Guides · Getting started

What a 3-day home kit needs

Three days at home with no power, no tap water and no shops. That's the first goal for most households, and it's very doable in three weekends.

The kit on one page

• Fridge and freezer first: photograph every shelf and tape a list to the freezer door. When the power goes, take one quick fresh photo, then keep the doors shut. The fridge and freezer guide.
• Water: 3.8 litres (1 gallon) per person per day, so about 46 L (12 gal) for a family of four, and a way to make more safe. The water guide.
• Food: 9 meals per person that need no fridge and no cooking, food you already eat, and a hand tin opener. Fridge first, then the freezer, then the shelf.
• Light and power: a rechargeable headlamp each, a lantern, a power bank, and spare AA and AAA batteries. Torches, not candles. A battery or battery-backup carbon monoxide alarm near where people sleep, and a working smoke alarm.
• Warm or cool: one room you can keep comfortable, with layers and bedding for each person in the cold, and a shaded room and a plan for the hottest hours in the heat.
• Medical: a first aid kit, a first aid course, and a good supply of every regular medicine (2 weeks if you can; ask your doctor or pharmacist how).
• Toilet and hygiene: a bucket toilet kit, a handwash station, and one period's supply of sanitary products for everyone who needs them. The toilet plan.
• News: a battery or wind-up radio, and an out-of-area contact everyone can text.
• Pets and papers: food and water for pets, copies of important papers, and some cash.

When the power goes: the first hour

1. Is everyone safe? If anyone is hurt or unwell, call your emergency number.
2. Fridge and freezer: one quick photo of every shelf, update the list, then keep the doors shut.
3. Torches and headlamps on. Candles stay in the drawer.
4. Radio on to your local emergency station for official updates.
5. Check on people, especially anyone who relies on power for medical equipment, and older neighbours.
6. Switch off and unplug appliances at the wall, leaving one light on so you know when power is back.
7. If you're told the water may stop, fill extra containers, and the bath for flushing. Keep small children out of the bathroom while it's full.
8. Text your out-of-area contact to say you're all right.
9. Barbecues, camp stoves and generators: outdoors only, at least 6 metres (20 ft) from windows, doors and vents. Never indoors, in a garage or under a carport, even with the doors open; they make carbon monoxide. Never connect a generator to the house wiring or a wall socket; that's a job for a licensed electrician.

If home stops being safe or comfortable (too hot, too cold, no water, or someone needs care you can't give), go to family, friends or an official centre. Decide now where, and how you'd get there.

Do it in three weekends

1. Weekend one: water, and the fridge photo.
2. Weekend two: light, power, the radio, and keeping warm or cool.
3. Weekend three: food, first aid, the toilet kit and papers.

Then check it all four times a year, at the start of each season.

More guides

• How much water to store at home
• Your fridge and freezer when the power goes
• A toilet plan for when the water's off