How ready is your household for an emergency?

Ten questions, about two minutes. You'll get a count of what you have and the three things that would help most next. It's a prompt, not a test.

Your answers

– Do you have enough of any essential medication and medical supplies to last several days?
– Do you have bottled water for 3 days, at 3 litres per person per day?
– Do you have 3 days of food that needs no fridge or cooking?
– Do you have an FM radio that runs on batteries or winds up?
– Do you have a charged power bank?
– Are your important phone numbers and medication details written on paper?
– Do you have a torch and spare batteries?
– Do you have a first aid kit, or first aid items?
– Do you keep some cash at home, in coins and notes?
– Have you agreed a household plan, including where to meet?

From preppantry.app. Checked 2 November 2026. Independent tool, not official advice.

How it works

The questions come from the Be Ready checklist and household plan. Your count is the number of yeses out of 10, and every question counts the same. It isn't a scientific or official measure. It doesn't weigh your circumstances, and a high count doesn't mean you'd be safe, or that you've met any standard.

Next steps follow the order of the questions. That order is based on the British Red Cross's priorities for a 72-hour emergency: medication, drinking water, food, staying informed, staying connected, and a simple household plan. Where we've placed the torch, first aid and cash is our own judgement.

The percentages come from the UK government's 2026 public survey of 10,791 UK adults, carried out between 27 February and 11 May 2026. They show what people said they had, so they're a rough comparison and not a benchmark. The survey's question on food asked about non-perishable food that needs no cooking, and the wording of each question differs a little from ours. The water figure is the survey's own estimate at 3 litres per person per day.

Example: a household with bottled water for a day, a full cupboard, a torch and a first aid kit would answer yes to questions 3, 7 and 8, so its count is 3 of 10. Its next steps would be medication, if that was a no, then water, then a radio.

Common questions

Is this an official readiness score?

No. It's a count of how many of ten things you said yes to. It isn't scientific, and it isn't connected to the government or the Be Ready campaign.

What's a good score?

There isn't a pass mark. The count is only useful for showing what to do next. Be Ready suggests building up gradually, an item or two at a time.

How many people in the UK are prepared?

In the government's 2026 survey, an estimated 4% of respondents would have 3 or more days' bottled water at 3 litres per person per day, and 14% said they had a household plan. Most people have some of the items.

Does sharing my result send it to you?

No. Your answers sit after the # in the link, which browsers don't send to any website. The link only holds yes and no answers, and no one can see it unless you share it.

Why isn't my grab bag on here?

Be Ready treats a spare bag of essentials as something to consider, and it isn't on the main checklist, so it isn't one of the ten. The 2026 survey found 19% of respondents had one.

Sources

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Checked on 2 November 2026. This is an independent tool and not official advice. See sources and method.