A sensible 72-hour household essentials checklist.

Begin with the household, not the shopping list

Think about how many people you live with, any children or pets, mobility needs, medication and whether anyone relies on electrically powered equipment. Make a written plan for outages or disruption and keep important contact details available offline.

Food and drinking water

Keep suitable drinking water and some food that can be eaten without cooking. Choose food your household will actually eat, and check ingredients and allergens. If food needs rehydrating, remember that this increases the water you need.

Check best-before dates and rotate items through ordinary use rather than leaving them forgotten indefinitely.

Lighting, communication and warmth

Include torches and suitable batteries, a fully charged power bank, a wind-up or battery FM radio, blankets and practical clothing. Store the items somewhere accessible and tell everyone in the household where they are.

Keep it current

Inspect the kit periodically. Charge batteries, check equipment, update contacts, replace expired supplies and revise it whenever your household needs change.