Guide · Self-sufficiency

72h emergency kit: the official list, adapted to your household

The exact list from the Ministry for Ecological Transition, what it means in practice, where to store it, and what to add for a baby, a senior or a pet.

Updated September 13, 2026Reading: 8 minOfficial source cited at the bottom of the page

In brief

The official 72h emergency kit contains water (6 L per person), non-perishable food, a flashlight, a knife or can opener, candles with matches or a lighter, a phone charger, a spare pair of glasses, a battery radio, a first-aid kit, a spare set of keys, photocopies of ID documents, ongoing medication, cash, warm clothing and something to pass the time. It's stored in an accessible place, out of reach of water, never in a basement.

The official list, item by item

Here is the list published by the Ministry for Ecological Transition, completed with the quantity details from the SGDSN's « Tous responsables » guide.

Item	Detail
Drinking water	6 litres per person, in a sealed container.
Food	Non-perishable, requiring no cooking.
Flashlight	Battery-powered or dynamo, plus spare batteries.
Pocket knife or can opener	To open cans without electricity.
Candles	With matches or a lighter.
Phone charger	Ideally a power bank, independent of the mains.
Prescription glasses	A spare pair, if you wear them.
Battery radio	Plus spare batteries, to receive official instructions.
First-aid kit	Dressings, compresses, antiseptic.
Spare keys	For the home and the vehicle.
Photocopies of ID documents	In a waterproof pouch.
Medication	Each household member's ongoing treatments.
Cash	ATMs and payment terminals may be out of service.
Warm clothing	And a survival blanket.
Something to pass the time	A game, a book: especially useful for children.

Home kit or evacuation bag?

This kit is designed to stay at home for self-sufficiency, while waiting for help or a return to normal. If the authorities order an evacuation, Civil Protection recommends taking the essentials within minutes: water, papers, medication, phone and charger. Our guide on the fire evacuation plan details the specific case of a hurried departure due to fire, with the actions that take priority over everything else.

Where to store it, when to renew it

The Ministry for Ecological Transition is precise on this point: the kit should be placed somewhere easily accessible, to retrieve quickly, while being out of reach of water. It should not be stored in a basement or cellar, two places that can be flooded or hard to reach in an emergency.

You can complete and renew your kit every year, according to the same source: check the expiry dates of water, food and medication, and test the batteries of the light and the radio.

Adapting the kit to your household

The official list is a common base. It says nothing about your household's specific needs.

A baby: infant formula, baby food, nappies and wipes for three days.
An elderly person or a chronic condition: see our guide on protecting an elderly or dependent relative, with the municipal registry and the Enedis scheme for high-vital-risk patients.
A pet: food, water and, if possible, the carrier.

For item-by-item detail, our guides on the water reserve and the food reserve go further than the official list.

The printable checklist

Mistakes to avoid

Storing it in a basement. That's exactly the place the ministry advises against: out of reach of water, not below it.
Never checking the dates. Expired water or medication is useless on the day.
Forgetting spare batteries. A light or radio without batteries is a decorative object.
Preparing only one kit for a large household. Water and food quantities are counted per person, not per home.

With LASTLINE

A 72h bag per member, tracked over time

The official list is the same for everyone. The LASTLINE app can then help you:

build a 72h bag per household member, with a dedicated checklist;
track your supplies and get a reminder before an expiry date;
scan a product's barcode to add it to your inventory.

LASTLINE doesn't sell or supply the physical kit contents: it helps you track what you've already gathered.

Track my supplies with LASTLINE

Frequently asked questions

Is the 72h emergency kit mandatory in France?

No. It's a recommendation from the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the SGDSN's « Tous responsables » guide, not a legal obligation for a private individual.

What's the difference between the emergency kit and the evacuation bag?

The 72h emergency kit stays at home, to be self-sufficient if you stay in your residence. The evacuation bag, lighter, is what you take if you must leave within minutes: it covers the essentials (water, papers, medication) without the full volume.

Where should the emergency kit be stored?

In an easily accessible place, to retrieve it quickly, but out of reach of water. The Ministry for Ecological Transition explicitly advises against storing it in a basement or cellar.

How often should it be renewed?

Once a year, according to the Ministry for Ecological Transition: that's the recommended pace to check the expiry dates of water, food and medication, and replace batteries.

Sources

Ministry for Ecological Transition, Preparing your 72h emergency kit, updated 31/07/2025.
Géorisques, My 72H emergency kit (infographic).
SGDSN, Guide « Tous responsables: face aux risques, agissons », November 2025.

List reproduced for information purposes from the public sources cited above, accessed on 13/09/2026.