Overview
Emergencies do not happen often. But when they do, power, water, phones or the internet can be off for a few days. A few simple steps now mean you and the people around you can cope until things get back to normal.
You do not need to buy an expensive emergency kit, and you do not need to do it all at once. Start with what you already have, then build up a little at a time when you can. Do what you can. Some preparation is better than none.
Be Emergency Ready is a national campaign supported by the Staffordshire Resilience Forum. It asks every household in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent to take three simple steps. Getting started costs nothing, and most people already have a good head start in their cupboards.
Three simple steps
1. Have enough for three days
Aim to have what your household needs for three days without mains power, water or phone signal. That means bottled water, food that keeps, a torch and a way to charge your phone.
Start for free with what is already in your cupboards. Then, when your budget allows, add one useful item to your normal shop, like a tin of beans or a pack of crackers. There is no need to buy everything at once.
2. Sign up for priority support
If you or someone in your home is older, has young children, or relies on medical equipment or a phone line, you may be able to get extra help during a power or water cut. The Priority Services Register is free and takes a few minutes to join.
3. Look out for each other
Being ready does not have to cost money. Talk to your neighbours. Who might need a hand if the power goes off? Swap phone numbers. Agree who checks on whom. A street that knows each other copes better than one that does not.
How to get your community ready.
Being ready does not have to cost much
Being ready is not about buying special kit or filling a spare room with supplies. It is about making the most of what you already have and adding to it slowly, when you can.
- Start with £0. Check what food, water, torches, blankets, chargers and medicines you already have.
- Build a little at a time. When your budget allows, add one useful item to your normal shop. One week a tin of beans, another week a pack of crackers.
- Rotate, don't stockpile. Put new items at the back, use what you store and replace what you use. Nothing goes to waste.
- Skip the specialist equipment. You do not need a camping stove or a ready-made emergency kit. Water, food, light, warmth, medicines and information come first.
- Put today first. If money is tight this week, do not buy anything extra. Your household's everyday needs always come first.
Three days is a goal to work towards, not a test you must pass today.
If money is tight
You should never have to choose between preparing for an emergency and feeding your family. If you need help with food, energy, water or other essentials, support is available:
- the Priority Services Register, a free service that gives extra help during power and water cuts.
- cost of living support from Staffordshire County Council.
- cost of living support from Stoke-on-Trent City Council.
- local voluntary and community groups.
Why three days?
Most disruptions in Staffordshire are short, and services work hard to restore them quickly. But storms, flooding and power cuts can sometimes take longer to put right, especially in rural areas.
Three days is a sensible target that covers most situations. It is the same advice the UK Government gives in its national Prepare campaign.