The short answer
The UK government has no separate war checklist. Its advice is the same for any emergency: be able to manage at home for 3 days (GOV.UK Be Ready). Countries closer to the front line ask for more: Sweden says manage on your own for at least a week, and Finland says at least 72 hours. A sensible UK list is: check Emergency Alerts are on, store water (3 litres per person per day) and food that needs no cooking, get a battery or wind-up radio, choose a shelter room at home, pack a grab bag, keep paper copies of documents and numbers, keep some cash, agree a family plan, and learn first aid. Most of it costs little and helps in a power cut or flood too.
Prints the checklist without the menus.
Do this now
- Check Emergency Alerts are on. Search "emergency alerts" in your phone's settings.
- Write five phone numbers on paper and put the paper in your wallet.
- Check your water: 3 litres per person per day for 3 days. Buy what's missing on your next shop.
- Find a radio that works without mains power. Write your local station's frequency on it.
- Choose your shelter room: middle of the home, fewest windows.
- Agree one rule with your family: in an alert, everyone shelters where they are, then texts.
- Print this page and work through it over the next month.
Free: the Alert Action Card
The first six steps for a nuclear or radiation alert, a missile or air attack alert, no water from the tap and a power cut, on one page for the fridge, plus a phone version you can open offline. Every step checked against GOV.UK, UKHSA and Be Ready on 3 November 2026. No sign-up needed.
Print card (A4 PDF, light) Phone version (PDF)
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First, what official advice exists
The UK has no separate war checklist. The government's public preparedness site is GOV.UK Be Ready (the old "Prepare" address now redirects there). Its advice is the same for every emergency: be ready to manage at home for 3 days. On 2 November 2026 we checked all 18 of its hazard pages. None covers war, missiles or air raids. UKHSA's "go in, stay in, tune in" covers radiation and chemical releases.
Countries nearer the front line go further, and their advice is a useful guide:
| UK (Be Ready) | Finland | Sweden | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How long to manage on your own | 3 days | At least 72 hours | At least one week |
| Water | 3 L per person per day for drinking | Bottled water and lidded containers | At least 3 L per person per day |
| War advice for households | None published | Yes: shelters, warning signal, conflict | Yes: sirens, air raids, nuclear weapons, evacuation |
This checklist starts with the UK 3-day list and adds war-specific steps from Sweden and Finland. Everything on it helps in a power cut, a flood or a storm too. That is the point: you're preparing for disruption, not predicting a war.
Week 1: free and nearly free
- Emergency Alerts on. GOV.UK says alerts work on 4G and 5G networks, need iOS 14.5 or later or Android 11 or later, and need no sign-up. GOV.UK says keep them switched on.
- Paper numbers. Be Ready says write key contacts on paper. Phones run flat.
- Shelter room chosen. See our shelter room guide.
- Know your off switches: gas, water stop tap, electricity, and your trickle vents and extractor fans.
- Family rule agreed: shelter where you are, text, meet up afterwards at a named place.
- Priority Services Register for anyone at home who would need extra help (Be Ready).
Week 2: water, food and news
- Water: 3 litres per person per day for 3 days (Be Ready). Sweden says store it somewhere dark and cool and check it once or twice a year.
- Food: 3 days of food that needs no fridge or cooking, that you already eat (Be Ready). Add it to your normal shop; the British Red Cross says add one item at a time and avoid panic buying.
- Radio: battery or wind-up FM, with the frequencies written down (Be Ready). Sweden and Finland both rely on radio for wartime instructions.
- Torches and batteries, one torch each.
- Power bank, charged.
Week 3: health, money and papers
- Medicines: Be Ready says request repeat prescriptions up to 5 working days before you run out, so you're never on your last few days.
- First-aid kit.
- Cash in coins and notes (Be Ready). Finland adds: cards from two different banks.
- Copies of documents in a waterproof bag: ID, insurance, prescriptions (Be Ready).
Week 4: the grab bag and the plan
- Grab bag: a bag you can carry, with medicines, documents, a torch, water, warm waterproof clothes, a power bank and some cash. See our bug out bag guide.
- Written household plan: meeting point, who checks on whom, escape routes (Be Ready). Our free plan maker does this.
- Where you'd go if told to leave: Ready.gov says pick several places in different directions, such as a friend's home in another town.
Month 2: skills and neighbours
- Learn first aid. Finland's checklist says learn useful skills such as first aid and firefighting.
- Know your neighbours, especially anyone older or alone. Finland says build community ties and help others.
- Check your work and your children's school plans: where would they shelter?
Information: how to stay sensible
- Get instructions from official channels: Emergency Alerts, GOV.UK, BBC and local radio, your council, the police.
- Finland's checklist says learn how influence operations work, notice which topics stir strong feelings in you, review where you get news, and don't spread false information.
- Limit doom-scrolling. If the news is making you anxious, our guide on coping with worry about war can help.
If a war did start
The steps are in what to do if war breaks out: the first 72 hours, and for an alert, the first 10 minutes of a missile or air-raid alert. In short: follow official instructions, stay where you are unless told to leave, and use the kit you've built.
Printable checklist: preparing for a war, UK household
Week 1 (free)
- Emergency Alerts switched on, on every phone
- 5 key phone numbers written on paper
- Shelter room chosen; everyone knows it
- We know how to turn off gas, water and electricity
- We know how to close trickle vents and switch off fans
- Family rule: shelter where you are, text, meet at ______
- Priority Services Register checked for anyone who needs it
Week 2 (water, food, news)
- Water: 3 litres per person per day for 3 days
- Food that needs no cooking for 3 days
- Manual tin opener
- Battery or wind-up FM radio, frequencies written down
- A torch each, spare batteries
- Power bank, charged
Week 3 (health, money, papers)
- Repeat prescriptions ordered early
- First-aid kit
- Cash in coins and notes
- Copies of ID, insurance, prescriptions in a waterproof bag
Week 4 (grab bag, plan)
- Grab bag packed for each adult
- Written household plan, with meeting point
- Two or three places we could go if told to leave
Month 2 (skills, neighbours)
- First-aid course booked
- Spoken to neighbours, especially anyone alone
- Know the school and work shelter plans
Every six months
- Dates on water, food, medicines
- Batteries and power bank checked
- Plan and numbers still right
What to buy
About these links: plain links to ordinary retailer pages. We may earn from some links in future; we don't now. We haven’t tested these and we don’t rank them: they are examples that were in stock when we checked. Prices change. Check what you already own first. Full kit list
Bottled water
Look for: 3 litres per person per day for 3 days, for drinking. More for babies, pets and medical devices.
- Seven Oceans Emergency Drinking Water 0.5l (5-year shelf life) · EVAQ8 · £3.94 (price on 1 November 2026) Shop
Food that needs no cooking, for 3 days
Look for: Tinned meat, fish or vegetables, dried fruit and nuts: food you already eat. Check dates every six months.
Battery or wind-up FM radio
Look for: FM (Be Ready asks for FM; DAB as well is fine). Both a crank and ordinary batteries, so you have two ways to power it.
Torch or head torch, plus spare batteries
Look for: Runs on the same AA or AAA batteries as your other kit, so one spare pack covers everything. A head torch leaves both hands free.
- Alpkit Ionic 350 Lumen Head Torch · Alpkit · £15.99 (price on 1 November 2026) Shop
- Lifesystems Intensity 155 LED Head Torch · Lifesystems (UK brand store) · £19.99 (price on 1 November 2026) Shop
- Alpkit Kula 550 Lumen Head Torch · Alpkit · £19.99 (price on 1 November 2026) Shop
- Lifesystems Intensity 480 LED Hand Torch · Lifesystems (UK brand store) · £29.99 (price on 1 November 2026) Shop
- Dynamo Powered Wind-Up Pocket LED Torch · EVAQ8 · £3.60 (price on 1 November 2026) Shop
Power bank
Look for: From a seller you know. Check the capacity (mAh) against your phone, and that you have the right cable for each phone. Keep it charged.
First aid kit
Look for: Waterproof plasters, bandages, a thermometer, antiseptic, eyewash, sterile dressings, gloves, medical tape and tweezers.
- St John Ambulance Home First Aid Kit · St John Ambulance shop · £10.50 (price on 3 November 2026) Shop
- Lifesystems Adventurer First Aid Kit · Lifesystems (UK brand store) · £26.99 (price on 1 November 2026) Shop
- Lifesystems Mountain First Aid Kit · Lifesystems (UK brand store) · £42.99 (price on 1 November 2026) Shop
A bag you can carry
Look for: Comfortable for a long walk, with room for medicines, documents, water, a torch and warm waterproof clothes.
Waterproof document wallet or resealable bags
Look for: Big enough for copies of passports, insurance details and medicine lists.
- Waterproof Document Pouch - Translucent PVC · EVAQ8 · £5.11 (price on 1 November 2026) Shop
What official advice doesn't cover
- How likely a war is. We don't predict it. See is WW3 likely: what officials say.
- Which places are at risk. We don't publish target lists. The checklist is the same wherever you live.
- Public shelters. None of the UK official guidance we checked points people to public civil defence shelters like Sweden's or Finland's, and no official UK guide tells households to build one.
No checklist can promise safety. This one means you'd have water, news, a plan and a room to go to, whatever the emergency.
Frequently asked questions
How do I prepare for WW3 in the UK?
Use the same steps the government asks for any emergency: be able to manage at home for 3 days with water, food that needs no cooking, a radio, torches, a power bank, medicines, cash and copies of documents (GOV.UK Be Ready). Then add a shelter room, a grab bag, a written family plan and Emergency Alerts switched on. Sweden asks its households to manage for at least a week if you want to go further.
Does the UK government have a war checklist?
No. On 2 November 2026 we checked all 18 hazard pages on GOV.UK Be Ready: there is no war, missile or air-raid page. UKHSA's 'go in, stay in, tune in' covers radiation emergencies. Sweden and Finland publish war guidance for households; we use them where the UK is silent.
What should I stock up on for a war?
The normal emergency list: bottled water (3 litres per person per day), food that needs no fridge or cooking, a torch and batteries, a battery or wind-up radio, a power bank, medicines, a first-aid kit, cash and blankets. Build it gradually: the British Red Cross says add one item at a time and avoid panic buying.
How would I be warned?
Through Emergency Alerts on your mobile phone, plus radio, TV and GOV.UK. Alerts work on 4G and 5G phones; iPhones need iOS 14.5 or later and Android phones Android 11 or later. You don't need to sign up. GOV.UK says keep them switched on.
Should I leave the city?
Official UK advice in most emergencies is to stay where you are unless the police, fire service or council tell you to leave. UKHSA says leaving shelter in a radiation emergency can increase your exposure. Make a plan for leaving, but don't act on it unless you're told to or your home is unsafe.
How do I avoid false news in a crisis?
Get instructions from official channels: Emergency Alerts, GOV.UK, BBC and local radio, your council and the police. Finland's preparedness checklist says learn how influence operations work, notice which topics stir strong feelings in you, and don't spread false information.
Sources
We opened each page on the date shown. Official advice changes: if a source says something different now, follow the source.
- GOV.UK Be Ready: Be ready for emergencies (checklist) (read 2 November 2026)
- GOV.UK Be Ready: Be informed about hazards (index of 18 hazard pages) (read 2 November 2026)
- GOV.UK Prepare (prepare.campaign.gov.uk): now redirects to Be Ready (301 redirect checked) (read 2 November 2026)
- GOV.UK: How emergency alerts work (read 2 November 2026)
- GOV.UK: Opting out of emergency alerts (read 2 November 2026)
- UKHSA (GOV.UK): What to do in a radiation emergency (updated 10 September 2024) (read 2 November 2026)
- Swedish Civil Defence and Resilience Agency (MCF): In case of crisis or war, English edition (PDF, MCF0180, June 2026), pages 10 to 20 (read 2 November 2026)
- Suomi.fi (Finland): Checklist for incidents and crises (read 2 November 2026)
- Suomi.fi (Finland): Military conflicts and civil defence (read 2 November 2026)
- Suomi.fi (Finland): General instructions on preparedness and home emergency supplies (read 2 November 2026)
- British Red Cross: Prepare an emergency kit (read 2 November 2026)
- Ready.gov (FEMA): Evacuation (last updated 20 March 2026) (read 2 November 2026)
Related guides
- Worried about war? How UK households can prepare — calmly
- UK Emergency Alerts: a calm guide
- The Be Ready household emergency plan: how to fill it in, page by page
- Keeping household documents safe and to hand
Free tools
We're an independent UK site, not the government. We check guides against official sources and link to them. In an emergency call 999.
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