Being prepared for severe weather or other emergency will save you a lot of stress and expense, so MoneyMagpie Editor Vicky Parry has explored all the emergency essentials you have to have
Whether it’s severe weather, another pandemic lockdown, or even potential conflict, having an emergency home kit is essential for every household.
The aim is to be able to manage at home for three days – this is usually enough time for rescue help to arrive if it’s needed. A home emergency kit can also help you repair things on the spot, preventing expensive last-minute callouts and buying time for a more affordable plan.
While you can buy ready-made emergency kits, putting your own together will save you a lot of cash and help you customise it to your needs. Shop around online to get the best deals and prices, too. To make sure you have what you need in your home kit, think about the five essential needs.
These are heat, light, power, food, and water. Every household’s kit will look different, depending on how many people there are in the home and their own specific needs. The following list isn’t extensive, but should help you plan a basic kit without breaking the bank.
Plan for heat
If the power goes out or you’re unable to use your gas boiler, staying warm becomes a priority. Make sure you have blankets to hand. You can also include hot water bottles, although power cuts would mean you couldn’t heat water for them.
This also puts electric blankets or heated throws out of the window – but you can stock up on hand and feet warmers that you click to activate. It’s cheap to pick up some of the foil emergency blankets from the pound shop camping section or online. These are single use but can significantly improve retaining body heat in emergencies.
It’s a good idea to find some old winter clothes like a jumper, tracksuit bottoms, woolly socks and gloves to pack, too. This makes it easy to find warm, clean clothing. You might also want to find a small camping stove and gas canisters. This will let you boil water for tea or to rehydrate meals like ramen noodles.
Light and power
Candles are an absolute essential for every household. Large pillar candles have a long burn time, while tea lights can be easier to move around safely on plates or in holders. Matches kept with the candles are another obvious essential, but you may want to opt instead for a Bic lighter – this will be more reliable in the case of damp in the air.
A solar powered generator is a very expensive option, but if you live in a rural area where it could take longer for help to reach you, consider investing in one. This will help you power your essentials such as your mobile phone and other appliances. Smaller solar power banks are available, but of course they do rely on solar – if there’s no sunshine, it could take a while to charge.
Make sure you regularly charge your power bank, and include some standard batteries in your kit for other appliances, too. For example, you should have torches or lanterns to provide light. Make sure you choose ones that are powered by removable batteries (not rechargeable built-in battery) and have a stash of batteries stored with them.
Food and water
Find some long shelf-life snacks and dehydrated meals that will be enough for at least three days per person. Even better if they have their own pot, like ramen noodles, as this makes it easy to prepare. If you don’t have a camping stove, assume you won’t have power, to make sure you have things that can be eaten hot or cold like flapjack bars, biscuits, crisps, chocolate: aim for high calorie, ready-prepared food.
It’s also a good idea to have some boiled sweets or mints on hand, as this will help if you suffer from a dry mouth. Store at least six litres of bottled water per person in the household too, which is enough for a couple of litres each a day – ideally you should have more, but it depends on the space you have for storage.
Extra bits and bobs
Pack a roll of bin bags into your emergency kit, as they’re so versatile for things like emergency repairs, waterproofing, and waste management. It’s a good idea to have a basic tool kit to hand too, such as a hatchet, hammer, screwdrivers, nails and screws, and plenty of duct tape. This will help you conduct emergency repairs on the spot.
Many people like to include a wind-up or solar-powered radio, in case they need entertainment or contact with the outside world in a national emergency. A wind-up torch is also a good solution to never running out of batteries! If you have multiple people in the house, especially children, consider packing some toys or a pack of cards for entertainment. The emergency kit is designed to be able to be moved quickly, so it might need to be split across a couple of rucksacks or a storage box. Toilet roll and/or kitchen towel is also very handy!
Your quick checklist
Here’s your quick checklist to make it easy to find items for your home essentials kit. Most of these can be found already in your home, at a pound shop, or cheap with online deals especially at this time of year – look at camping shops for some good bargains and kit. Check your kit every year for any expiry dates!
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Box or rucksack to store in
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Candles
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Matches or a lighter
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Blankets and warm clothing
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Torches and batteries
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A wind-up radio
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Long shelf-life snacks and food for three days minimum
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A tin opener (or two)
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Six litres of water per person minimum (for a three-day kit)
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Pet food
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Boiled sweets or mints
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First aid kit including bandages, plasters, antiseptic cream or spray, painkillers like paracetamol and ibuprofen
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Basic tools like a hammer, screwdrivers, and duct tape
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Bin bags
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Toilet paper
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Power bank
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Device charging cables
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Wind-up radio, charger, and/or torch
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Pack of cards or other entertainment
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