Download the Household Preparedness Gap Checklist (A4 PDF, 4 pages, 53 KB)
Find the gaps in what you already have before buying anything else. Use this checklist on screen, or use your browser’s Print command to save a PDF. No email is required for this version.
HOW TO USE
For each line mark one:
– HAVE / READY
– HAVE / NEEDS CHECK
– NEED
– NOT APPLICABLE
Then place every NEED item into one of three action buckets:
– NOW: a gap that could create a safety, medical, water, communication or temperature problem.
– NEXT: useful resilience that should be addressed after critical gaps.
– LATER: convenience, redundancy or premium upgrades.
Do not buy anything until you have finished the audit. The first useful answer may be that you already own most of what you need.
1. HOUSEHOLD DEPENDENCIES
☐ I know how many people are normally in the household.
☐ I have identified babies/young children whose needs change during an outage.
☐ I have identified older adults whose needs change during an outage.
☐ I have identified disabled household members or anyone with access/support requirements.
☐ I have identified medication that cannot simply be skipped.
☐ I have identified equipment that depends on electricity, refrigeration, charging, oxygen, internet/network connectivity or regular resupply.
☐ I know what pets/livestock would need if power, water or transport were disrupted.
☐ I know whether anyone can safely remain at home during extreme heat/cold without mains power.
2. WATER
☐ I know my current national/local household water-preparedness guidance.
☐ I have enough potable water to meet that guidance for my household size.
☐ I have included pets/livestock where applicable.
☐ My stored water containers are food-safe and in usable condition.
☐ I know when stored water/containers need checking or rotation.
☐ If I depend on a well/electric pump, I know what happens when power fails.
☐ I have a safe backup plan if local water is unavailable or unsafe.
☐ I know where to find official boil-water / contamination information.
3. FOOD
☐ I have ordinary shelf-stable food that fits my household’s actual diet.
☐ I can feed the household for the official recommended interval without relying entirely on mains-powered cooking.
☐ I have food that requires no cooking or minimal cooking.
☐ I rotate emergency/pantry food through normal use rather than forgetting it until expiry.
☐ I can identify dietary/allergy/infant needs quickly.
☐ I know the food-safety rules for refrigerator/freezer loss in my jurisdiction.
☐ I have a plan for safely cooking if mains power is unavailable.
☐ I understand that outdoor combustion cooking equipment is not an indoor backup plan.
4. LIGHTING
☐ I have at least one reliable non-mains light source.
☐ I have enough lighting for key occupied spaces and safe movement.
☐ I know whether the lights use replaceable batteries, rechargeable batteries or built-in charging.
☐ I have tested them recently.
☐ Spare batteries/charging cables are compatible and easy to find.
☐ I am not relying primarily on candles/open flame.
5. COMMUNICATIONS + INFORMATION
☐ I have key household/emergency contacts available offline or on paper.
☐ I have at least one way to receive official information that is not entirely dependent on mains electricity where my jurisdiction recommends this.
☐ I know my electricity provider’s outage-reporting source.
☐ I know my local/national emergency-information source.
☐ I know the official space-weather source appropriate to my jurisdiction.
☐ Household members know how/when to contact each other if networks are congested.
☐ We have a meeting/check-in plan if communications fail.
6. CHARGING + BACKUP POWER
☐ My normal phone power bank(s) work and are charged.
☐ I know which charging cables/adapters each essential device requires.
☐ I know which household loads are actually critical.
☐ If I own a portable power station, I know its usable capacity and output limits.
☐ If I own solar panels/alternative charging, connectors and compatibility have been tested.
☐ If I own a generator, it is maintained according to the manufacturer schedule.
☐ Generator operation is planned for outdoor use with safe exhaust separation.
☐ I do not rely on improvised electrical backfeeding.
☐ Carbon-monoxide alarms are functional.
7. MEDICATION + MEDICAL CONTINUITY
☐ Essential medications are maintained according to normal prescription arrangements and official local preparedness guidance.
☐ I have paper/offline copies of essential medication/device information.
☐ I know which medicines require temperature control.
☐ I have medicine-specific pharmacy/manufacturer/clinical storage guidance where needed.
☐ I know the power requirements of essential medical equipment.
☐ Backup batteries/power options are manufacturer-compatible where required.
☐ I know who to contact if safe runtime or medicine storage cannot be maintained.
☐ I know about any local utility priority-support / medical-dependency registration relevant to the household.
8. TEMPERATURE + SHELTER
☐ I know how quickly this home becomes unsafe in extreme heat/cold without power.
☐ I have low-energy ways to maintain personal warmth/cooling: clothing, bedding, shade, ventilation, etc.
☐ I know where official warming/cooling centers or emergency accommodation information would be found.
☐ I have a threshold for leaving before conditions become dangerous.
☐ I do not plan to heat the home with an oven, grill or unsafe combustion appliance.
9. SANITATION + HYGIENE
☐ I know whether toilets/septic/sewage systems work normally without power/water.
☐ I have basic hygiene supplies that do not depend entirely on running water.
☐ I know how to conserve potable water for drinking/cooking rather than low-priority uses.
☐ I know where to find local sanitation/public-health instructions during a water outage.
☐ Waste can be contained away from food and stored water.
10. PAYMENTS + DOCUMENTS
☐ I have more than one practical way to pay for essentials.
☐ Where national/local guidance supports it, I keep a reasonable amount of emergency cash.
☐ Important contacts/account details are available offline.
☐ Essential identification/insurance/medical documents are accessible if internet/cloud access is unavailable.
☐ Important document copies are current and stored appropriately.
11. TRANSPORT + ACCESS
☐ I know how I would leave if my normal route were blocked.
☐ I keep a basic vehicle emergency kit appropriate to local conditions.
☐ I can navigate essential journeys without assuming live GPS/mobile data will always work.
☐ Vehicle fuel/charge planning follows local guidance rather than panic-buying.
☐ Rural/private-road households have considered emergency-vehicle access.
☐ I know never to approach downed electrical lines or clear trees entangled with them.
12. PETS / LIVESTOCK
☐ Food is included in the household duration plan.
☐ Water is included separately from human drinking-water calculations.
☐ Medications are current and documented.
☐ Carriers/leads/containment are available.
☐ Identification/vet contacts are accessible offline.
☐ Powered fencing, pumps, ventilation or heating needs have a continuity plan where relevant.
13. MAINTENANCE + ROTATION
☐ Flashlights/lanterns have been tested.
☐ Radios have been tested.
☐ Power banks/power stations have been checked/recharged.
☐ Batteries have been checked for expiry/leakage.
☐ Water storage has been checked according to container/local guidance.
☐ Food expiry/rotation is current.
☐ First-aid supplies are complete and in date.
☐ Fire extinguishers and smoke/CO alarms are checked to manufacturer/local requirements.
☐ Generator/backup equipment follows manufacturer maintenance schedules.
☐ The household has one place to track dates bought, expiry, rotation, testing and replacement.
14. YOUR GAP SCORECARD
Critical gaps: __________
High-priority gaps: __________
Medium-priority gaps: __________
Low-priority / convenience gaps: __________
NOW
1. ______________________________
2. ______________________________
3. ______________________________
NEXT
1. ______________________________
2. ______________________________
3. ______________________________
LATER
1. ______________________________
2. ______________________________
3. ______________________________
15. DO NOT TURN THE AUDIT INTO PANIC SHOPPING
Use this order:
1. Use what you already own.
2. Fix unsafe or medically significant gaps.
3. Add low-cost redundancy.
4. Add practical upgrades only when they solve a documented problem.
5. Consider specialist/premium equipment only after the household requirement is quantified.
A £20 power bank that solves your actual problem is better preparedness than a £2,000 power station purchased without knowing what you need to run.
JURISDICTION CONTROL
Preparedness quantities and durations differ by country. The printable must direct users to the current Solar Flare Innovations country guidance and their official national/local source. Do not print one universal water/food duration into the global version.
