Leaving home in a hurry: a grab bag and a plan

Last checked 28 October 2026. Based on GOV.UK Be Ready and local resilience forum advice.

What to pack

• Light and news: a torch with spare batteries, a battery or wind-up radio, and a charged power bank.
• Health: a first aid kit, your regular medicines with a copy of the prescription, glasses or contact lenses, hand sanitiser and wet wipes.
• Papers and money: copies of passports, driving licences and insurance, a written list of phone numbers, some cash, and spare house and car keys.
• Food and water: bottled water and long-life snacks, plus anything needed for special diets.
• Warmth: spare socks, a hat and gloves, and a foil blanket.
• For a baby: nappies and ready-to-feed formula.
• Useful extras: a notepad and pen, a whistle, and something to keep children busy.

Use a small rucksack that anyone in the household can carry, and keep it somewhere easy to reach, such as under the stairs. A smaller version in the car helps if you are stranded in bad weather.

Make a plan now

• Know how to turn off gas, electricity and water at the mains.
• Know your fire escape route, and what to do if your home floods.
• Agree a meeting point that is easy to find and open to the public, in case you are split up.
• Ask a friend or relative outside the area to be the person everyone contacts to say they are safe.
• Plan for pets: a carrier, food and a lead.
• Keep your plan with your important documents. Your household plan includes a contacts card you can print.

If you are told to leave

• Follow the emergency services' instructions and go without delay.
• Take your grab bag, medicines and pets.
• If there is time and it is safe, turn off the gas, electricity and water, and lock doors and windows.
• The emergency services and your council will tell you where to go.
• Never go back into a building that is on fire.