Three days without power you can get through with a radio, water and a few tins. A week is a different story: the power bank runs out, the stored water isn’t enough, rubbish piles up and morale suffers. This is the list for a flat, scaled up from the 72-hour kit, with quantities and what to do each day.
The European Union asks every household to cope for at least 72 hours (see what the EU recommends). That’s a minimum. A storm, a serious grid fault or a chain failure can stretch a cut over several days. If you don’t have the basics yet, start with the 72-hour kit and come back: everything on that list still applies, only the quantities change and three things are added.
- Water: 21 L per person (3 L a day)
- Food: 7 days without a fridge, food you already eat
- Power: small power station + solar panel
- Cooking: stove + 4-5 gas cartridges
- Toilet: hygiene bags and water from the bath
- Light and news: head torch, lantern and radio
- Health: 2 weeks of medication
- Money: about €300 in small notes
Jump to
From 72 hours to a week: what changes
| Per person | 72-hour kit | 1-week kit |
|---|---|---|
| Water for drinking and cooking | 9 L | 21 L |
| Food that needs no fridge | 3 days | 7 days |
| Gas cartridges (per household) | 2 | 4-5 |
| Power (per household) | 20,000 mAh power bank | + power station and panel |
| Cash (per household) | €100-200 | about €300 |
| Regular medication | 1 week | 2 weeks |
What’s new compared with the 72-hour kit is three things: something to recharge your power (the sun), a solution for the toilet and a plan to ration. The rest is multiplication.
1. Water: 21 litres per person
In a block of flats water is pumped up electrically: on upper floors the tap runs dry within hours. Protección Civil recommends 3 litres per person per day for drinking and cooking. Water for the toilet and washing up is extra: fill the bath and buckets as soon as the cut starts.
| People | Minimum 7 days (1.5 L/day) | Recommended 7 days (3 L/day) | 20 L containers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10.5 L | 21 L | 1 |
| 2 | 21 L | 42 L | 2 |
| 3 | 31.5 L | 63 L | 3 |
| 4 | 42 L | 84 L | 4 |
How to ration: drink the water from the fridge and opened bottles first, then the containers. Cook with water you can reuse (pasta water is fine for washing up). And if the reserve runs low, purify the water in the bath.
20 L stackable water containers
What for: storing the whole week’s reserve without taking over the flat.
- 4 containers = a week for 4 people
- Rectangular and stackable
- Rotate the water every 6 months
Water purification tablets
What for: in a week the stored water can easily run out. With these you can purify the water in the bath or from a fountain.
- Take up as much space as a pack of gum
- Keep for years
→ How to store and purify water, in Food and water.
2. Power: battery and sun
A 20,000 mAh power bank covers 2-3 days of phone use. For a week you need something that recharges: a small power station and a portable solar panel on the balcony or at the window. This is what each device uses per day:
| Device | Daily use | Approximate consumption |
|---|---|---|
| Phone (one charge) | 1 per person | 15 Wh |
| Wi-fi router (if the line works) | 4 hours | 40 Wh |
| LED bulb or lantern | 4 hours | 20 Wh |
| Laptop | 2 hours | 100 Wh |
A two-person home that charges phones, runs one light and the router uses about 90 Wh a day: a 288 Wh battery lasts three days without sun, and a 200 W panel refills it in a clear morning (in winter, count on half). The fridge isn’t included in this calculation: it needs a battery of 1 kWh or more.
BLUETTI Elite 30 V2
What for: phones, light and router for days, recharging from the sun.
- 288 Wh and 600 W, LiFePO4 battery
- 4.3 kg: easy to carry from room to room
- Accepts a solar panel
200 W foldable solar panel
What for: so the battery never runs out while there’s sun.
- Foldable: stores behind a door
- Rests on the balcony railing
- Produces less in winter: count on half
20,000 mAh power bank
What for: carrying charge with you when you go out, and not using the big battery for every phone.
- 4-5 phone charges
- Recharges from the power station
Too little or too much? Tick your devices in the battery calculator, or compare models in portable power stations and solar panels.
3. Food: a week without a fridge
What you already eat, in a version that won’t spoil: tinned fish, jarred pulses, tinned ready meals, crispbread, nuts, biscuits, UHT milk and fruit in syrup. With a week ahead it’s worth adding rice or pasta if you have a stove: they’re filling and take up little space.
- Days 1-2: the fridge food, which spoils first.
- Days 2-3: the freezer food, while it’s still cold.
- Days 3-7: the pantry.
How long each thing keeps and what to throw away, in how long food lasts without a fridge.
Tinned ready meals
What for: one complete meal a day with almost no cooking.
- Can be eaten cold or heated
- Last for years
- With a manual tin opener
Work out the exact quantities for your household with the pantry calculator.
4. Cooking: stove and spare cartridges
One cartridge lasts 1-2 days of normal use (coffees, one hot meal). For a week, 4-5 cartridges. We compare models in the best camping stoves for a blackout.
Campingaz Camp Bistro 3 stove
What for: eating hot food and boiling water all week.
- Each cartridge lasts 1-2 days of normal use
- Keep 4-5 cartridges
- Always with the window open
5. Toilet and hygiene: the problem nobody expects
With no water in the cistern, the toilet becomes unbearable from the third day. While there’s water in the bath, one bucket per flush. When it runs out, hygiene bags: they go in the toilet bowl, gel the waste and neutralise the smell.
- Washing: wet wipes and hand sanitiser. A basin of water warmed on the stove is enough for a full wash.
- Washing up: paper plates and a single pot. Wash everything together once a day.
- Rubbish: tightly closed bags on the balcony or in the entrance. With no collection, it piles up fast.
Emergency toilet hygiene bags
What for: from the third day it’s the problem nobody expects. With no water in the cistern, these prevent smells and blockages.
- Fit inside the toilet bowl
- Gel the waste and neutralise smells
6. Light and information
The evenings of a week without power are long. A head torch per person for moving around and a lantern for the room you’re in; no candles. And the radio: it will tell you how long it will last and where to find help or water. Write down your local station frequencies and read how to stay informed in an emergency.
Rechargeable head torch
What for: hands free for cooking, washing up or taking the rubbish down.
- USB-C charging from the power station
LED lantern
What for: ambient light for dinners and the long evenings.
- Lights up a whole room
Thomson RT260 emergency radio
What for: knowing how long it will last and where to find help or water.
- Hand crank, solar and USB
More options in our comparisons of torches and lanterns and emergency radios.
7. Health, documents and money
- Medication: two weeks of whatever you take regularly. If any needs to be kept cold (insulin, for example), ask your pharmacy (farmacia) how to store it without a fridge.
- First-aid kit: plasters, gauze, antiseptic, painkillers and a thermometer.
- Cash: about €300 in small notes. No power means no card machines or ATMs.
- Documents: copies of your passport or NIE/TIE, health card and insurance in a waterproof bag.
- People who depend on you: older people, babies, pets or someone with medical equipment. We cover it in kits by profile.
What to do each day
Day 1: secure your home
- Follow the steps in what to do in a blackout: fridge closed, radio on, devices unplugged.
- Fill the bath and buckets while there’s still pressure.
- Let family know you’re fine and put your family plan into action.
Days 2 and 3: switch to kit mode
- Move on to the freezer food while it’s still cold, then to the pantry.
- Ration power: phones in power-saving mode, a single light at night, power station only for essentials.
- Put the panel out on the balcony during sunny hours (11:00 to 16:00).
Days 4 and 5: hygiene and rubbish
- Bath water for the toilet, and hygiene bags when it runs out.
- One cleaning routine a day: dishes, rubbish and washing.
- Check on elderly neighbours.
Days 6 and 7: stocktake and neighbours
- Take stock: how much water, food, gas and battery is left.
- Organise with your neighbours: who has what, who needs help.
- Keep regular meal and sleep times. A pack of cards or a book helps more than you’d think.
Common mistakes
- Using up the battery on day one. Over a week, power is rationed from the first hour.
- Forgetting the toilet. It’s the first thing to become unbearable.
- Buying food nobody eats. Buy what you always buy and rotate.
- Running out of cash. No power means no card machines or ATMs.
- Not testing the panel. Take it out on a sunny day before you need it and check that it charges.
Maintenance: every time the clocks change
- Charge the power station and power bank, and test the panel.
- Rotate the water in the containers (every 6 months).
- Check expiry dates and replace what you’ve used.
- Check torches, radio and gas cartridges.
So you don’t forget, print the kit review sheet.
What if it lasts more than a week?
Beyond this point we’re talking about self-sufficiency: food for weeks, serious solar charging and sanitation. It’s all in the 30-day protocol without power.
Sources: Protecció Civil, Generalitat de Catalunya (water quantities and self-protection); European Commission, population preparedness guidelines (November 2026).