⛽ Why fuel is the hidden weak point

• Almost all food reaches shops by diesel lorry, mostly from a few large distribution centres.
• In September 2021, a lorry-driver shortage plus panic buying left 50–90% of filling stations dry in parts of England within days, and the army was brought in to deliver fuel.
• In September 2000, blockades of refineries emptied around three-quarters of stations in five days and supermarkets began rationing.
• Lesson: keep your car tank at least half full at all times, and keep two weeks of food at home — fuel problems become food problems within a week.

🛒 How much food is in the system?

• Retailers run "just-in-time" supply: stock is delivered daily to match sales. Government estimates suggest the supply chain holds something like 10 days of non-fresh stock; fresh and chilled food much less.
• Panic buying empties shop shelves in a day or two even when the warehouses are full.
• The often-quoted warning that society is "nine meals from anarchy" (attributed to Lord Cameron of Dillington) makes the point: three days without food is when public order starts to strain.

What happened before

• 1 September 1859 — Carrington Event: a huge flare was seen from England; about 17–18 hours later the storm hit. Auroras were seen as far south as the Caribbean; telegraph systems sparked, failed, or ran without batteries.
• 13 March 1989 — Quebec: the grid collapsed in about 90 seconds, leaving around 6 million people without power for about 9 hours; a large transformer was damaged in New Jersey.
• Estimates put a Carrington-scale storm at roughly once every 100–200 years. The UK government rates severe space weather as one of its higher-likelihood national risks (5–25% chance in five years).

What the UK expects (National Risk Register)

• Power disruption is expected to be regional, not national. Safety trips in cities recover within hours.
• Where high-voltage transformers are damaged — especially in remote and coastal areas — recovery could take several months. Replacing one takes around 8–16 weeks even when a spare exists.
• GPS and satellite navigation disrupted for days; satellite communications and HF radio disrupted; flights grounded or rerouted, with schedules taking weeks to recover.
• Mobile networks may need backup generators "for a sustained period" in some areas.

🧱 Prepare now (a few hours' work)

• Choose your shelter spot at home and at work. Make sure everyone knows it.
• Keep shoes, a torch, water, your medicines and a charged phone or power bank near it.
• Close curtains and blinds at night. They catch some flying glass. Safety film on large windows helps more.
• Know your nearest underground space: a basement, an underground car park or a subway.
• Keep a grab bag ready, because fires or damage may force you out.
• Agree a family meeting point in case phones fail.

City High-rise flats

• Lifts stop: older and disabled residents can be trapped upstairs. Know who they are.
• Upper floors lose water first. Fill containers immediately.
• Stairwells are dark: put glow sticks or battery lights on landings.
• Communal rubbish chutes will overflow — agree a collection point.

🌊 Coastal vs inland

• Coastal: fishing and sea access; a possible (risky) route out by boat; but storms, tidal flooding and, if people try to leave by sea, crowds at harbours.
• Inland: sheltered, often better for growing; far from ports; more reliant on roads and on rivers and reservoirs for water.
• See Leaving the UK for routes by sea.

Better sources

• Rainwater from a clean roof via a gutter into a clean container (let the first few minutes wash the roof).
• Springs, fast-flowing streams upstream of houses and farms.
• Official bowsers and bottled water stations (listen to local radio).

📦 Store it well

• Cool, dark, dry, off the floor. Not a damp garage or hot loft.
• Dry goods in airtight food-grade buckets or containers — mice and moisture are the enemy.
• Mark the purchase date on everything; put new stock at the back.
• Most tins last 2–5 years past purchase; best-before dates are about quality, use-by dates are about safety.
• Have two manual tin openers.

🍳 Eat in this order

• Day 1–2: the fridge — milk, meat, leftovers.
• Days 2–4: the freezer, while it stays frozen. Keep the door shut; a full freezer stays frozen longer. Cook and share defrosting meat with neighbours rather than waste it.
• Week 1: fresh fruit, vegetables, bread, eggs.
• Then: tins, dry goods — rationed.
• Winter An unheated room, garage or a shaded cool box outside works as a fridge.

♨️ Save fuel

• Haybox / thermal cooking: bring rice, porridge, lentils or stews to the boil for 5 minutes, then wrap the lidded pot in blankets or a sleeping bag (or put it in an insulated box) for 1–3 hours. It finishes cooking on its own with no more fuel.
• Soak dried beans and lentils overnight; choose quick-cooking rice, couscous (not GF), instant oats and noodles.
• Cook once a day and fill vacuum flasks with the rest of the boiled water for drinks.
• Always use a lid. Cook for the whole street together if you can.

🥫 No-cook food

• Most tinned food is already cooked and can be eaten cold: beans, meat, fish, soup, rice pudding, fruit.
• Peanut butter, crackers or rice cakes, nuts, dried fruit, cereal bars, UHT milk.
• Keep 3–5 days of no-cook food so a fuel failure never means no food.

🧥 Dress for it — indoors

• Layers: thermal base layer (wool or synthetic), fleece, insulated jacket. Avoid cotton next to the skin.
• Hat, scarf and fingerless gloves indoors. Warm socks and slippers or boots.
• Change out of damp clothes immediately — wet clothing removes heat 20+ times faster.

🛏️ Sleep warm

• Good sleeping bags (rated to −5°C or lower) inside duvets are the single best purchase for a winter outage.
• Insulate underneath: mats or folded blankets — more matters below than above.
• Hot-water bottles (filled from a kettle on the stove) and a hot drink before bed. Never use hot-water bottles for babies.
• Eat a fatty snack before sleep — your body burns it for heat overnight.

🔥 Safe heat sources

• Wood burner or open fire with a swept chimney — the best option. Store at least a few weeks of seasoned wood, dry and under cover.
• Indoor-rated portable gas heater (cabinet heater, butane): only with ventilation and a CO alarm, never while sleeping.
• Paraffin heater: same rules; store paraffin safely outside.
• Hot food and drinks, and exercise (a brisk 10 minutes), warm you from inside.

🏠 Keep the house cool

• Close curtains and blinds on sun-facing windows by mid-morning; open windows at night and early morning for through-draughts.
• Live in the coolest room — usually downstairs and north-facing.
• Hang damp sheets in doorways or windows for evaporative cooling (only where air moves).
• Cook outdoors or at dawn; don't add heat indoors.

🧍 Keep people cool

• Drink regularly before you feel thirsty — plan 4–6 litres per person per day in hot weather, more if working.
• Cool showers or strip washes; damp cloths on the neck, wrists and feet; a spray bottle.
• Avoid the sun from 11am to 3pm; loose, light-coloured clothes; hats.
• Battery or USB fans help — and use little power.

Before the storm hits

• Listen for Met Office warnings on the radio (amber and red mean act now).
• Bring in or tie down anything that could blow away: bins, garden furniture, trampolines, solar panels.
• Fill every container with water; charge everything; refuel the car if possible.
• Park away from trees; know where your stopcock, gas valve and fuse box are.
• Move valuables, supplies and medicines upstairs if flooding is possible.

During the storm

• Stay indoors, away from windows. Shelter in an inside room on the lower floor (or upper floor if flood risk).
• Do not go outside to check damage or move cars until it has passed.
• Do not walk or drive through flood water: 15 cm of moving water can knock you off your feet, 30 cm can float a car, and flood water hides open drains and is contaminated with sewage.

After the storm

• Treat every fallen line as live. Stay at least 10 metres away and keep others away; report it (105 when phones work).
• Check for gas leaks (smell) — if you smell gas, don't use switches or flames, open windows, leave, and turn off at the meter if safe.
• Check neighbours, especially older people.
• Photograph damage; make temporary repairs with tarps and battens to keep the weather out.

If your home floods

• Turn off electricity at the fuse box only if you can reach it without standing in water.
• Move people and pets upstairs with supplies, water, torch, radio, phone and warm clothes.
• Assume all flood water is contaminated: gloves, boots, wash hands, throw away any food it touched.

🔋 Batteries & power banks

• 2–3 power banks of 10,000–20,000 mAh (≈ 37–74 Wh each) keep a family's phones going for a week or more.
• A portable power station (300–1,000 Wh, ideally LiFePO4 chemistry) runs lights, phones, radio and a laptop for days and can be recharged by solar. LiFePO4 is safer and lasts many more cycles than ordinary lithium.
• Stock AA and AAA batteries — lithium AAs last 10–20 years in storage and work in the cold. Standardise devices on one battery size if you can.
• Keep power banks 50–80% charged and top up every 3 months; check the date on stored batteries.

☀️ Solar

• A folding 60–100 W panel can recharge phones and power banks even on a cloudy UK day — expect only 10–25% of the rated output in winter or under cloud.
• UK winter daylight is short (7–8 hours in December in the south, under 7 in Scotland), so in winter solar is a top-up, not a supply.
• Point the panel south, tilt it steeply in winter, keep it clean, and keep it out of sight — a panel on display is a sign of power.
• A geomagnetic storm does not damage small solar panels, batteries or phones.

The two-bucket toilet

• Bucket 1 (pee): urine is almost sterile. Dilute and pour onto soil or a garden drain away from water sources.
• Bucket 2 (poo): line with two strong bin bags. After each use, cover with a scoop of clay cat litter, sawdust, soil, ash or shredded paper — it controls smell and flies.
• A toilet seat on a lidded 20-litre bucket, or the bagged bowl of your own toilet, works well. Keep the lid shut.
• Tie off bags when a third full; store in a lidded bin away from the house until collections resume, or bury (see below).

Burying waste SuburbRural

• Dig a trench or pit at least 30 m from any well, stream, pond or vegetable bed, and downhill from them.
• Cover each deposit with soil. Fill to within 30 cm of the top, then backfill and mark it.
• City In flats with no garden: bag, store in a sealed bin on a balcony or in a communal area agreed with neighbours. Councils usually set up emergency collection points.

Washing with little water

• Strip wash with a flannel and a bowl: face, armpits, groin, feet. 2 litres is enough.
• Wet wipes, no-rinse shampoo and dry shampoo save water.
• Wash clothes in a lidded bucket with a plunger (a "bucket washing machine"); reuse rinse water for flushing.
• Keep fingernails short — dirt under nails spreads infection.

Kitchen & rubbish

• Wash dishes in hot soapy water, then rinse in water with a few drops of unscented bleach; air dry.
• Keep food covered; flies spread disease from waste to food.
• Rubbish: separate food waste (bury or compost in a closed bin) from dry waste. Flatten and bag the rest. Rats arrive fast — keep everything sealed.

💉 Insulin without a fridge

• Unopened insulin is kept in a fridge (2–8°C). Insulin in use can be kept at room temperature for a limited time — most for 28 days, some longer — below 25°C or 30°C depending on the product. Check your own leaflet, and note the new expiry date when you take a pen or vial out of the fridge.
• Never let insulin freeze or overheat; keep it out of direct sun and away from stoves.
• Evaporative cooling wallets (e.g. Frio, sold via Diabetes UK) keep insulin cool for around two days per soak, using only water — have one per insulin user. Don't put insulin directly on ice packs.
• Winter An unheated room is a good store; Summer a cool cellar, or a pot-in-pot clay cooler.
• Keep extra testing strips, lancets, meter batteries, hypo treatments and ketone strips.

🫁 Powered medical equipment

• Oxygen concentrators, CPAP, nebulisers, suction, feeding pumps, home dialysis — all need a backup plan now.
• Ask your supplier about backup cylinders and battery packs; ask your clinical team what to do and where to go if power fails for more than a few hours.
• Register on the Priority Services Register (call 105 or your electricity network) — you'll get priority contact and support.
• Know which hospital or community building nearby has a generator.

📻 Listening: your lifeline

• The BBC is the UK's emergency broadcaster: the government can require it to broadcast emergency announcements. Main transmitter sites have backup power.
• Have a battery or wind-up radio with FM and DAB — plus medium wave (AM) if possible. BBC local radio, Radio 4 and Radio 5 Live carry emergency information.
• Radio 4 long wave (198 kHz) was switched off in June 2026 — don't rely on old advice that says to use it.
• Note the news with the time, and schedule listening (e.g. on the hour) to save batteries.

📱 Getting the most from your phone

• Texts use far less network capacity than calls and often get through when calls fail.
• 999 / 112 calls can use any available network, not just yours.
• Battery: low-power mode, low brightness, flight mode between checks, close apps. A phone with no signal searches constantly and drains fast.
• Download offline maps and keep key documents and this guide on the phone — but have paper copies too.
• If you depend on a landline (no mobile signal at home), ask your provider for the free battery backup unit they must offer (at least 1 hour).

💷 Cash is king (for a while)

• No power means no card machines, cash machines, online banking or contactless — for every shop at once.
• Keep £200–£500 per household at home in small notes and coins (shops won't have change), split between several hiding places.
• Cash is most useful in the first 1–2 weeks. After that, goods (food, fuel, batteries, medicine) and skills often matter more.
• Don't flash money; carry only what you need.

📄 Documents grab-file

• Passports, driving licences, birth and marriage certificates.
• Prescriptions and a medicines list for each person; NHS numbers; GP details.
• Insurance policies, mortgage/tenancy, bank details.
• Printed emergency contacts and family plan.
• Store originals in a waterproof, fire-resistant pouch; copies on paper in the grab bag and on an encrypted USB stick.

👀 Light

• A lit window on a dark street says "they have power or fuel". Use blackout curtains, blankets or cardboard; check from outside.
• Use torches pointed down and red-light settings at night; keep lights to inner rooms.
• Don't run outdoor lights or decorative solar lights.

🔊 Noise

• A generator can be heard hundreds of metres away and tells everyone you have fuel. Run it briefly, in daylight, in an enclosed outbuilding with ventilation — never indoors.
• Keep voices, music and children's play low after dark.

👃 Smell & smoke

• Cooking smells carry — especially meat and frying. Cook simple foods, in the daytime, with lids on.
• Chimney smoke in summer stands out; in winter it is normal.

🗑️ Rubbish & talk

• Don't leave food packaging in bins or on view — flatten, bag and store it, or burn paper safely.
• Don't tell anyone outside your trusted circle what you have. Children talk — explain why it's a family secret.
• Look as thin, tired and short of supplies as everyone else when you're out.

☀️ By day, among people: be "grey"

• Wear ordinary, muted everyday clothes: dark jeans, a plain coat, a dull rucksack or a shopping bag.
• No camouflage, military or "tactical" gear. It tells everyone you have kit worth taking, and draws police attention.
• No expensive brands, jewellery or new-looking outdoor gear.
• Look as tired and short of supplies as everyone else. Walk with purpose, and don't linger.

🌙 At night or crossing open ground: be dark

• Wear dark, matt, non-rustling clothes: navy, charcoal, dark brown or olive. Black stands out against grass and in moonlight more than people expect.
• Cover reflective strips with tape, or carry a separate hi-vis vest and put it on only when walking on roads with traffic. Being seen by drivers matters more there.
• Gloves and a hat hide pale hands and faces, and keep you warm.

❄️ Giveaways people forget

• Footprints in snow leading to a store or shed, and tyre tracks in and out.
• Melted snow on your roof, which shows heat when every other roof is white.
• Solar panels, power stations or generators on show.
• Bins full of packaging while everyone else's are empty.
• Children talking at school or in the street about what you have.
• Social media posts and photos of your stores or your empty house.

⚖️ Staying unseen, lawfully

• Obey curfews and police or military instructions. Being found moving secretly at night during a curfew invites the worst assumptions.
• Trespass and theft laws still apply. Don't cross private land or use other people's buildings without permission, except to escape immediate danger.
• If stopped, be calm, polite and honest about where you're going. Carry ID.

👀 Habits that prevent most trouble

• Take headphones out and keep your phone in your pocket when out. Notice who is around you and what they are doing.
• Trust the "something's wrong" feeling. Cross the road, turn back or go into a shop. You don't have to explain.
• Go out in pairs or groups, in daylight, and tell someone your route and return time.
• Avoid queues and crowds after dark: fuel stations, cash machines, food handouts. These are where tempers break.
• Don't show supplies, cash, fuel or a full shopping bag.

🗺️ Plan your exits

• Wherever you are, know two ways out.
• Park facing out, with room to drive away.
• At home, everyone knows the safe room and the escape route (below).
• Agree a family code word that means "leave now, no questions".

🏋️ Train now, while it's easy

• A few months at a local club teaches balance, falling safely, breaking grips and moving under stress far better than any book. Judo, boxing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Krav Maga and women's self-defence courses all help.
• Fitness is protection: being able to run 1–2 km and climb a wall matters more than any technique.
• Take a first-aid course, because after any confrontation someone may need it.

🌙 Night routine

• Check all doors and windows, gates and sheds. Put car keys somewhere you can reach.
• Keep shoes, a torch and the phone or radio by every bed.
• Agree who does what if someone breaks in: one adult gets the children to the safe room, another raises the alarm.
• Keep watch in shifts if your street is at risk.

🚗 By car

• Keep doors locked, windows up and valuables out of sight.
• In queues and at junctions, leave enough gap to see the back tyres of the car in front, so you can drive around it.
• Don't stop for obstructions, fake "accidents" or people waving you down in a lonely place. Reverse away or drive around if it is safe, and report it.
• Travel in two cars if you can, in daylight, on planned routes that avoid town centres and fuel queues (see Car kit).

🚶 On foot

• Move in a small group and keep the pace of the slowest person.
• Choose routes with people and light by day, and quiet routes by night.
• Avoid alleys, underpasses and crowds. Cross the road early if you're unsure about someone.
• Carry your load in a plain bag. Keep cash in more than one place, with a little in an easy pocket to hand over.

Start now (it costs nothing)

• Know the names of the people in the 10–20 homes around you.
• Find out who is elderly, disabled, on oxygen or dialysis, or has small children — they will need checking on first.
• Find out who has skills: nurses, carers, electricians, plumbers, mechanics, builders, gardeners, anglers, radio amateurs, ex-forces.
• Ask your council or parish whether there is a Community Emergency Plan or community resilience group, and join it.
• Share a printed contact sheet and a meeting point (a church hall, school or the house with a wood burner).

In the first days

• Hold a short street meeting in daylight: what's working, who needs help, what the plan is.
• Check every vulnerable neighbour within 24 hours, then daily.
• Agree a noticeboard (a front window, a church door) for news, needs and offers.
• Set up the watch rota (see Security).
• Agree simple rules: no one goes out alone after dark; tell someone where you're going.

👶 Babies & young children

• Infant formula: store at least 4–6 weeks of the brand your baby uses, plus ready-to-feed cartons — they need no water or sterilising. Powdered formula must be made with water boiled and cooled to no less than 70°C; if you can't boil water, use cartons.
• Breastfeeding is the most resilient food supply there is — mothers need extra water and calories (roughly +500 kcal/day).
• Nappies (a month's supply, or cloth nappies + extra wipes/bin bags), barrier cream, Calpol/ibuprofen for children, a children's thermometer, oral rehydration sachets.
• Babies lose heat fast: hats, layers, sleep with a parent in a warm room (on a firm surface, not a sofa) only if that's safe; never use hot-water bottles or electric blankets in a baby's bed.
• Comfort items, books, crayons, a simple routine. Explain things honestly and calmly.

🧓 Older people

• Most at risk from cold (hypothermia can develop indoors at 10–15°C), dehydration and missed medication.
• Check twice a day in winter. Bring them into the shared warm room rather than leaving them alone.
• Keep a list of their medicines, doses, GP and allergies on paper.
• Spare glasses, hearing-aid batteries, denture supplies, continence pads.
• People living with dementia may be distressed by darkness and change — keep familiar routines and a small light on.

♿ Disabled people & medical equipment

• Register now on your electricity network's Priority Services Register (free; call 105 or your supplier) and your water company's register — they prioritise contact and help in outages.
• Powered equipment (home oxygen concentrators, ventilators, suction, powered wheelchairs, hoists, pressure mattresses, home dialysis) needs a plan: backup cylinders, battery packs, a manual alternative, and where to go — ask your equipment supplier and clinical team now.
• Know that stairlifts and lifts will stop. Move bedding downstairs early if needed.

🐕 Pets & animals

• Store 4–6 weeks of pet food and any pet medicines; dogs need about 50–60 ml of water per kg of body weight per day.
• Keep a lead, carrier, collar tag and vaccination record ready if you have to move. Many rest centres don't accept pets.
• A barking dog is an excellent alarm — but a hungry one is a burden. Plan honestly.
• Livestock and poultry: stored feed, water (cattle and horses drink a lot) and a plan for electric fences and water pumps failing.

⛽ Make fuel last

• Petrol starts to degrade after about 6 months; add a fuel stabiliser and rotate stored fuel into the car every few months.
• Drive gently at 45–55 mph; remove roof boxes; don't idle for heat.
• Plan one trip, not several. Share journeys with neighbours.
• A full tank in a small car is often 400–600 miles — enough to reach family almost anywhere in Great Britain.

🚧 On the road in a crisis

• Traffic lights are out: treat junctions as unmarked; go slowly.
• Avoid motorways in the first days (queues, breakdowns, closures); use A and B roads and paper maps — satnav may lose GPS in a solar storm.
• Expect police checkpoints and closed roads; follow instructions.
• Keep doors locked and windows up in towns; don't stop for strangers flagging you down — report them instead.
• Car kit: blankets, water, food, torch, shovel, tow rope, jump leads, first aid, phone charger, paper maps and a high-vis vest. The full list, and a get-home bag, are in Car Kit & Get-Home Bag.

👪 Who goes where

• School pick-ups: schools keep children until they're collected. Agree who collects whom if phones are down, and give the school written permission for a trusted neighbour.
• Meeting points: home first. If home isn't safe, a named second place, such as a relative's house or a church hall.
• A fallback time: "if we haven't heard from each other, we meet at ___ at 6 pm".
• Write it on a card for every wallet and school bag.

🗺️ Know the walk

• Plan three routes home from work and school, avoiding motorways, town centres and big junctions.
• A fit adult walks about 3 mph (5 km/h), or 15–20 miles in a long day with rests. Children, older people and bad weather halve that.
• Walk the route once in good weather, to find the water, toilets, shelters and steep or flooded bits.

🎒 Contents

• 1.5 L of water and a filter bottle
• A day's food, about 2,500 kcal of no-cook snacks
• A waterproof jacket, a warm layer, a hat, warm gloves and waterproof gloves
• A head torch, a power bank and cable, and the printed map and contacts
• A small first aid kit with blister plasters and personal medicines
• A foil blanket or bivvy bag, and hand warmers
• A face covering or FFP2/FFP3 mask (smoke, dust)
• Cash, a copy of ID, and a personal alarm
• A small knife only if it is a non-locking folding knife with a blade under 3 inches, the only kind you may carry in public without a reason

🚦 Stay with the car, or walk?

• Stay with the car if you're stuck in snow or on a closed motorway, help is likely, and it's dark or freezing. Run the engine for about 10 minutes an hour for warmth, with the exhaust pipe clear of snow (carbon monoxide), and keep a window slightly open.
• Walk if the crisis is clearly getting worse (no power, no fuel, no phones), home is within reach, and you can travel in daylight.
• Before leaving, lock the car, take the get-home bag and the hidden cash, and leave a note inside, out of sight saying where you've gone.
• Walk facing traffic, wearing hi-vis on roads. Then switch to grey, quiet movement in towns (see Staying Unseen).

🗺️ Plan the route

• Use paper maps: quiet roads, bridleways, canal towpaths and footpaths avoid crowds and checkpoints.
• Avoid motorways, city centres, retail parks and large housing estates.
• Know where water is along the way (rivers, streams, churchyard taps, public toilets) and where you can shelter (churches, barns with permission, friends' houses).
• Have a primary route, an alternative and a "turn back" point.
• Leave a note at home (inside, out of view) with route and destination.

🚶 On the move

• Leave at first light; be in shelter before dark.
• Walk at the pace of the slowest person; keep the group in sight of each other.
• Agree signals and what to do if separated (go back to the last agreed point and wait).
• Dress to look ordinary, not "tactical" — camouflage and military kit attract attention.
• Avoid groups, queues and confrontations; step aside and let others pass.
• Drink before you're thirsty; eat little and often.

🦶 Look after feet

• Stop and tape a "hot spot" the moment you feel rubbing.
• Change into dry socks at midday; dry wet ones on the outside of the pack.
• Air feet at every long stop; keep toenails short.

🌧️ Weather

• Winter Daylight is 8 hours or less: plan short days, carry a sleeping bag even for "one day" trips, stay dry.
• Summer Walk early and late, rest in shade at midday, carry more water.
• Storm Don't set out into a red or amber warning: falling trees, flooding and exposure kill. Wait it out.

💧 Water & food

• 1–2 water bottles (1.5 L total) + collapsible 2 L bladder
• Water filter (squeeze or straw type) + purification tablets as backup
• 3 days' food: ~2,500 kcal/day of no-cook, lightweight, high-energy food — nut butters, oat bars, nuts, dried fruit, chocolate, crackers, jerky GF pick certified gluten-free bars and rice crackers
• Small stove + winter-grade gas cartridge (propane/isobutane mix) + lighter, metal mug/pot, spork, a sheet of foil (or skip cooking to save weight)
• Electrolyte / rehydration sachets

🧥 Clothing & weather

• Broken-in walking boots or trail shoes — worn, not packed
• Waterproof jacket and overtrousers
• Warm insulating layer (fleece or synthetic jacket — not cotton)
• 2–3 pairs of good walking socks
• Hat, warm gloves and waterproof gloves (or over-mitts) Winter; sun hat, sunscreen Summer
• Spare base layer and underwear in a dry bag
• Buff/neck gaiter (warmth, dust, sun)
• Dark, plain outer layers. Avoid camouflage or "tactical" gear (see Staying Unseen).
• Disposable hand warmers Winter

⛺ Shelter & sleep

• Emergency bivvy bag (not just a foil blanket — bivvies are far warmer)
• Lightweight tarp (2×3 m) + 6 pegs + 15 m cord
• Foam sit-mat or light sleeping mat — ground cold steals heat
• Light sleeping bag rated to the season Winter

🔦 Light, power & navigation

• Head torch with red mode + spare batteries
• Paper OS map(s) of your route and compass — phones die and mobile data may be down
• Phone + charged power bank (10,000 mAh) + a spare cable for each device
• Small wind-up/battery radio (FM/DAB)
• Whistle (3 blasts = help) and a small signal mirror

🩹 Health & hygiene

• At least 7 days of every prescription medicine + a written list of medicines and doses
• Blister kit (Compeed, tape), plasters, dressings, crepe bandage, tweezers, painkillers, antihistamines, loperamide
• Fingertip pulse oximeter and a small ear or digital thermometer; a 10–20 ml syringe for cleaning wounds
• Hand sanitiser, small scent-free soap and deodorant, toothbrush, dry shampoo, toilet roll in a bag, trowel
• Sanitary products / menstrual cup
• Sun cream, lip balm, insect repellent (midges in Scotland!) Summer

🔧 Tools & repair

• Non-locking folding knife with a cutting edge of 3" or less (the only blade legal to carry in public without good reason) or a multi-tool with the same
• Duct tape (wrap 2 m round a bottle), cable ties, a few safety pins
• Lighter + matches in a waterproof bag + firestarters
• Small sewing kit (needles and strong cotton thread), spare bootlaces, fishing line and a few hooks
• Work gloves (debris, broken glass)

Inland households

• You're a long way from any port. The journey there — on congested roads, with uncertain fuel — is the hard part.
• Leaving the country is only realistic if you go in the first day or two, by car, to a ferry or the tunnel you've already booked or confirmed is running.
• For most inland households, a retreat within the UK (relatives, friends) is the better plan.

Coastal households

• Your local harbour may be where others head for. Expect crowds, theft of boats and fuel, and conflict.
• If you own a boat and have the skills, the sea can be a route to Ireland, France or the Channel Islands — but only in good weather and with legal entry arranged.
• Fishing and the sea can be a food source if you stay.

Daily jobs

• Water collection & treatment
• Fuel: wood cutting, drying
• Cooking (one hot meal)
• Watch rota
• Toilet & rubbish

Weekly

• Stock count & ration check
• Laundry
• Repairs
• Community meeting
• Health check of everyone

Keep going

• Schooling for children
• Exercise, daylight
• Shared meals, games, music
• A news update each day
• Rest days

⚡ When the power returns

• Leave one light switched on during the outage so you know when power returns; switch everything else off at the wall to avoid a surge when it comes back.
• Turn appliances back on one at a time, over several minutes. Heaters and kettles last.
• Check for burning smells, damaged sockets or flood-damaged wiring — if in doubt, keep the circuit off and get an electrician.
• Remove any temporary generator connections. Never back-feed a generator into house wiring without a proper changeover switch — it can kill line workers.

🍗 Food & water safety

• Food that has been above 8°C for more than 4 hours (meat, fish, dairy, cooked food) — throw it away. If in doubt, throw it out.
• Food that is still frozen solid, or has ice crystals, can be refrozen.
• Follow your water company's notices: "boil water" advice can continue for days after supply returns.
• Run taps for a few minutes before use; flush water heaters if the supply was contaminated.

🚗 Getting back to normal

• Restock gradually — avoid adding to the rush.
• Expect fuel rationing and long queues for days to weeks.
• Check on vulnerable neighbours; they may be the last to be reached.
• Photograph damage and keep receipts for insurance.

📝 Learn from it

• Hold a family "what worked, what didn't" talk while it's fresh.
• Replace and rotate everything you used.
• Note the gaps — they are your shopping list for next time.
• Beware scams: fake utility workers, fake relief appeals, "emergency" price gouging.

⬆️ What makes it worse

• Winter or early spring, the hungry gap, when the UK grows least fresh produce.
• A fuel crisis at the same time (see Scenario 2).
• A falling pound, which makes every import dearer.
• Rumours on social media that set off panic buying.

⬇️ Signs it's easing

• Supermarkets lift purchase limits.
• The queues at the ports clear.
• Prices of fresh produce stop rising.
• Normal delivery slots return for online shopping.

⬆️ What makes it worse

• Media pictures of queues and dry pumps.
• Winter, because of heating oil, LPG and longer journeys.
• A real supply loss behind the panic, such as an import cut-off or a damaged refinery.
• A cyber attack on card payments at the same time.

⬇️ Signs it's easing

• Queues shorten and most stations reopen.
• Purchase limits are lifted.
• Army or extra tanker drivers are announced and deliveries recover.
• Supermarket limits end.

🛡️ Set up now

• Cash at home: £200–500 in £5 and £10 notes and coins (see Money & documents).
• Accounts at two unrelated banks, with a Visa card and a Mastercard.
• Two or three weeks of food and fuel, so you never have to buy in a hurry.
• Printed statements and a list of your bank and insurer phone numbers.

⬇️ Signs it's easing

• Contactless works again at major chains.
• Cash machines are refilled and limits lifted.
• Banks confirm wages and benefits have been paid.

⬆️ What makes it worse

• A January cold snap, when demand is highest.
• Gas shortages at the same time (see Scenario 7).
• Attacks on phone networks and on the networks' call centres.
• Physical damage to transformers alongside the cyber attack.

🔌 Before the power comes back

• Switch off cookers, heaters and irons. A house full of appliances starting together can trip fuses, and an unattended cooker is a fire risk.
• Leave one light switched on so you know when power returns.
• Don't open the freezer to check it until power has been back for a few hours.

🛡️ Set up now

• Join the Priority Services Register (through your energy supplier) if anyone at home is over pension age, disabled, ill or has a young child.
• A camping stove with winter-grade gas (propane/isobutane mix), a CO alarm and two weeks of fuel.
• Sleeping bags rated to −5°C, wool blankets, thermal layers, hot-water bottles.
• Electric heaters for when power is on, never left running overnight.

📞 Smell gas?

• Call the National Gas Emergency number, 0800 111 999, at any time. In Northern Ireland, call 0800 002 001.
• Don't use switches, flames or phones near the leak. Open doors and windows, and turn off the meter if it is safe to.
• Leave the building. Wait outside or with neighbours.

🇺🇦 What Ukrainian households learned

• Power banks for everyone, and a portable power station if you can.
• Gas camping stoves and spare cartridges for cooking during blackouts.
• Water stored for at least 3 days, because pumps stop with the power, especially in flats.
• Warm clothing and sleeping bags, with the whole family sleeping in one room.
• Offline everything: downloaded maps, printed contacts, cash.
• A battery radio and an alert app or neighbours' warning system.

⚠️ Mistakes to avoid

• Going outside or to windows to watch an attack.
• Posting videos that show where missiles landed or where air defences are.
• Running generators or BBQs indoors. Carbon monoxide kills in every long blackout.
• Believing "official" messages that ask you to do something unusual. Check them first.

🏠 At home

1. Two weeks of water (3 L per person per day) and a way to treat more.
2. Two weeks of food you eat, plus three months of staples.
3. A warm room plan: sleeping bags, layers, insulation, hot-water bottles.
4. A camping stove with winter-grade gas, and a battery CO alarm.
5. Torches, power banks, batteries and a battery or wind-up radio.
6. A bucket toilet kit, and hygiene supplies.

👪 Plans & people

7. 30 days of medicines, and a paper medical file for each person.
8. Cash in small notes, accounts with two banks, and printed documents.
9. A car kept half full, and a get-home bag in it (see Car kit).
10. A family plan for when phones are down: meeting points and who collects whom.
11. Neighbours you know, and a street plan.
12. A household that knows how to stay unseen and stay calm (see Staying Unseen).

💧 Water

• Drinking water: at least 3 L per person per day (2.5–3 L is the survival minimum) — 168 L for four people for two weeks. Aim for 10 L per person per day if you can store it.
• Large containers to fill at the first sign of trouble: 2 × 25 L water carriers, collapsible jerry cans, a bath bladder (holds ~200 L in a clean bath)
• Unscented household bleach (sodium hypochlorite, no additives) + dropper/measuring syringe
• Water purification tablets (chlorine dioxide or NaDCC), 2 packs
• Gravity water filter (ceramic or hollow-fibre) for long-term use
• Rain butt(s) + diverter, clean food-grade buckets with lids
• Large pan or kettle for boiling; funnel; hose for siphoning

🥫 Food (see Food for quantities)

• 2 weeks of food you already eat (at least ~110,000 kcal for 4; the Food table gives ~140,000)
• 3–5 days of no-cook food
• 2 manual tin openers
• Gluten-free / allergy-safe stock kept separately, labelled
• 3 months of staples: rice, oats, pasta, lentils, oil, tins
• Baby formula, food and supplies (4–6 weeks)
• Pet food (4–6 weeks)
• Multivitamins; salt; seeds for growing; sprouting seeds
• Airtight storage buckets; zip-lock bags; foil; cling film

🔥 Heat, cooking & fuel

• Two camping stoves (one as a spare) + 2+ weeks' fuel: winter-grade cartridges (propane/isobutane mix, because plain butane barely works below about 5°C) or a propane bottle
• Lighters (5+) and matches in waterproof boxes
• Battery carbon monoxide alarms (one per room with a flame or sleeper) + smoke alarms with spare batteries
• Sleeping bags rated to −5°C or lower, one per person
• Wool or fleece blankets: 2+ per person
• Seasoned firewood/fuel if you have a stove or fireplace; kindling, firelighters
• Indoor-safe gas heater + bottles (with ventilation)
• Thermal or merino base layers, hats, wool socks for everyone; warm gloves and waterproof gloves (or waterproof over-mitts) per person; disposable hand warmers
• Dark, plain outer layers and a breathable waterproof per person (see Staying Unseen)
• Hot-water bottles, vacuum flasks, a haybox or insulated bag
• Bubble wrap/foil insulation, duct tape, draught excluders, a 2–4 person tent for indoor "room in a room"
• Fire extinguisher + fire blanket

🔦 Light, power & communications

• Head torch per person + 2 LED lanterns
• Wind-up / battery radio with FM and DAB (plus medium wave if possible — Radio 4 long wave closed in 2026)
• Batteries: 40+ AA, 20+ AAA (lithium store longest)
• Power banks (2–3 × 20,000 mAh), charged
• Portable power station (LiFePO4, 300–1,000 Wh) + folding solar panel (60–100 W)
• PMR446 walkie-talkies (family set) — licence-free
• Glow sticks (children, toilet, stairwells)
• Car phone charger and inverter; spare USB cables for every device
• All-band receiver (shortwave/AM/FM) or a pocket SDR receiver, to hear foreign broadcasts if UK stations go off air
• Spare old phone with offline maps and documents

🚽 Sanitation & hygiene

• 2 × lidded 20 L buckets + toilet seat lid
• Heavy-duty bin bags (100+) and clay cat litter / sawdust (2–4 large bags)
• Toilet roll (a month's supply), wet wipes, hand sanitiser
• Soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, dry shampoo
• Scent-free soap, deodorant and washing powder (see Staying Unseen)
• Camping shower (pump or solar bag): a proper wash with a few litres of water
• Sanitary products / menstrual cups; nappies; incontinence pads
• Disinfectant, bleach, rubber gloves, nitrile gloves (100)
• Washing-up liquid, washing bucket + plunger, pegs, line
• Spade for latrine/burying waste

🩺 Health & first aid

• 30+ days of all prescription medicines (ask your GP about a reserve), written list of medicines
• Comprehensive first aid kit + first aid manual
• Paracetamol, ibuprofen, antihistamines, loperamide, rehydration sachets, antiseptic
• Fingertip pulse oximeter (SpO₂) and an infrared ear thermometer (or digital), with spare batteries. Cheap, and they tell you who is getting worse (see the Emergency Medical guide)
• Blood-pressure monitor if anyone has heart or blood-pressure problems
• Reusable 10–20 ml syringes (wound irrigation, measuring liquid medicines) and 5 ml oral syringes for children
• Spare glasses, contact lens supplies, hearing-aid batteries
• Dental kit: temporary filling, clove oil, floss
• Children's medicines (liquid paracetamol/ibuprofen)
• Insulin cooling pouch; glucose tablets; testing supplies
• Sun cream, insect repellent, lip balm, moisturiser

🔧 Tools & repair

• Multi-tool, adjustable spanner (for gas/water shut-off), screwdrivers, pliers
• Duct tape (4+ rolls), cable ties, paracord/rope
• Bow saw and axe (firewood), hammer, nails, screws, cordless drill + spare batteries
• Plastic sheeting / tarps (window and roof repairs)
• Plywood or boards for windows; door reinforcements (see Security)
• Work gloves, safety goggles, dust masks (FFP2/FFP3)
• Sewing kit with strong needles and cotton thread, superglue, WD-40, spare fuses
• Bike + puncture repair kit + pump; trolley or cargo trailer
• Foot pump; hand siphon pump for fuel (never siphon by mouth); 2–3 m of hose; epoxy glue

📄 Money, documents, information

• Cash in small notes and coins (£200–£500)
• Documents grab-file (see Money & documents)
• Printed copy of this guide, contact list and family plan
• Paper maps of your area and routes; compass
• Notebook, pencils, permanent markers
• Books, cards, board games, toys, puzzle books
• One grab bag per person (see The Grab Bag)
• A car kit and get-home bag in each car (see Car Kit)
• A paper medical file per person (see NHS cyber attack)

⏱️ First 72 hours

• Fill water: bath, containers, pans
• Radio on; torches out; appliances off
• Fuel, cash, medicines — early, calmly
• Check vulnerable neighbours
• Warm room + CO alarms (winter)
• Fridge → freezer → fresh → tins
• Toilet plan ready
• Day 2–3: decide stay or go

📊 Key numbers

🧭 Stay or go?

• Official evacuation order → GO
• Warm + water + 2 weeks food → STAY
• Home unsafe + known destination → MOVE EARLY, daylight, together
• Home unsafe + no destination → rest centre / pool with neighbours
• Leaving the UK → only early, with a destination and a right to stay

☠️ Never

• Run a generator, BBQ or charcoal indoors or in a garage
• Use a gas cooker to heat a room
• Back-feed a generator into house wiring
• Drink untreated water from rivers, floods or radiators
• Walk or drive through flood water
• Leave candles unattended or sleep near them
• Tell strangers what supplies you have
• Carry a weapon or a locking knife in public