Start with what your household already owns. This three-day planning guide helps you identify missing capabilities before spending money. It is a starting point, not a universal national requirement or a promise about outage duration.
First, choose the guidance for your country
Browse country guidance and check the linked national authority. If its recommended period is longer, plan for that period. Add household needs that a generic kit cannot capture.
Work through six household needs
Water: Identify drinking, cooking, hygiene and pet needs separately. Check the local quantity and safe storage instructions. A purifier does not replace stored water if there is no usable source.
Food: Count meals people will eat, dietary needs and whether preparation depends on electricity or water. Normal pantry food may fill the gap; specialist meal kits are optional.
Light and warmth: Test existing torches and locate batteries, clothing and bedding. Buy only what remains missing.
Information: Record official channels and contacts offline. Test an independently powered radio appropriate to local broadcasting.
Charging: Test power banks and cables. Identify critical loads before considering a larger battery.
Personal needs: Include infant supplies, pets, accessibility needs and a person-specific plan for medication storage or powered equipment. Follow the relevant manufacturer and clinical instructions.
Buy by the gap
Start with a missing cable, working torch, water container or power bank. Consider a power station only after measuring loads and runtime. Compare portable power options and radio categories.
Your next action
Write down three gaps, what you already own, and the smallest useful fix. Use the household gap checklist.
Commercial transparency: Merchant links on this page are ordinary, untracked links. No affiliate commission path has been verified for them. Products are examples of a category, not hands-on test winners or government endorsements.
Sources and scope
Solar Flare Innovations practical recommendations are separate from official guidance. Check current instructions where you live. Reviewed November 5, 2026. Find your country · Evidence standard
