The 72-hour emergency kit
The recommendation is at least 72 hours of autonomy: water, food, energy, communication and health. Weigh the bag before closing it — an adult should not carry more than 20% of their body weight.
- Water: 1.5 L per person per day
- Long-life food (bars, cans, freeze-dried meals)
- Battery or hand-crank radio + torch
- First-aid kit and regular medication
- Document copies in a waterproof bag
- Cash in small notes
- Charged power bank and cables
- Thermal blanket and weather-appropriate clothing
Expiry dates: review every quarter
Water, food, medication and batteries expire. Record the expiry date of each item and replace what is expired or about to expire. In the app, the inventory shows the status of each item and warns you 30 days ahead.
Family emergency plan
Define the household, an out-of-region contact and two meeting points (a main one and a fallback outside the neighbourhood). Rehearse it out loud once a year and print one copy for the bag and one for home.
Five-minute evacuation drill
The goal is to leave home with the bag within five minutes. Time the family, tick the exit checklist and review what to improve next time.
In the GNPA app
- Inventory with expiry dates and alerts (bag, home and car)
- Family plan: household, contacts and meeting points on the map
- Drill timer with an exit checklist
- Works offline and prints the plan as a PDF
Frequently asked questions
What should an emergency bag contain?
Water (1.5 L per person per day), long-life food, a battery radio, a torch and batteries, first aid, regular medication, document copies, small notes, a power bank and a thermal blanket. Adjust for children, pets and medical needs.
How often should I check expiry dates?
Every quarter. Water, food, medication and batteries expire. The app warns you when an item is expired or expires within 30 days.
What is a family emergency plan?
An agreement made in advance about what each person does when there is no time to decide: who takes the bag, who turns off gas and water, where you meet and who the out-of-region contact is.
Does the app work offline?
Yes. The inventory, family plan and drill timer are stored on the phone and work without a network.