Keep warm when electric heating stops
Prepare clothing, bedding and a support plan without unsafe heating substitutes.
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364 articles on household emergency preparation. Browse by topic or search for a specific question.
Search all guidesCarbon monoxide risks during a power cut
Keep fuel-burning equipment within its intended use and follow alarm instructions.
Candles or torches during a power cut?
Make safe electric lighting the easy first option for your household.
When electricity returns: a calm household checklist
Check people, equipment and food before assuming every routine can restart immediately.
When staying home during a power cut becomes impractical
Reassess care, warmth, access and official instructions rather than relying on the cupboard alone.
Build a small power-cut information pack
Keep contacts, care instructions and outage notes available without broadband.
EU 72-hour preparedness: a starting point, not a universal limit
A three-day household plan is a manageable place to begin.
Germany's BBK guidance: building beyond the first three days
Germany's Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance provides household preparedness guidance that aims beyond a basic three-day start.
Sweden's one-week home preparedness: turning advice into a routine
Swedish official home-preparedness guidance asks households to plan for at least a week.
France: connect your emergency kit to local risk information
A French emergency kit is most useful when it sits alongside a personal plan and information about the risks around your address.
The Netherlands: combine your emergency kit, plan and neighbour conversation
The Dutch Denk vooruit approach joins practical supplies with an emergency plan and discussion with people around you.
Ireland's Be Winter Ready: use the campaign as a local contact map
Ireland's Be Winter Ready campaign brings together weather, health, travel, schools and community information.
UK preparedness sources: know when guidance is nation-specific
The UK shares many practical risks, but flood, health, housing and support information is not always organised identically.
Finding official weather warnings when travelling across Europe
A forecast app can be convenient, but a warning decision should lead back to the responsible official service.
Calling 112 in the EU: prepare the location information
The EU's 112 emergency number connects people to urgent assistance.
Emergency instructions in another language: prepare before translating under pressure
Translation is easier when the essential words and official sources are already familiar.
An offline document pack for a disrupted European journey
A phone is convenient until it is flat, broken or offline.
Water notices abroad: do not translate every restriction into boiling
Countries and water suppliers can issue different instructions for different incidents.