ESCAPEMAP
Live evidence · five nations
Practical resilience

Depend less.
Prepare calmly.

A grounded household guide for Britain and Ireland—built around useful redundancy, lawful preparation and skills you can practise now. Check your own national and local authority guidance where rules differ.

01

Reduce demand before adding equipment.

02

Build layers instead of trusting one solution.

03

Test safely before an emergency.

Household calculator

Start with seven days

84 Lminimum drinking water
280 Lwith basic cooking & hygiene
84meal portions
Water figures follow the UK Prepare guidance range. Adjust for medical needs, formula, heat and pets.
Private on this device

Foundation checklist

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Your official starting point

Emergency guidance by nation

Use the practical guide above for planning, then follow current instructions from your own government and local responders.

EnglandUK PrepareOpen official guidance ↗ScotlandReady ScotlandOpen official guidance ↗WalesWelsh GovernmentOpen official guidance ↗Northern IrelandNI DirectOpen official guidance ↗IrelandBe Emergency ReadyOpen official guidance ↗
01

Water

Store drinking water first; treat harvesting as a separate, non-potable system unless professionally designed and tested.

Start here
  1. Keep sealed drinking water and rotate it by the manufacturer date.
  2. Plan at least 2.5–3 litres per person per day for survival; around 10 litres allows basic cooking and hygiene.
  3. Know where your internal stopcock is and keep containers you can carry.
Build the next layer
  1. Add a clean water butt for gardens and toilet flushing.
  2. Use first-flush diversion and covered, opaque storage for larger rainwater systems.
  3. Do not assume roof-collected rainwater is safe to drink; contamination can be invisible.
Safety boundaryNever cross-connect rainwater pipework with the mains supply. Potable systems need competent design, treatment and testing.
Source and further guidance: UK Prepare: emergency water ↗
02

Food storage

Build a rotating pantry from food you already eat, then protect it from moisture, heat, pests and power loss.

Start here
  1. Start with seven days of familiar shelf-stable meals and a manual tin opener.
  2. Write purchase and use-by dates where they are easy to see.
  3. Use first-in, first-out rotation and check the store monthly.
Build the next layer
  1. Separate drinking water, ready-to-eat food and cooking-dependent food.
  2. Keep an inventory rather than buying an unbalanced pile of calories.
  3. During a power cut, keep fridge and freezer doors closed and follow current food-safety guidance.
Safety boundaryNever taste food to decide whether it is safe. If storage temperature or packaging integrity is doubtful, discard it.
Source and further guidance: Food Standards Agency: power cuts ↗Also check: Food Safety Authority of Ireland: storage ↗
03

Grow food

Begin with forgiving crops you actually eat and learn one complete season before expanding.

Start here
  1. Choose the sunniest practical space and observe it through the day.
  2. Start with salad leaves, chard, herbs, beans and potatoes in beds or containers.
  3. Build healthy soil with compost and mulch; water deeply rather than little and often.
Build the next layer
  1. Add perennial crops such as rhubarb, berries and fruit trees where space permits.
  2. Stagger sowings so everything does not mature at once.
  3. Keep notes on sowing, harvest, pests and varieties that succeed in your microclimate.
Source and further guidance: RHS: grow your own ↗
04

Solar & backup power

Reduce demand before buying generation. A safe system begins with measured loads, not a panel count guessed online.

Start here
  1. Read your smart meter or plug meter to find daily and peak consumption.
  2. Separate essential loads: lighting, communications, refrigeration and medical equipment.
  3. Use a certified installer for fixed solar, batteries, inverters and changeover equipment.
Build the next layer
  1. Size usable battery capacity around essential daily kWh and acceptable autonomy.
  2. Check roof structure, shade, orientation, warranty, fire access and insurer requirements.
  3. Follow the notification or application process required by your local electricity network operator before grid connection.
Safety boundaryDo not back-feed a house through a socket. Generators and fuel-burning appliances must never run indoors or in attached spaces.
Source and further guidance: GOV.UK: register energy devices ↗Also check: ESB Networks Ireland: micro-generation ↗
05

Heat & cooking

Keep people warm before trying to heat an entire building during an outage.

Start here
  1. Maintain the boiler and chimney; know how heating behaves without mains electricity.
  2. Keep layered clothing, blankets and one safely occupiable room ready.
  3. Use battery or wind-up lighting instead of candles where possible.
Build the next layer
  1. Improve draught sealing and insulation before buying alternative heat.
  2. Keep smoke and carbon-monoxide alarms maintained and audible from sleeping areas.
  3. Have combustion appliances installed and serviced by a competent registered professional.
Safety boundaryBarbecues, camping stoves and generators create lethal carbon monoxide. Never use them indoors, in tents, garages or enclosed porches.
Source and further guidance: UK Prepare: power cuts ↗
06

Information & communications

Build several simple ways to receive information and contact people when broadband or power fails.

Start here
  1. Keep a charged power bank, battery radio, torch and printed contact list.
  2. Agree a household meeting point and an out-of-area contact.
  3. Download offline maps and write down supplier emergency numbers.
Build the next layer
  1. Use more than one mobile network across the household where practical.
  2. Keep essential documents encrypted digitally and one protected paper copy.
  3. Test the plan twice a year rather than trusting untested equipment.
Source and further guidance: UK Prepare: household planning ↗
07

Privacy & personal security

Good OPSEC is ordinary risk reduction: share less, secure accounts and avoid advertising routines or valuable stores.

Start here
  1. Use a password manager, unique passwords and two-step verification—starting with email.
  2. Remove precise location metadata before posting and delay holiday or travel updates.
  3. Keep plans, inventories, alarm details and household routines on a need-to-know basis.
Build the next layer
  1. Review app permissions, public profiles and old posts every few months.
  2. Use separate public and private contact channels where useful.
  3. Build normal relationships with trustworthy neighbours; isolation can increase risk.
Safety boundaryPersonal security does not mean confrontation, traps, weapons or evading lawful authorities. Use lawful locks, lighting, alarms and professional advice.
Source and further guidance: NCSC: security for you and family ↗Also check: National Cyber Security Centre Ireland ↗
08

Health & household plan

Prepare around real household needs: medicines, children, pets, disability, transport and trusted contacts.

Start here
  1. Keep a stocked first-aid kit and learn basic first aid.
  2. List prescriptions, allergies, clinicians and emergency contacts.
  3. Identify who may need help during a power, water or transport outage.
Build the next layer
  1. Ask providers about continuity plans for electrically powered medical equipment.
  2. Join utility Priority Service Registers if anyone qualifies.
  3. Keep a small grab bag for a rapid evacuation, but follow emergency-service instructions.
Source and further guidance: UK Prepare: disabled people and carers ↗
Britain & Ireland baseline

Food-growing year

Frost dates and microclimates vary. Use this as a prompt, then check local conditions and the crop packet.

JanPlan beds; order seed; sow onions indoors.
FebSow chillies and early salads under cover.
MarStart tomatoes; sow peas, broad beans and hardy leaves.
AprPlant potatoes; sow carrots, beetroot and chard.
MayPlant courgettes and beans after frost risk.
JunSuccession-sow salads; mulch and water.
JulHarvest often; sow autumn carrots and winter leaves.
AugSow spinach, chard and overwintering salads.
SepPlant garlic; preserve gluts; improve soil.
OctPlant fruit and onions; protect winter crops.
NovCompost leaves; clean tools; inspect stores.
DecReview yields and plan next season.