Around 40% of people admit they would struggle to protect their household during a major emergency
Thomas Bamford
Thomas Bamford
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Households are being encouraged to prepare for the possibility of going three days without essential services, with emergency preparedness advice highlighting the supplies people should have ready before disaster strikes.
Losing access to electricity, running water or phone service can quickly disrupt everyday life, particularly if severe weather or another unexpected emergency makes it difficult to leave home.
The recommendation is to have enough essentials available to manage independently for 72 hours, including drinking water, food, medication and ways to stay informed if normal services become unavailable.
According to the British Red Cross, preparing in advance can help households manage short-term disruption and avoid being caught without essential supplies.
A power outage could leave people unable to charge their phones, cook meals or keep their homes warm. Meanwhile, interruptions to water supplies could affect everything from drinking and washing to preparing food.
Losing internet access or phone signal could create further difficulties, making it harder to contact loved ones, receive important updates or access online services.
Why are governments urging people to stock up on 72 hours of essentials?
Governments around the world are encouraging residents to keep emergency supplies at home as concerns grow over everything from extreme weather and climate-related events to international conflict and cyberattacks.
The advice is not limited to one country. France recommends having enough essential supplies to last 72 hours, while Germany advises residents to prepare for a longer period of up to 10 days. Japan, which has extensive experience preparing for earthquakes, considers three days the minimum and encourages households to aim for a week where possible.
There are also growing concerns that hostile states, cyberattacks and sabotage could disrupt critical infrastructure, potentially affecting everyday services without a conventional military attack.
According to CNBC, having enough supplies to manage the first three days of an emergency gives authorities and emergency responders time to deal with the immediate aftermath of a crisis.
For example, during severe flooding, emergency crews must prioritize rescuing people whose lives are in immediate danger, carrying out evacuations and keeping essential services such as hospitals operational.
As a result, other households may need to rely on their own food, water and essential supplies while the emergency response gets underway.
The 72-hour target also offers a practical balance, providing a buffer during major disruptions without requiring families to store excessive amounts of food and other necessities.
What supplies should you keep at home for an emergency?
One of the most important steps is putting together a basic emergency kit containing enough supplies to last three days.
Households should aim to have sufficient drinking water and food that does not require cooking, alongside essential medication and basic first aid supplies.
A working flashlight, spare batteries and a fully charged portable power bank can also prove useful if electricity becomes unavailable.
Basic hygiene items, including wet wipes and hand sanitizer, are worth including, particularly if running water is disrupted.
However, emergency supplies should reflect the individual needs of everyone living in the household.
Families with young children may need additional baby food, formula, diapers and medication, while people with pets should make sure they have enough food, water and any necessary medication for their animals.
Those who rely on medical equipment or mobility aids should also consider what backup arrangements they might need if essential services are interrupted.
How can you prepare your household for 72 hours without power?
Having supplies ready is only one part of emergency preparation.
Households should also think about how they would communicate if phone networks or internet services stopped working.
Agreeing on a meeting point, keeping important contact numbers written down and making sure everyone knows where essential documents are stored can help avoid confusion.
It is also worth considering how family members would respond if they needed to leave their home quickly, including knowing how to safely turn off gas, electricity and water supplies if necessary.
Checking on friends, relatives and neighbors who might need additional assistance is another important consideration.
Older people, individuals with disabilities and those who may struggle to access information or supplies could need extra support during an emergency.
Staying informed is equally important. Households should consider signing up for relevant weather and flood alerts and familiarizing themselves with the risks that could affect their local area.
Preparing does not have to mean spending a lot of money or buying everything immediately.
Starting with supplies already available at home and gradually adding missing essentials can make the process more manageable. Even a small box, bag or cupboard can provide enough space to store the most important items.
The goal is to have a practical plan and the essentials needed to get through three days if everyday services are suddenly disrupted.
Reason why 72 hours is so important as governments around the world urge people to stock up on essentials
The British government is just one example of an authority to have urged people to start stockpiling
Niamh Shackleton
Niamh Shackleton
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A lot of people are being urged to stock up on 72 hours worth of goods in case of an emergency, but why is that timeframe so important?
Sadly people across the globe are facing numerous types of crises. From climate change and El Niño, to conflict and cyberattacks, there are a lot of reasons we should be prepared for an emergency situation.
In the UK, for example, the government advised residents to stock up on 17 items in particular after Storm Boelo battered parts of the country. The storm killed two people and left tens of thousands without power, The Guardian reported.
But apparently the UK is far behind with this advise compared to other parts of the world. Disaster planning expert Professor Lucy Easthope told the BBC: “Countries like Scandinavia, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, they’ve been good at this for years.”
“This is one area where I’m very comfortable saying we are playing massive catch-up,” she added.
Over in France, residents are urged to stock up on 72 hours worth of essentials, while Germans have been told that they should have enough supplies to last for a 10-day period.
But why is 72 hours the apparent sweet spot when it comes to stockpiling goods? According to CNBC, being equipped for the first three days of an emergency situation will help people cope while emergency services and authorities respond to a crisis.
For example, during a severe flood the emergency services need to focus on helping those whose lives are in immediate danger, as well as carry out rescues and keeping hospitals running. In the meantime, households will have to rely on their own supplies temporarily.
WION News adds: “Authorities consider 72 hours a practical preparedness target. It provides a buffer during disruptions while remaining manageable for many families in terms of cost and storage space.
“The advice also reflects growing concerns about hostile states, cyberattacks and sabotage.
“British officials have warned that attacks on digital systems and critical infrastructure could disrupt everyday life without a conventional military assault.
“Japan, which has long prepared for earthquakes, considers three days the minimum and encourages households to aim for a week of supplies where possible.”
The British Red Cross has weighed in on the UK government’s recent advice and insisted that its not asking Brits to ‘prepare for a major disaster’.
“Instead, it’s about being ready to cope with short-term disruption to everyday services such as electricity, water, communications, transport or access to shops,” the charity explained.
“Having a few essential supplies at home, a simple household plan and access to reliable information can make these situations easier to manage.”
Map shows nations urging people to stockpile food as ex-FBI boss tells Americans to take warning seriously
Some countries want their citizens to stockpile enough food and water for two weeks
Niamh Shackleton
Niamh Shackleton
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As the US urges its citizens to stockpile food, many countries have stricter, more wide-ranging guidelines for what items people need to buy to prepare for a crisis.
In recent days, former FBI boss Dan Bongino issued a stark warning about taking the stockpiling advice seriously.
“Get your stuff today. Please. Do it for your family,” he said on his podcast, adding: “The best day of your life, you don’t need them. And in 10 years, you’re like, ‘Ah, I wasted $1,000 or whatever.’
“The worst day in your life is your kids looking you in the face like, ‘Hey dad, mom, where’s the water?’ And, ‘Well, we don’t have any.'”
Bongino went on to insist that your neighbors ‘are not going to have any extra food’.
As well as food and water, an item in particular people have been told to get their hands on is a radio that picks up the NOAA weather bands easily and effectively.
In addition to North America (the US, Canada, and Mexico), there are other parts of the world that are being told to start prepping.
Europe
UK
Brits are advised to have three days of bottled water and food in their homes in case of an emergency, along with FM radios, sleeping bags and charged power banks.
Ireland
The Irish government advises citizens to have 2-3 litres of drinking water per person per day, matches or a lighter, wind-up or solar radios and power banks.
France
French citizens have been told to prepare 72-hour emergency bags containing cash, essential documents, phone chargers, first aid kits, basic tools and games.
Germany
The advice is to have enough food and water for a whopping 10 days. It advises 14 litres of liquid per person, food that can be eaten cold and doesn’t need to be in the fridge, camping stoves and pet food if necessary.
Netherlands
The government says you need to prepare an emergency kit containing a flashlight and batteries, candles and matches, a battery-powered or clockwork radio, tools, a whistle and bathroom products. It also advises you have enough food and drink for a 72-hour period, and three litres of water per person per day.
Denmark
Citizens are advised to have enough food and water for three days, specifically food that doesn’t require cooking such as canned food or crispbread. Under 40s are advised to stockpile iodine tablets, along with a torch, power bank, candles, matches and batteries.
Norway
The government says citizens must have enough food and water for seven days, including 20 litres of water per person. Under 40s are again advised to have iodine tablets to hand, as well as pregnant women.
Recommended foods include crispbread, oats, crackers, chocolate, energy bars, beans and canned fish. The government also wants citizens to buy an alternative heat source such as a wood stove, paraffin or a gas heater.
Sweden
The government advises buying storage containers and buckets with lids for collecting water, warm clothing, candles, matches, extra batteries and a camping stove.
On a grim note, it also advises fitting a plastic bag in your toilet bowl to dispose of poop if the pipes stop working.
Finland
It advises one to two buckets of water per day per person for all water needs, and stocking up on sealable containers, iodine tablets and duct tape.
Estonia
The government says people should stockpile pickles, instant soups, nuts, dried fruit and cookies. They should also invest in a solar-powered torch and a hurricane lamp.
Latvia
Stock up on enough food and water for three days and prepare a go-bag of emergency essentials.
Lithuania
Stockpile six litres of water per person to last them three days, along with food, medicine and hygiene supplies.
Poland
Prepare a packed backpack of emergency supplies to grab immediately in case of evacuation, key documents in both paper and electronic forms, and three days of supplies.
Czech Republic
The government advises 72 hours worth of supplies, including a multi-purpose knife, fire extinguisher, fire blanket and autonomous smoke and gas detectors.
Austria
The government wants citizens to have enough for 10 to 14 days. It emphasises maintaining a balanced diet, and says two jars of salad vegetables or 15 tins of tinned vegetables should be enough for one person for two weeks.
Switzerland
The government says everyone should have in their home at all times nine litres of water per person, food for about one week and 50 face masks per person.
Croatia
Food for at least two days and 1.5 to two litres of water per person per day.
Several Asian countries are also asking their citizens to stockpile essentials, including Japan, Taiwan, Israel, India, the Philippines and Singapore.
In Japan specifically, the government has told residents to have 72 hours-worth of food and water.
Disaster Management Minister Goshi Hosono recently said (as per Seoul Economic Daily): “I would like to say at least three days’ worth, and a week’s worth if possible.”
He added: “Please prepare enough food, toilet supplies and water at home so that you can manage even without public support from the government.”
New Zealand and Australia have been told to stockpile as well, in addition to South Africa, Chile, Colombia, Argentina and Brazil.
Europe in particular should be preparing for an emergency situation as Vladimir Putin has warned that Russia is ‘ready’ for war.
“We are ready for war with Europe, but we don’t want it,” the Russian president said, Metro Online reports, adding: “As for them – if anyone desires such a thing, let them prepare.”
Putin also said that the West had ‘failed to achieve their goal of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia’.
He further warned: “If things go too far, there will be no winners at all.”