Why Should You Keep Emergency Supplies at Home?
In a crisis, everyday life can be disrupted unexpectedly. Power outages, water supply interruptions, closed stores, and limited or unavailable communications can make even basic daily tasks difficult. In such situations, immediate assistance may not always be available, and you may need to rely on your own resources for a period of time.
A well-prepared home helps you and your loved ones cope with emergencies by providing access to essential resources such as food, water, light, warmth, and basic supplies. Preparing in advance allows you to remain calm, ensure your family's well-being, and avoid panic-driven decisions during a crisis.
Where Should You Start?
The most important step is ensuring that your household has enough water, food, and essential supplies to remain self-sufficient for at least one week.
Consider what it would mean for you and your family if your home suddenly lost access to water, electricity, or heating.
Water is especially important. Ensure you have at least 24 hours' worth of drinking water stored at home and know where additional clean water can be obtained if necessary. Keep in mind that normal sources of water, such as shops or electrically powered wells and pumping stations, may not be available during a crisis.
Make sure you have enough food and drinking water for your entire household for at least one week, and regularly rotate your supplies. Ideally, your food reserves should consist of items you already consume in everyday life. Don't forget to include supplies for your pets.
Choose food that is easy to prepare and has a long shelf life. Stock products that do not require refrigeration, such as canned goods, soups, dried foods, and other non-perishable items.
When planning medication and first aid supplies, consider the number of people in your household. Regular prescription medications should ideally be stocked for at least one month, while over-the-counter medicines should cover at least one week's needs.
What Equipment Should You Have at Home?
During a power outage, alternative light sources such as flashlights, lanterns, and candles become essential. For cooking, you may use camping stoves, portable gas burners, outdoor grills, or similar equipment, while always following fire safety requirements.
Without electricity or communications, it can be difficult to stay informed about developments and official instructions. A hand-crank or battery-powered radio is highly recommended. A car radio can also serve as an alternative source of information.
Ensure that your emergency equipment can function without access to mains electricity. Keep spare batteries available, maintain fully charged power banks, or consider alternative energy sources such as portable solar panels or generators.
Review the devices and tools you rely on daily and consider which ones would be most important during a crisis. Make sure they can still be used if normal services are unavailable.
How to Prepare for a Crisis
Effective crisis preparedness begins with a plan. The primary goal of a household emergency plan is to ensure that you can manage independently for at least one week.
The larger the crisis, the longer it may take for assistance from local authorities or emergency services to reach you. Start by assessing potential risks around your home and community and consider how you would respond to different situations.
Discuss likely emergency scenarios with your family, neighbors, or housing association, and agree on the actions that should be taken. Identify which critical services your daily life depends on - such as electricity, communications, and heating—and develop alternative solutions in case one or more of them become unavailable.
Every family member should understand their role and responsibilities within the emergency plan.
How to Prepare Your Family
Identify which critical services your household depends on, including electricity, water, heating, communications, and sewage systems. Review your emergency supplies, including cash reserves, medications, and first aid equipment.
Agree with family members on how you will communicate during a crisis and where you will meet if normal communication methods fail. Consider whether any relatives or friends may require immediate assistance during an emergency.
Keep important documents and essential items in an easily accessible location so they can be taken quickly if necessary. Ensure that family members know where key emergency supplies are stored and understand basic procedures, such as shutting off water or gas and operating a generator.
Maintain a list of important contacts, including neighbors, housing association representatives, service providers, and local government information numbers.
Discuss:
- When and how to call for help during an emergency.
- Where essential emergency supplies are located.
- How to shut off water, gas, and electricity if necessary.
- Safe places where family members could temporarily relocate.
- Situations that would require evacuation.
- Situations where remaining at home would be safer.
- What items to take when evacuating.
- How to care for pets during a crisis.
How to Prepare Your Housing Association
Apartment buildings and housing associations should also be prepared for emergencies. Every association should have a plan for responding to disruptions in water supply, district heating, or electricity.
Ensure that residents have access to basements or shelter areas if required. Keys to important technical areas should be available to multiple responsible individuals.
Basements should have multiple exits whenever possible, and all doors should be operable during emergencies.
Doors, gates, and barriers should remain accessible even during power outages. Critical building systems such as alarms, heating, and ventilation should have manual operating options where possible.
If the building has an elevator, clear instructions should be available explaining what to do in the event of a malfunction or power outage.
Although district heating systems may continue operating during a power outage, heat may not always reach individual buildings. Consider whether a backup generator would be beneficial.
For extended interruptions to water or sewage services, portable toilets and emergency water storage solutions may be required.
Identify residents who may need assistance during evacuation or other emergency situations and inform local authorities where appropriate.
Housing association members should maintain contact information for one another, while building managers should keep updated contact details for service providers and local authorities.
How to Prepare Your Community
Communities should assess potential risks and develop emergency response plans that are communicated to all residents.
In addition to evacuation procedures, establish emergency response plans that cover different scenarios and agree on how residents will communicate and share information during a crisis.
Prepare guidance for disruptions to essential services such as electricity, water, sewage, and ventilation. Where possible, develop alternative solutions, including generators, water pumps, or access to nearby clean water sources.
Get to know your neighbors and exchange contact information. Identify key community leaders such as village representatives, housing association chairs, or local community organizers.
Work together to identify local risks and determine how the community can improve preparedness through shared resources such as generators, water pumps, firefighting equipment, and other emergency supplies.
Identify community members who may require assistance during emergencies, including elderly residents, people living alone, and individuals with disabilities.
Discuss:
- How many people live in the community.
- The condition of local roads and access routes.
- Locations of clean drinking water sources.
- Areas with poor mobile network coverage.
- Which residents have useful training or skills, such as first aid, rescue services, or psychological support.