Be Ready Before
You Need To Be

Everyday Pantry — Buy More of What You Already Eat

These items need no special storage and are used in your normal cooking. Just keep a rolling surplus.

Freeze-Dried & Dehydrated — Longer Shelf Life, Just Add Water

Freeze-dried meals typically last 25+ years sealed. Dehydrated goods last 5–10 years in cool, dry storage.

Bulk Staples — Stored in Mylar Bags Inside Food-Grade Buckets

Add oxygen absorbers and seal. Stored correctly, most bulk staples last decades. Label with date packed.

Back Up Your 2FA Access Before You Lose It

This is the highest-priority step. Do it this week.

• For every service using an authenticator app, print or handwrite the backup / recovery codes provided when you enrolled — store them in a fireproof safe or sealed envelope off-site
• Consider switching to Authy instead of Google Authenticator — Authy supports encrypted cloud sync and multi-device access, so you can recover on a new phone
• Consider a hardware security key (YubiKey) as a second 2FA method on critical accounts (Gmail, banking, work) — it works offline, has no battery, and survives a phone loss
• Write down the account recovery email address and phone number registered on each major account, and keep this list physically secured
• Google, Microsoft, Apple, and most banks all have account recovery processes — but they take time. Backup codes are instant.

Ensure You Can Access Money Without Your Phone

• Write down key bank account numbers and sort codes — stored separately from cards, in a physical safe or secured at a trusted family member's address
• Know your bank's telephone banking number and your telephone banking PIN / passphrase — phone banking bypasses app requirements entirely
• Carry a physical card with a memorised PIN; know which card doesn't require an app for transactions
• For crypto: write your seed phrase (12 or 24 words) on paper or metal — store in two physically separate secure locations; never digitally
• Consider a hardware wallet (Ledger, Trezor) — these work independently of any phone or app
• If your crypto seed phrase only exists on your phone, you don't own your crypto — you're borrowing it until the phone dies

The Written Phone Book — Don't Dismiss It

• Print or handwrite the 20–30 most critical phone numbers: immediate family, close friends, GP, dentist, insurance, workplace, breakdown cover, neighbours
• Laminate it or put it in a plastic sleeve and tape it inside a kitchen cupboard or to the back of your router
• Include full postal addresses for the people you'd need to reach in person if communications failed
• Give a copy to each adult in your household and to a trusted person outside it
• In an evacuation, you will not have time to try to remember numbers. Have them on paper in your go bag.

Offline Password Management and Secure Notes

• Use a password manager (Bitwarden, 1Password, KeePass) — do not store passwords in phone notes apps or browser autofill alone
• KeePass stores your vault as an encrypted local file — back this up to a USB drive (not just to cloud); you can access it offline on any computer
• Print a "break glass" sheet with your 10 most critical passwords (email, banking, work) — store in a fireproof safe; update it annually
• Never store PINs, bank details, or passwords in unencrypted phone notes — Notes, Notepad, and standard SMS are all plaintext
• Use Standard Notes (end-to-end encrypted) or the encrypted notes section of your password manager for sensitive information

Physical and Offline Backups for Irreplaceable Data

• Run regular backups to a physical hard drive or USB — not just iCloud or Google Photos, which require internet and an active account to access
• Print the most important photos — a physical print survives a cloud account being hacked, suspended, or an internet outage
• Keep a USB drive in your go bag with a copy of key documents, photos, and your KeePass vault
• Export and save contacts as a .vcf file periodically; store it on the USB drive alongside your documents
• Cloud backups are excellent for convenience — but they are not a substitute for a physical copy of irreplaceable data

Test Your Manual Overrides — Right Now

• Smart heating: locate and test the physical thermostat controls; know how to set a manual programme without the app
• Smart locks: confirm you have a working physical key for every smart lock in your home; test it; keep a spare with a trusted person
• Security cameras: configure local SD card recording where possible — so footage is captured even if the cloud subscription or internet goes down
• Smart alarms: confirm the alarm has a manual PIN keypad and that every household member knows the code without looking it up on their phone
• Know how to disable your smart home hub safely during a power cut (incorrect shutdown sequences can corrupt some hubs)
• Smart home devices are convenient. In an emergency, convenience becomes a liability if there's no physical fallback.

Consider a Backup Phone

• Keep an old smartphone in a drawer, factory-reset and charged — it can connect to Wi-Fi even without a SIM and run apps, authenticators, and cameras
• A cheap prepaid SIM card (£5–£10 with credit) on a different network gives you a second number and data connection if your primary network is down
• A basic feature phone ("dumb phone") — Nokia 3310 style — makes calls and sends texts on minimal power for days; useful when a smartphone would be dead
• If evacuating, grab your charger cable and power bank instinctively — a dead phone is worse than no phone
• In a regional emergency, one network often goes down while others remain up. Having a SIM on a second carrier is genuine redundancy.