How many days of food and water should you store? What governments recommend
▶ PLAY FINTON FREEThe U.S. government tells households to keep food, water and other supplies for at least three days. Over the past two years, governments across Europe and Asia have issued the same kind of advice, and several now ask for a week or more.
The short answer
Plan for at least three days of food, water and basic supplies for everyone in your home, with about one gallon (roughly 4 liters) of water per person per day. Several governments now say a week is better, and Germany suggests up to ten days. Three days is the floor, not the goal.
What each government recommends
| Country or bloc | Recommended self-reliance | Source |
|---|---|---|
| United States | At least 3 days of food, water and supplies; at least 1 gallon of water per person per day, and possibly longer in remote areas | FEMA, Ready.gov |
| European Union | At least 72 hours of essential supplies (Preparedness Union Strategy, March 2025) | European Commission |
| United Kingdom | 3 days self-sufficient: bottled water, non-perishable food, torch, batteries, radio, cash, blankets (October 2026) | UK Government |
| Netherlands | 72 hours without water, power or internet ("Denk vooruit" campaign, November 2025) | Dutch Government |
| Japan | At least 3 days, ideally 1 week, including toilet and sanitation supplies | Fire and Disaster Management Agency; Tokyo Metropolitan Government |
| Sweden | At least 1 week of meeting your own basic needs | Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MCF) |
| Norway | 1 week of self-preparedness | Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection (DSB) |
| Germany | Several days up to 10 days; about 2 liters of water per person per day for drinking and cooking | Federal Office of Civil Protection (BBK) |
Why the United States says three days
FEMA's Ready.gov asks every household to keep food, water, cash and other supplies for at least three days, and longer if you live somewhere hard to reach. The reasoning is simple: in a large disaster, police, fire crews, utilities and relief groups are stretched across thousands of calls at once. The first days are when you are most likely to be on your own. The Dutch government puts it plainly in its own campaign: responders can't be everywhere at the same time, so most people should expect to manage largely on their own for the first 72 hours.
Why so many governments are saying it now
Storms, floods, earthquakes and wildfires are still the most common reasons the lights and taps go off. But recent advice also points to deliberate threats against the systems households depend on:
- Europe: when the European Commission launched its Preparedness Union Strategy on March 26, 2025, it cited Russia's war in Ukraine, rising geopolitical tension, sabotage of critical infrastructure and electronic warfare. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen summed it up: "New realities require a new level of preparedness in Europe."
- United Kingdom: Security Minister Dan Jarvis announced the three-day guidance in October 2026, pointing to last winter's storms and this summer's wildfires. Officials also cited supply disruptions from hostile states or terrorists, and said the move brings the UK in line with its European neighbors.
- Northern Europe: Sweden's brochure In Case of Crisis or War is now in its fifth edition since 1943, and Norway's DSB asks households to manage for a week.
- United States: in February 2024, CISA, the NSA and the FBI warned that Chinese state-sponsored hackers known as Volt Typhoon had gained access to U.S. critical infrastructure networks. They named communications, energy, transportation, and water and wastewater, and said the hackers were positioning themselves to be able to disrupt operations.
- Japan: Japan's government has long asked for at least three days and ideally a week, mainly because of earthquakes, tsunamis and typhoons. Disaster minister Goshi Hosono planned a nationwide preparedness appeal for November 2, 2026, the launch day of the country's new National Disaster Management Agency.
None of these governments says a crisis is coming. The message is that power, water, payment systems and supply chains can all fail at the same time, and households that can cover the first few days take pressure off emergency services that need to reach people in real danger.
What three days actually looks like
| Item | For one person, 3 days | For a family of four, 3 days |
|---|---|---|
| Water (US guidance) | 3 gallons (about 11 liters) | 12 gallons (about 45 liters) |
| Water (UK guidance) | 9 liters | 36 liters |
| Food | 9 meals of shelf-stable food | 36 meals |
- Water: sealed bottled water or clean food-grade containers. See our emergency water storage guide.
- Food: canned and dry food you already eat, plus a manual can opener.
- Light and news: flashlights, spare batteries and a battery or hand-crank radio.
- Cash in small bills, in case card readers and ATMs go down.
- Medicine and first aid: a few days of prescriptions and a basic kit.
- Toilet paper and sanitation: Japan specifically calls these out. Its government and paper industry once ran a campaign urging households to keep about a month of toilet paper, because nearly half of the country's supply comes from one earthquake-prone region. Add wet wipes, hand sanitizer, trash bags and a bucket in case toilets can't flush.
- Pets and babies: food, formula and diapers for at least the same number of days.
From three days to a week
If three days is in place, build toward seven the same way: buy a few extra cans and a case of water each time you shop, and rotate them into your normal meals so nothing expires. That is the approach Sweden, Norway and Japan recommend, and it avoids the panic buying that empties shelves when warnings hit the news.
Finton Field Notes: use this in the game
- The first 72 hours decide most runs. In Finton the stores, gas station and bank close within the first days. What you buy before the collapse is what your family lives on.
- Fill jugs and the bathtub while the tap still runs. City water fails soon after the power. The tub holds 30 gallons, and your spouse can treat it upstairs once the taps are dry.
- Two weeks of stored meals completes the FOOD homestead need. Three days gets you through the first wave; the full need takes more.
- Cash matters early. ATMs cap withdrawals and then go dark, and card readers fail with the grid.
- Try the Hard Times and Cyberattack emergencies to see how different failures, like rolling brownouts or a grid hack, change what runs out first.
Sources
- FEMA Ready.gov: Build a Kit
- CNN via KTVZ: EU urges citizens to stockpile 72 hours worth of supplies (March 26, 2025)
- The National: UK government advises stockpiling water and food (October 23, 2026)
- Press Association via AJ Bell: UK PM defends stockpiling advice (October 2026)
- Government of the Netherlands: "Denk vooruit" campaign launch (November 3, 2025)
- Japan Fire and Disaster Management Agency: Prepare a stockpile
- Tokyo Metropolitan Government: Why stockpile
- IBTimes UK: Japan urges households to prepare emergency supplies (October 2026)
- NBC News: Japan rolls out toilet paper stockpiling campaign
- Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency: In Case of Crisis or War
- EU Civil Protection Knowledge Network: Norway one-week preparedness brochure (DSB)
- ZDFheute: BBK emergency supply guidance (2025)
- Table.Media: Federal Office for Civil Protection recommends stocks for 10 days (October 2025)
- CISA, NSA, FBI et al.: PRC state-sponsored actors compromise US critical infrastructure (February 2024)
This guide is general information for preparedness. Follow official guidance and your local emergency managers, and call 911 in an emergency.