Households are being encouraged to prepare emergency survival kits containing enough supplies to last at least 72 hours, amid growing concerns about international tensions and unexpected disruptions to everyday life.
With ongoing conflicts, extreme weather and the possibility of widespread power outages, emergency preparedness has become an increasingly prominent topic.
Officials have emphasised that being prepared does not necessarily mean a major disaster is imminent.
Instead, the aim is to ensure families can manage independently for a short period if essential services become unavailable.
Guidance highlighted by VT explains how a three-day emergency kit could help households cope with unexpected situations.
What should you put in a 72-hour emergency survival kit?
According to emergency preparedness guidance from the City of Calgary in Canada, a 72-hour survival kit should contain drinking water, non-perishable food, essential medication, first aid supplies, battery packs, cash, important documents and basic hygiene products.
The guidance also recommends including equipment that can be used without mains electricity, alongside supplies suited to the needs of individual household members.
Items to consider include:
Families should also consider additional supplies for babies, children, older relatives and pets.
Any emergency kit should be tailored to the people who may need to use it.
Why are households being told to prepare for 72 hours?
The purpose of a three-day survival kit is to help households manage during the initial period of an emergency.
Unexpected events can temporarily disrupt access to electricity, water, transport, communications and shops.
During major incidents, emergency services may also be dealing with multiple urgent situations simultaneously.
Having essential supplies available can reduce the immediate pressure on households while services are restored or assistance becomes available.
The 72-hour period is a practical preparedness target rather than a guarantee that every emergency will be resolved within three days.
Some situations may require households to remain self-sufficient for longer.
Why are officials encouraging people to prepare?
According to VT, the advice follows renewed discussion about national security and the potential for disruption caused by international conflict.
The report cited comments attributed to UK defence secretary Wes Streeting about the importance of households being ready for unexpected events.
He reportedly emphasised that people should keep everyday essentials available in case normal services are interrupted.
The concerns described in the report extend beyond conventional military conflict.
Cyberattacks, sabotage, severe weather and interruptions to infrastructure could also affect everyday life.
However, the preparedness advice should not be interpreted as confirmation that war or another major emergency is imminent.
Why should you keep emergency cash at home?
Cash is one of the items highlighted in the preparedness guidance.
Electronic payment systems depend on infrastructure that can be disrupted by electricity failures, telecommunications problems or technical outages.
If card terminals or banking services become temporarily unavailable, cash may offer another way to purchase essential goods.
Households do not necessarily need to keep large sums of money at home.
Instead, the aim is to have an accessible reserve appropriate to their circumstances.
How should you store a 72-hour survival kit?
Emergency planning guidance highlighted in the report recommends keeping supplies together in a waterproof container or wheeled suitcase.
This makes essential items easier to locate if an emergency develops unexpectedly.
A portable container can also be useful if a household needs to leave its property at short notice.
Supplies should be stored somewhere accessible rather than in a location that would be difficult to reach during an emergency.
Households should periodically check their kits to ensure food, medication and batteries remain usable.
Documents should also be protected against water damage.
What about babies, children and pets?
Households with additional care responsibilities may need supplies beyond the standard emergency kit.
Parents of babies and young children should consider nappies, feeding supplies and other essential products.
People who rely on specific medications or medical equipment should account for those needs when planning.
Pet owners should consider keeping food and other essential animal care supplies available.
Preparing for these requirements in advance can help reduce difficulties if shops become inaccessible or normal routines are interrupted.
Does this mean World War Three is about to happen?
No. The existence of emergency preparedness guidance does not mean a global conflict is imminent.
Governments and emergency planning organisations routinely encourage households to prepare for situations ranging from flooding and severe storms to infrastructure failures.
International tensions have increased public interest in preparedness, but a survival kit can be useful during many emergencies unrelated to warfare.
The advice is about reducing vulnerability to disruption rather than predicting a particular disaster.
What should households do next?
Households interested in preparing an emergency kit can begin by checking which essential supplies they already have.
They can then identify any missing items, taking into account the number of people in the household and their individual needs.
It is also useful to consider how family members would communicate during a power outage or other disruption.
Emergency supplies should be reviewed periodically, particularly when medications, food or batteries have expiry dates.
Although no kit can eliminate every risk, having basic necessities ready can make unexpected disruptions easier to manage.
Source: VT, Tom Wood, October 29, 2026, citing emergency preparedness guidance from the City of Calgary.
