Practical topics for people without survival training. Plan for one to two weeks without power, including a home without wood heat, a rural place or shared shelter.
01The essentials
Water, a safe place, cooking and food
Water
Get water you can use safely
Stored water and a few litres at a time. Collection, treatment, carrying and clean storage, with snow or without it.
What this topic covers
Prepare
Water needs, stored supplies, containers and a treatment method.
Unprepared or running out
The daily work of collecting and treating small batches.
What next
Changes to the source, equipment or place when the water plan fails.
Shelter & warmth
Keep a safe place and stay warm
A home without a fireplace, a room you can use, dry clothes and bedding. Include the needs of people already outside.
What this topic covers
Prepare
A workable room-heating plan, bedding, clothes and building checks.
Unprepared or running out
Missing heat, a colder home and the limits of the shelter available.
What next
A suitable heated place and the real arrangements needed to reach it.
Outdoor cooking
Cook outside and heat water
A suitable outdoor wood cooker, dry fuel, hand tools and the work of making meals.
What this topic covers
Prepare
Equipment, the outdoor cooking place, dry wood and practice.
Unprepared or running out
Missing fuel, wet wood, difficult weather and daily effort.
What next
Meals or shared arrangements that fit the equipment still available.
Food & storage
Keep food you can use
Meals that fit your water and fuel, food that needs no cooking, and cold storage checks.
What this topic covers
Prepare
Usable pantry food, meal planning, a can opener and thermometers.
Unprepared or running out
Limited water or fuel, leftovers and failed refrigeration.
What next
Changes to meals and supplies when the original food plan stops working.
Toilets & keeping clean
Manage without running water
Toilet needs, handwashing, separate containers and a plan for where waste goes.
What this topic covers
Prepare
The toilet system, containers, washing supplies and local disposal needs.
Unprepared or running out
Missing water, liners or dry cover, and the effects of freezing.
What next
A different toilet arrangement or place when waste cannot be managed.
02Daily life without power
People, care and staying in touch
Health & cold
Plan for care and dangerous cold
Medicine, first-aid supplies and daily care. Include children, people who need help and animals.
What this topic covers
Prepare
Care information, prescribed supplies, individual needs and backup plans.
Unprepared or running out
Lost power for equipment, missing supplies and signs that conditions are becoming dangerous.
What next
Access to suitable care or shelter when the current place cannot meet those needs.
Light & communication
Keep lights working and stay in touch
Lights, batteries, radio and phone charging. Paper plans and check-ins when networks stop working.
What this topic covers
Prepare
Matching batteries and chargers, paper contacts and agreed check-ins.
Unprepared or running out
Limited battery power, failed networks and news that cannot be checked.
What next
Offline arrangements using the people and equipment actually available.
03Check the plan. Know what comes next.
Privacy, shared shelter and a place to start
Discretion & protection
Keep supplies private
Privacy, visible activity, cooperation with neighbours and plans for possible threats.
What this topic covers
Prepare
Household privacy, shared responsibilities and clear ways to leave.
Unprepared or running out
Visible supplies, difficult waste handling and concerns about threats.
What next
Changes to arrangements or location when the situation becomes unsafe.
Leaving & shared shelter
Know when to leave
A suitable place to go, permission to stay, a usable route and what you can contribute.
What this topic covers
Prepare
A real destination, household needs, access and arrangements with a host.
Unprepared or running out
An unsafe home, a failed route or no confirmed place to stay.
What next
Asking plainly for suitable shelter and sharing available resources and work.
Start here
Check what you need
First steps, supplies, tools and practice. A checklist built around the people in your home.
What this topic covers
Prepare
People, supplies, tools, practice and a private household information sheet.
Unprepared or running out
What is missing now and the daily jobs that still need to be done.
What next
Changes to the plan and checks before returning to normal use after an outage.
