How to prepare for an emergency: a beginner's guide in 7 steps
You don't need a bunker or a big budget. The seven steps that get any family ready for a few days without power, water or shops.
In short
- A realistic first goal: 72 hours in which your household can cope on its own. Then extend to 7 and 14 days.
- Order matters: water, medicines, food, light and communication, then money and documents.
- Buy a little at a time, choose food you already eat, and use your supplies in rotation.
- A plan your family has talked through is worth half the kit.
- 3 minutes without air
- 3 hours without shelter in extreme weather
- 3 days without water
- 3 weeks without food
When people hear “preppers”, many picture bunkers and stockpiles of guns. The reality is far more ordinary and far more useful: being prepared means getting calmly through a few days in which the things we take for granted (electricity, tap water, the corner shop, a phone signal) stop working.
The scenarios are concrete. Earthquakes, floods, winter storms, wildfires and heatwaves hit somewhere every year. On 28 April 2025, Spain and Portugal lost power for most of a day, and millions discovered how quickly a whole country can grind to a halt. In March 2025 the European Commission formally advised every household to be able to manage for at least 72 hours without outside help, echoing long-standing advice from agencies such as FEMA in the US.
The good news: basic preparedness is cheap and takes a few weeks. Here are the steps, in the order worth doing them.
Step 1: Think about what could actually happen to you
Don’t prepare for “the end of the world”. Prepare for what is likely where you live:
- In a flat in a big city: earthquake (in seismic regions), power cut, loss of water and heating, fire in the building.
- In a house in the countryside: floods, snowstorms, blocked roads, long power cuts, wildfire.
- Anywhere: a sudden health problem, losing your income, an economic downturn.
Most of these call for the same basics: water, food, light, warmth, medicines, money and information. That is why one set of supplies covers almost all of them.
Step 2: Secure your water
You can last weeks without food but only a few days without water. The usual recommendation is 4 liters per person per day (about a gallon): roughly 2 liters to drink and the rest for cooking and basic hygiene. For a family of four and three days, that is 48 liters.
How to store and rotate it: How much water to store.
Step 3: Medicines and first aid
If anyone in your household takes daily medication, this is priority number two. Try to always have at least 7 days in reserve and ask your doctor whether you can collect repeat prescriptions a little early. Then put together a proper first aid kit.
Step 4: A food supply you’ll actually eat
The classic mistake is buying dozens of cans nobody likes, which then expire in the cupboard. Instead:
- List 10 to 15 non-perishable foods your household already eats (pasta, rice, canned beans and tuna, crackers, peanut butter, dried fruit).
- Each time you shop, buy one or two extra.
- Put new items at the back and use the older ones from the front.
In two or three months you’ll have two weeks of food that renews itself. The full list: non-perishable food for an emergency pantry.
Step 5: Light, warmth and information
A power cut leaves you without light, without a way to charge your phone and often without heating or internet. The minimum:
- a flashlight for each person (head torches leave your hands free) and spare batteries;
- a charged power bank;
- a battery or wind-up radio, so you can hear official updates when the mobile network is down;
- blankets and warm clothes for winter.
For more comfort, a portable power station can keep the fridge, router and phones running. See the power station guide.
Step 6: Money and documents
During a power cut, cards and cash machines don’t work. Keep some cash at home in small notes, enough for a few days of essentials and fuel. Make copies of important documents (IDs, certificates, property papers, insurance policies) and keep them in a waterproof bag in your emergency kit.
In the long run, the best protection is an emergency fund covering 3 to 6 months of expenses.
Step 7: A family plan
Supplies don’t help if, in the moment, nobody knows where they are or what to do. Sit down one evening and agree:
- where you meet if you can’t get home or have to leave;
- who picks the children up from school;
- one contact person in another city whom everyone calls (after a disaster, long-distance calls sometimes get through more easily than local ones);
- who checks on elderly neighbors or looks after pets.
There is a simple template in the family emergency plan guide.
After the first 72 hours
Once the basics are covered, extend gradually: two weeks of home supplies, a car kit, a backup energy source, a few tools and perhaps a first aid course. Every step adds peace of mind and reduces your dependence on others at exactly the moment when everyone needs help at once.
To work out how much water and food your household needs, use the supply calculator.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I start on a small budget?
With water. A pack of bottled water is cheap and covers one person for a day or more. Add a few non-perishables to your normal shopping each week and within two or three months you will have two weeks of supplies without really noticing the cost.
Do I need to stockpile for months?
No. The European Commission and many national agencies advise every household to be self-sufficient for at least 72 hours. A 7 to 14-day supply covers almost every realistic scenario: earthquakes, floods, winter storms and long power cuts.
Doesn't preparing mean living in fear?
Quite the opposite. People with a plan and a few supplies are calmer, because they know what to do. Preparedness is insurance, not an obsession.
Sources and further reading
Preper is for general education and does not replace instructions from your local authorities or advice from a doctor. In an emergency, call your local emergency number.