The research
behind Prepared Europe.

72H-01-01SOURCE-BACKED

A 72-hour / three-day household baseline is a legitimate preparedness starting point.

72H-01-02SOURCE-BACKED

The same disruption can pressure water, food, power, communications, medicine/care, sanitation and movement.

72H-02-01SOURCE-BACKED

Household preparedness should be adapted to dependants, medicines/care, mobility, communications, access and everyday dependencies.

72H-03-01SOURCE-BACKED · CONTEXT MATTERS

Households should know exits, key controls, access fallbacks and how essential home/building services depend on power or other systems.

72H-04-01SOURCE-BACKED

Use ordinary household supplies first; build around familiar food and essentials; even a partial setup improves resilience.

72H-05-01SOURCE-BACKED · CONTEXT MATTERS

Roughly 2.5–3 L of drinking water per person per day is a defensible minimum planning figure; ~9 L for 72h is a reasonable drinking/basic-preparation baseline.

72H-05-02SOURCE-BACKED

Boil-water, do-not-drink and do-not-use advisories are different; boiling does not make chemically/radiologically contaminated water safe.

72H-05-03SOURCE-BACKED

If wastewater pumping/treatment fails, normal toilet use can worsen sewer problems; households need a low-water sanitation fallback.

72H-06-01SOURCE-BACKED

A three-day reserve should favour familiar shelf-stable foods, some requiring no cooking, and should rotate through normal household use.

72H-06-02SOURCE-BACKED

An unopened refrigerator is roughly safe/cold for about 4h; a full freezer about 48h and half-full freezer about 24h, with real conditions varying.

72H-06-03SOURCE-BACKED

Outdoor grills / camping stoves should not be used indoors because combustion can cause dangerous carbon-monoxide accumulation.

72H-07-01SOURCE-BACKED · CONTEXT MATTERS

Essential medicines and care supplies should not be allowed to run down to the last usable dose/item before replacement.

72H-07-02SOURCE-BACKED

There is no universal outage timer for refrigerated medicines; stability depends on the product, temperature reached and duration.

72H-07-03SOURCE-BACKED

Basic first-aid skill for common urgent problems such as serious bleeding and burns is useful; a kit does not replace training or professional care.

72H-08-01SOURCE-BACKED

A power cut can disrupt far more than lighting, including heat, water, telecommunications, payments and other household/societal functions.

72H-08-02SOURCE-BACKED

Limited backup power should be prioritised for essential communications and genuinely necessary medical/home functions.

72H-08-03SOURCE-BACKED · CONTEXT MATTERS

If the home cannot remain reasonably safe without power/heat/access, relocating to another safe place can be more realistic than trying to make the home fully self-sufficient.

72H-09-01SOURCE-BACKED

A household should have more than one information path, including an electricity-independent radio where relevant.

72H-09-02SOURCE-BACKED

Specific official instructions for the hazard/location should take priority over generic preparedness advice.

72H-10-01SOURCE-BACKED

Households should agree meeting points, paper contacts and a fallback plan for communications failure.

72H-10-02SOURCE-BACKED · CONTEXT MATTERS

Getting everyone home immediately is not always the safest option; remaining at a safe organised location can be better than unnecessary travel.

72H-11-01SOURCE-BACKED

Households should keep some cash, more than one practical payment option where possible, key information on paper and physical access fallbacks.

72H-12-01PREPARED EUROPE SYNTHESIS

A home reserve does not need to be one single kit; supplies can stay in practical normal-use locations if household members know where they are.

72H-13-01SOURCE-BACKED

A departure bag should contain identification, medicines/care, communications, keys, some water/food, weather protection and route/destination essentials.

72H-13-02SOURCE-BACKED · CONTEXT MATTERS

Bag weight must be realistic for the people carrying it; children, older people and people with limited mobility may require lighter/shared solutions.

72H-14-01SOURCE-BACKED

Immediate danger and hazard-specific official instructions should override the generic sequence.

72H-14-02PREPARED EUROPE SYNTHESIS

Protect resources that still work and avoid unnecessary travel until there is a clear reason, destination and usable route.

72H-15-01SOURCE-BACKED

One service failure can create knock-on effects in water, heat, telecoms, payments, transport, refrigeration and access.

72H-15-02PREPARED EUROPE SYNTHESIS

Switching to a safe fallback before a service fully fails can preserve limited resources and reduce later pressure.

72H-16-01SOURCE-BACKED · CONTEXT MATTERS

If a person is already in a safe organised location, leaving solely because communication is poor can create a second problem.

72H-17-01SOURCE-BACKED

Stay, shelter and leave are distinct responses; the right choice depends on hazard, official instruction and whether the home remains safe/workable.

72H-18-01SOURCE-BACKED · CONTEXT MATTERS

Once evacuation/immediate-danger departure is required, people and immediately accessible essentials take priority over perfect packing.

72H-19-01SOURCE-BACKED · CONTEXT MATTERS

A useful movement plan needs a realistic destination, more than one feasible mode/route where possible, and must account for mobility, children, pets, weather and luggage.

72H-20-01SOURCE-BACKED

Children, older people, disability/chronic health needs, people living alone, infants and pets materially change preparedness requirements.

72H-20-02PREPARED EUROPE SYNTHESIS

Trusted neighbours/friends can strengthen resilience, but the household should retain a fallback if outside help is unavailable.

72H-21-01SOURCE-BACKED

Preparedness degrades unless supplies, batteries, medicines, documents, contacts and routes are checked and updated.

72H-21-02PREPARED EUROPE SYNTHESIS

Small practical tests (finding equipment in darkness, carrying the bag, using planned food) can reveal weaknesses before an emergency.

72H-22-01PREPARED EUROPE SYNTHESIS

Readiness should be assessed by capability across water, food, medicine, power, information, communication, offline access and movement rather than by counting products.

72H-22-02SOURCE-BACKED

Once a three-day baseline works, extending toward seven days or the longer period recommended where you live is reasonable.