins, pasta, rice and oats you already have. Note what needs no cooking.
• Find a tin opener and test it on a tin. A stiff one is better found now.
• Eat the oldest food first. Move it to the front of the shelf.

Light, power and news: use what you have

• Find every torch in the house, including the one in a drawer. Test it. Remove old batteries that have leaked.
• Charge your power bank, if you have one, and leave it charged.
• Find a radio if you own one. Be Ready lists a battery or wind-up radio, with local stations written down.
• Put the 105 number into your phone and write it down. 105 is the free power-cut line. In Northern Ireland, also note NIE Networks' number.
• Charge your phone every night. A full battery at bedtime costs nothing.

Information: sign up and look up

• Check your flood risk at the government's flood warnings service and sign up for warnings if you are in a flood area. Floodline is 0345 988 1188 (England, Scotland and Wales). In Northern Ireland, see nidirect and call the Flooding Incident Line on 0300 2000 100 to report flooding; for danger to life call 999.
• Look up Met Office weather warnings before a storm.
• Join the Priority Services Register if you or someone in your home needs extra support during a power, gas or water cut. It is free. Speak to your energy supplier, DNO or water company.

Paper and phone: write it down

• Write key numbers on paper: your energy supplier, your water company, your GP surgery, your home insurer and two or three family contacts. Our household emergency plan shows what to include.
• Photograph your key documents and store the photos somewhere safe.
• Add Medical ID or ICE details to your phone.
• Agree a meeting point and a contact person with your family. Pick someone outside your area if you can.

Your home: learn it

• Find the stopcock, fuse box and gas shut-off, and show everyone in the house. If you rent, ask your landlord where they are. Never attempt DIY work on a gas or electrical supply.
• Test your smoke alarms. Be Ready asks households to do this monthly. Check you also have a working carbon monoxide alarm.
• Ask your fire and rescue service about a home fire safety check. Whether it is free depends on where you live, so ask.
• Check your home insurance and note the policy number.

People: talk to them

• Swap numbers with a neighbour. Ask whether they need anything in a power cut, and tell them what you might need.
• Check on someone who may need help. An older neighbour, a new parent or someone who lives alone is a good place to start.
• Talk to children about what to do, gently, and keep it short and matter-of-fact.

Skills: learn one

The British Red Cross has free first aid guides and a free app. Read one guide on severe bleeding or burns. It costs nothing and could matter a lot.

Do this today (free)

1. Fill two bottles from the cold tap, cap them and date them.
2. Find your torch and test it.
3. Write five phone numbers on a sheet of paper.
4. Ask one neighbour for their number.

If you have £10, £25 or £50

These are budgets, not quotes. Prices change, so check the current price first. Do the free steps first. Then buy only what you found you lacked.

• About £10: a basic AA battery LED torch (Retailer link coming soon) and spare batteries, or a manual tin opener (Retailer link coming soon) if yours is stiff.
• About £25: add tins you like, or a notebook and marker for paper messages, such as a notebook and permanent marker (Retailer link coming soon).
• About £50: add a carbon monoxide alarm meeting UK requirements (Retailer link coming soon) if you have none and you use gas, oil, solid fuel or any similar heater or boiler.

Our monthly emergency kit check shows how to keep it up. The free Starter Pack has a Seven-Day Readiness Start that spreads the first steps over a week.

Sources and further reading

• Be ready for emergencies: checklist and household plan
• Be Ready campaign (GOV.UK)
• Check for flooding (GOV.UK)
• Priority Services Register
• Met Office