ÁguaSecção 02
Jerricã alimentar 20 L com torneira
Why: para a reserva de água de casa: plástico próprio para alimentos e torneira para servir sem contaminar.
Essential guide · Base level · 8 min
Essential guideBase level · open to all8 min read
72-hour home supplies and car kit
How much water and food to store, how to build and rotate your supplies without waste, and what to keep in the car and at work to get home.
Reviewed 5 Nov 2026
10·C72-hour home supplies
In 30 seconds
The essentials, in four points.
3 days
is the minimum the European Commission and Portugal's civil protection authority (ANEPC) recommend keeping at home: water, food and the essentials to live without power, mains water or shops.
20 L
of water per person, at least — at 4 L a day, it lasts 5 days. For a family of 4, that's 80 litres. See the Water guide.
Rotate
Eat what you already eat and replace what you use: oldest out first. That way your supplies never go out of date.
½
Keep the car's fuel tank above half at all times. In a crisis, fuel pumps stop or run dry.
01What it's for
In most emergencies, the best place to be is your home.
A grab bag is for leaving. But in most emergencies — blackouts, storms, cut-off roads, illness at home — the authorities' advice is to stay. And staying at home without electricity, mains water or open shops is only calm for those who prepared beforehand.
Since 2025 the European Commission has recommended that every household be self-sufficient for at least 72 hours. ANEPC asks households to keep a supply of water and tinned food for two or three days, and a fire extinguisher.
Blackout
No fridge, electric hob, cash machines or fuel pumps. See the Blackout guide.
Cut off
Roads closed by floods, snow or wildfires. Local shops may go days without restocking.
Illness at home
When someone falls ill and you can't go out, an organised store cupboard avoids trips and infections.
02Water and food
Store what your family already eats — and a bit more.
Minimum supplies
| People at home | Water (L) | Meals (3 days) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 person | 20 | 9 |
| 2 people | 40 | 18 |
| 3 people | 60 | 27 |
| 4 people | 80 | 36 |
| 5 people | 100 | 45 |
Water: at least 20 L per person — about 4 L a day (2 for drinking, 2 for cooking and hygiene). Meals: three a day, needing no fridge. Add food for your pets.
1
Eaten cold, or just heated: tinned fish, meat, beans and chickpeas, ready soups, crispbreads, crackers, nuts, cereal bars, jam, UHT milk and plant drinks.
2
Ring-pull tins or a manual tin opener kept with the supplies. Without one, half the cupboard is useless.
3
Think of special needs: formula and baby food, gluten-free or diabetic diets, pet food.
4
Rice and pasta only if you can cook them: they need water and fuel. They count, but don't replace food you can eat without cooking.
5
Small comforts matter: coffee or tea, sugar, salt, chocolate. On a hard day they make a real difference to a family's morale.
How long your supplies last
| Food | Lasts | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Tinned fish, meat and vegetables | 2 to 5 years | Cool, dry place |
| Tinned tomatoes and fruit | 12 to 18 months | More acidic: shorter life |
| Sealed bottled water | Label date | Away from sun and chemicals |
| Stored tap water | 6 months | See the Water guide |
For undamaged tins kept in a cool, dry place, according to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). Always follow the label date.
03Building and keeping it
Buy gradually. Store in sight. Always rotate.
Step 1
Buy gradually
On every shopping trip, pick up two or three extra things for the supplies. In a month it's done, without straining the budget — and without panic-buying when warnings come.
Step 2
Store and label
In a cool, dry, dark place, away from fuel and cleaning products. Write the expiry date on the front of each pack in large letters.
Step 3
Rotate
Newest to the back, oldest to the front. Use what's close to expiry in everyday cooking and replace it straight away.
1
Is the tin bulging, leaking, rusty or deeply dented?
Yes
Throw it outWithout opening or tasting it. Damaged tins may have let bacteria in.
No
2
Is it past its date?
Yes
Replace itThrow out anything with a use-by date and replace it. Avoid getting here: that's what rotation is for.
No
3
Is it less than 3 months from its date?
Yes
Use it in the kitchenMove it to the everyday cupboard and buy a new one for the supplies.
No
All setCheck again in six months — for example, when you check your grab bag.
04The rest of your supplies
Light, cooking, health, hygiene and safety.
Light and information
No candles
Torches for everyone, spare batteries, a battery or wind-up radio and charged power banks.
Cooking
Without electricity
Camping stove and cartridges, used outdoors or by an open window. Matches or a lighter.
Health
For a week
Daily medicines for at least a week, first-aid kit, thermometer, painkillers.
Hygiene
Without mains water
Wipes, hand gel, strong bin bags, toilet paper, plain bleach for disinfecting.
Safety
Extinguisher to hand
ANEPC recommends keeping a fire extinguisher at home. Check its date and show the whole family how to use it.
05Car and work kit
To get home when everything stops.
Plate 10·D — The car kitBoot · required and recommended
1
Required by law: a warning triangle and an approved reflective vest. Keep the vest inside the car, within reach: you put it on before you get out.
2
For the car: jump leads or a portable jump starter, a car phone charger, a torch, a spare tyre in good condition.
3
For you: water, bars or nuts, a blanket, a waterproof jacket, comfortable shoes and a small first-aid kit.
4
To find your way: a paper road map. Without signal, phone navigation may stop working.
5
At work: a small 24-hour supply in a drawer — water, a snack, medicines, a torch, a power bank and shoes for walking.
06Six costly mistakes
Home-supply myths — and what to do instead.
Myth
“I'll buy everything when there's a warning.”
When warnings come, shelves empty in hours and latecomers get nothing. Buy gradually, calmly.
Myth
“Tinned food lasts forever.”
It lasts a long time, but it has a date, and damaged tins are dangerous. Rotate and check twice a year.
Myth
“With rice and pasta, the family is covered.”
Without water and gas you can't cook them. Secure food you can eat cold or just heated first.
Myth
“Bottles of tap water last for years.”
Stored tap water should be replaced every 6 months. Sealed bottled water lasts until the label date.
Myth
“I need a generator to be prepared.”
For 72 hours, torches, a radio and power banks are enough. A misused generator can kill with carbon monoxide.
Myth
“Home supplies are for a war scenario.”
They're for the next blackout, the next storm or the next flu that keeps you home. These happen every year.
07Recommended equipment
What stores, preserves and solves problems.
Your supplies are mostly built at the supermarket, with what your family already eats. These items store water, open and cook food without electricity and deal with what can go wrong at home and in the car.
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ComidaSecção 02
Abre-latas manual
Why: sem ele, metade da despensa fica fechada. Guarda-o junto à reserva.
ArrumarPasso 2
Caixas herméticas empilháveis
Why: arrumam a reserva à vista, protegida da humidade e dos bichos, e facilitam a rotação.
CozinharSecção 04
Fogareiro de campismo a gás
Why: para aquecer comida sem eletricidade — sempre ao ar livre ou junto a uma janela aberta.
SegurançaSecção 04
Extintor doméstico de pó ABC
Why: a ANEPC recomenda ter um em casa. Verifica a validade e aprende a usá-lo.
CarroSecção 05
Arrancador portátil de bateria
Why: põe o carro a trabalhar sem ajuda de outro carro, e muitos também carregam o telemóvel.
Quick card
Print it. Stick it on the cupboard door.
Stick this sheet on the store-cupboard door. Use it at your six-monthly check.
Home supplies · K72 sheet
1Water: at least 20 L per person (4 L a day).
2Food for 3 meals a day that needs no fridge.
3Manual tin opener, camping stove and cartridges, matches.
4Torches, batteries, radio, first aid, fire extinguisher.
5Oldest to the front. Always rotate.
6Car: tank above half, vest and triangle.
10·C · k72plus.comEMERGENCY: 112
- ANEPC / Portuguese Insurers Association — Earthquakes: prepare and protect yourself (leaflet, 2018, in Portuguese) — water and tinned food for 2–3 days, fire extinguisher
- European Commission — Preparedness Union Strategy (March 2025) — 72-hour self-sufficiency
- Ready.gov (FEMA) — Build a kit — basic list, 24-hour work kit
- Ready.gov (FEMA) — Car safety — car kit
- USDA — Shelf-stable food safety — tinned food life, damaged tins
- Portuguese Highway Code, article 88 — warning triangle and reflective vest required
Reviewed 5 Nov 2026 · Next review: Mar 2027 · Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
This guide does not replace instructions from the authorities. In an emergency, call 112.