12 official emergency kit lists compared

Governments split into two camps. Most of Europe and the US ask for 72 hours of self-reliance. Sweden, Norway, Germany and the Red Cross (for staying at home) ask for one to two weeks. Nobody official plans beyond that.

How long, and how much water

Water advice ranges from 2 to about 3.8 litres per person per day, and covers drinking only. The humanitarian Sphere standard puts the real need, including cooking and washing, at up to 15 litres.

The items almost every list includes

• Bottled drinking water: 12 of 12
• Long-life food (ready to eat): 12 of 12
• Flashlight / torch: 11 of 12
• Emergency radio: 11 of 12
• First aid kit (home): 10 of 12
• Spare batteries: 10 of 12
• Personal medication supply: 10 of 12
• Cash in small notes and coins: 9 of 12
• Power bank: 8 of 12

What they tell you to do, beyond the kit

The kit is only one part of the advice. Almost every government also asks for three things:

• A written household plan: who to call, where to meet if you can’t get home, and who helps whom. The US lists add an out-of-area contact, because long-distance calls and texts often get through when local calls don’t.
• Knowing how you’ll be warned: sirens, phone alerts and a radio station. Most countries test their sirens on a fixed day, so you can learn the sound.
• Looking out for neighbours: the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden say this explicitly, to keep emergency services free for those who can’t manage alone.

The instruction when a real alarm sounds is nearly the same everywhere: go inside, close doors and windows, and follow the radio. Denmark has cut it to “go inside and find information”, because the longer version was too hard to remember.

Two pieces of advice are worth knowing because they go against instinct. France tells parents not to fetch their children from school during an alert, since staff keep them safe and the roads must stay clear. Several countries ask you not to call 112 or 999 to ask what is happening, so the lines stay free for real emergencies.

Food lists

Only five of the 12 lists name actual foods: the Netherlands, Germany, Finland, Norway and FEMA. The others say “long-life food” and stop there. We turned the official food lists into printable pages, and combined them into a 72-hour food list and a one-to-two-week food list for countries that give none. See all food lists.

Country guides

• The EU’s 72-hour emergency kit
• France’s emergency kit: the « Tous responsables » guide explained
• Denmark’s 3-day emergency supplies: the official checklist
• Finland’s 72-hour supplies: what 72hours.fi recommends
• Czechia’s 72-hour emergency list, in English
• The UK emergency kit: what the government’s Prepare campaign says
• FEMA emergency kit list
• American Red Cross survival kit (3 days and 2 weeks)
• Sweden’s home preparedness list: ready for at least a week
• Norway’s self-preparedness list (one week)
• Noodpakket: wat de overheid adviseert en wat wij zouden kopen
• Notvorrat und Notgepäck: was das BBK empfiehlt
• What pharmacists say belongs in your home medicine cabinet

How we use this

Our L1 kit covers the 72-hour consensus. Our L2 kit covers the one-to-two-week lists. Everything beyond that is our own editorial judgement, and we say so.

Last reviewed: October 2026.