Emergency water and food supply: how much, what to buy, how to store it
Water and food are the core of any emergency supply. Official guidance asks for at least three days of self-sufficiency, and two weeks is a more comfortable target: drinking water, food you can eat without cooking and a safe way to heat a meal without power or gas.
This topic covers quantities per person, shopping lists, stock rotation, food safety when the fridge goes off and how to cook indoors on a camping stove without risking carbon monoxide.
Where to start: Start by working out how much water and food your household needs, then add items to your normal weekly shop.
- Emergency water and food supply: how much to store and how
How much water and food to store per person for 3 days or 2 weeks, what to buy, how to store and rotate it, and how to make water safe, based on CDC and Ready.gov.
8 min · reviewed 26 October 2026 - Camping stove for emergencies: which to choose, cooking indoors safely
Camping stove for emergencies and power cuts: canister, butane cassette, alcohol or solid fuel, fuel per day, and the carbon monoxide rules for indoors.
9 min · reviewed 18 October 2026 - Canned food stockpile: what to buy, how long it lasts
Which canned foods to stockpile, how long cans last (high-acid vs low-acid), when to throw a can away, how to store and rotate it, and how much per person.
9 min · reviewed 18 October 2026 - How long does food last in the fridge without power? Food safety in a power outage
How long food lasts in a fridge or freezer without power, what you can refreeze, what to throw out, and food rules after a flood. Based on USDA and CDC.
6 min · reviewed 18 October 2026