A lockdown can be triggered by a disease outbreak, severe weather, infrastructure failure, or a national emergency. Whatever the cause, the practical response is the same: have what you need before you need it. This list covers the essentials — food, water, power, and documents — so your household can manage the first two to four weeks without relying on shops, deliveries, or services being available.
Food
Aim for a minimum of two weeks of food per person, built around items you’ll actually eat.
- Tinned vegetables, beans, fish, and meat
- Rice, pasta, and other dried staples
- Long-life milk and tinned fruit
- Cooking oil, salt, and basic seasoning
- A manual tin opener
- Comfort items (tea, coffee, biscuits) — morale matters over a long stretch
Rotate stock every six months so nothing goes to waste. Label tins with the date you bought them.
Water
Water is the priority that gets overlooked. Mains supply can fail or become unsafe during a wider emergency.
- 3 litres per person per day, for drinking and basic hygiene
- A two-week supply means roughly 42 litres per person — plan storage space accordingly
- Water purification tablets or a basic filter as a backup
- Large containers for refilling if mains supply returns intermittently
Store water away from direct sunlight and check seals periodically.
Power
Lockdowns often coincide with strain on the power grid, or power may be cut deliberately to manage demand.
- A battery or wind-up torch per household member
- Spare batteries in common sizes
- A power bank, charged and ready, for phones
- A battery or wind-up radio for news updates if broadband and mobile networks are down
- Candles and matches as a last resort, stored safely away from anything flammable
If you rely on any medical equipment that needs power, plan a backup specifically for that before anything else on this list.
Documents
When systems go down, paper copies are what you can rely on.
- Photo ID and passports for every household member
- Insurance documents (home, health, vehicle)
- A list of important contacts — GP, pharmacy, next of kin, bank — written down, not just stored on a phone
- Copies of prescriptions and a note of any medical conditions
- Cash in small denominations, since card payments and ATMs may not be reliable
Keep all of this together in a single folder or document bag that one person in the household knows the location of.
Final word
None of this needs to be expensive or complicated. The aim is simply to remove the panic from the situation — if a lockdown is announced tomorrow, you should be able to point to a cupboard, a shelf, and a folder, and know you’re covered for the essentials.
For a full breakdown of medical supplies, security, and what to do in the first 48 hours of a lockdown being announced, see the rest of the guides on this site. Get The Book – Preparing for Lockdown