Immediate danger to life: call 999 or 112.

UK Ready is an independent information site. Current official instructions for your area take priority over this general guidance.

Making a household emergency plan

Sources checked 24 October 2026

Action summary

  1. Walk through the normal exits and identify an alternative.
  2. Locate the water stopcock and utility isolation points.
  3. Check the school, workplace and care provider procedures for sheltering, evacuation and loss of contact.
  4. Identify an accessible temporary place to stay and a transport option that does not assume you can drive.
  5. Record care or equipment arrangements with the relevant provider.
  6. Make sure all household members can find torches, the radio and the plan.

Agree who needs help, who can provide it and what happens if the usual helper is unavailable. Include people who live alone, people who cannot use stairs, someone with limited English, and anyone relying on regular care. Ask people what support they actually need rather than guessing.

Write down your address, key contacts, medicines and allergies, school or nursery details, utility contacts, radio stations and insurance information. Keep the plan somewhere easy to find in the dark and give appropriate copies to trusted helpers. Keep sensitive information out of public websites and neighbourhood group chats.

Choose a nearby meeting place for an ordinary evacuation and a second place outside the immediate area. Neither is a destination to travel to during a sheltering instruction. An out-of-area contact can help relay messages when local networks are busy. Agree a brief message format such as name, safe location, needs and next check-in time.

A practical planning session

  1. Walk through the normal exits and identify an alternative. Ask the landlord or managing agent about your building's fire arrangements.
  2. Locate the water stopcock and utility isolation points. Ask for instruction if you do not understand them; do not practise unsafe electrical or gas work.
  3. Check the school, workplace and care provider procedures for sheltering, evacuation and loss of contact.
  4. Identify an accessible temporary place to stay and a transport option that does not assume you can drive.
  5. Record care or equipment arrangements with the relevant provider.
  6. Make sure all household members can find torches, the radio and the plan.

If an incident starts: Deal with immediate danger first. Account for people, read official instructions, check urgent care needs and send one concise update when safe. Do not repeatedly call someone whose phone may need to remain silent during an attack.

Review: UK Ready recommends revisiting the plan after a move, new medication, a change in care needs or school arrangements. A short practice finding supplies and using the radio is more useful than a complicated plan nobody understands.

Update 24 October 2026: free first steps

You don't need to buy everything at once. Start with free actions: write down contacts, agree who can help and check support registers. Then add food and water over time — see food and water for three days.

Three days is a preparation period, not a promise that services return within 72 hours. Supplies never override an instruction to evacuate or seek urgent help.

Sources

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