Ireland's official emergency kit list is the checklist in Be Emergency Ready, the 2026 preparedness campaign from the Office of Emergency Planning. It is a one-page list, built mainly around staying at home, with a short section for leaving. Here it is in full, and how it compares with the other 23 national guides we compiled.
The official guide
| Title | Be Emergency Ready: Your checklist |
| Publisher | Office of Emergency Planning |
| Year | 2026 |
| Horizon | 3 days |
| Link | gov.ie (PDF) |
We opened and read the English checklist, and the Irish-language edition of the booklet, in November 2026. More is at gov.ie/BeEmergencyReady.
The checklist
Water
- Each person needs 2 to 3 litres of drinking water each day.
- Keep some bottled water in a cool, dark place, and only for as long as the expiry date on the bottle.
Food
- Keep a supply of non-perishable food, and rotate it so nothing goes past its date.
- Consider everyone's dietary needs, including small children and pets.
- If you use baby formula, keep an extra supply of ready-to-feed formula.
- Use fresh food and food from the fridge first.
Light and heat
- An alternative way to keep warm: blankets, sleeping bags and emergency thermal blankets.
- Close windows and doors and stay in one room for warmth.
- A torch or lamp with spare batteries, and matches or a lighter in a safe place.
- Know where the gas and electricity shut-offs are, how to turn them off, and note your MPRN and GPRN meter numbers from your bills.
Medicine and hygiene
- Keep prescription medicines up to date, plus copies of prescriptions and details of any medical conditions.
- Have a first-aid kit ready.
- Keep sanitary and hygiene products for everyone in the household.
Stay connected
- A battery, wind-up or solar radio and spare batteries, or a car radio as backup.
- Power banks ready for recharging phones.
Important items
- Documents in a waterproof bag: birth certificates, passports, driving licences, insurance details, medical information and emergency contacts.
- Strong plastic bags for valuables and sentimental items.
- A road map, in case GPS is unavailable.
- Spare keys for your home and car.
If you need to evacuate
- Take medication and hygiene items, warm and waterproof clothing, your phone and charger, ID and key documents, and cash and cards if possible.
How it compares with the other guides
Ireland's checklist covers 20 of the 51 items we track across 24 official guides. It includes all six that every guide agrees on (water, a torch, a radio, medication, first aid and cash) and leaves out none of the items most guides list.
What stands out
- Meter numbers. Noting your MPRN and GPRN from your bills, and knowing how to turn off gas and electricity, is a practical Irish touch.
- Spare keys are on only seven lists, and a paper map on six.
- Ready-to-feed formula is the right choice: it needs no clean water.
What is light
The checklist has no camping stove, so plan food you can eat cold: see emergency food that needs no cooking. It also has no water containers to fill when a warning comes, and gives no food quantities.
Quantities for your household
At 2 to 3 litres per person per day for three days, a family of four needs 24 to 36 litres of water. Our guide to how much water to store walks through it.
Keep it current
Pick two dates you will remember, such as when the clocks change in spring and autumn, and check your kit: expiry dates on water, food and medicines, batteries, and whether the power bank is still charged. Replace anything you have used or opened. The checklist itself says to rotate food so nothing goes past its expiry date, and to store bottled water only as long as the date on the bottle.
Building your kit
Ireland's checklist is a clear, home-focused 72-hour kit. Our checklist combines it with the 23 other guides and works out the amounts for your household. For leaving home, see our grab bag checklist.