UK Government Urges Households to Keep Three Days of Food and Water for Emergencies

The UK government has urged households to keep three days’ worth of food, bottled water and essential supplies at home under a new national preparedness campaign aimed at helping people cope with extreme weather, cyberattacks and disruptions to essential services.

The “Be Ready” campaign, launched on October 22, encourages people to prepare for situations in which electricity, water, telephone networks or internet services become temporarily unavailable. Officials say basic household preparedness can reduce pressure on emergency services during a crisis.

What the Government Wants Households to Keep

The guidance recommends storing enough bottled water and non-perishable food to last three days. Households are encouraged to build up their supplies gradually rather than purchase everything at once.

The checklist also encourages households to keep a torch, a battery-powered or wind-up radio, spare batteries, a first-aid kit and a charged power bank. People may also need essential medicines, cash and important documents in case electronic payments or communication networks stop working.

Cyber Disruptions and Extreme Weather Prompt New Advice

The campaign follows severe storms and wildfires that disrupted services in Britain, alongside a recent cybersecurity incident involving vulnerabilities in PHP software that affected online services and triggered widespread hacking attempts.

The government has urged people to prepare for temporary interruptions rather than panic-buy supplies. The three-day recommendation is also in line with emergency preparedness guidance followed by countries including France, Ireland and the Netherlands.

Support for Vulnerable Households

Security Minister Dan Jarvis said household preparedness could ease pressure on emergency services, allowing first responders to prioritise people who need urgent assistance.

The government is also encouraging eligible households to register with the Priority Services Register, which helps utility companies identify customers who may need additional support during service outages. The three-year “Be Ready” campaign will use public information, social media and partnerships with more than 500 organisations to spread the advice.

The government says households can assemble supplies over time and take steps according to their circumstances. The aim is to help people manage essential needs for 72 hours if normal services are disrupted.