Why an order rather than a list
Most preparedness lists stack dozens of items without saying which matters most. The result: you feel overwhelmed before you even start, and put it off. The guide « Tous responsables: face aux risques, agissons », published by the French General Secretariat for Defence and National Security (SGDSN) on November 25, 2025, structures preparedness around three simpler pillars: being well prepared (72-hour self-sufficiency), being well protected (knowing where to find official information), and being all engaged (life-saving actions, neighbourhood mutual aid).
LASTLINE doesn't invent anything new here: this guide takes this official hierarchy and turns it into a concrete schedule, for a family that hasn't done anything yet.
The six priorities, in order
Each priority is backed by a public recommendation. Here's why they come in this order, and not another.
| Priority | Why it ranks here |
|---|---|
| 1. Water | No improvised alternative. The SGDSN recommends 6 litres per person in a sealed container for 72 hours. |
| 2. Power | A charged phone and a working light condition everything else: calling for help, reading an instruction, seeing in the dark. |
| 3. Food | Non-perishable and requiring no cooking: it must be edible if gas and electricity are both out. |
| 4. Medical | Ongoing treatments, prescriptions and a first-aid kit: what you can't easily replace on a Sunday evening. |
| 5. Lighting | Beyond the flashlight: candles, a lighter, what gets you through several evenings. |
| 6. Communication | A battery radio to receive official instructions, and a plan to notify relatives when the network is saturated. |
The four-weekend method
Each step takes about an hour. The goal isn't immediate perfection: it's to never start from scratch the following weekend.
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Weekend 1 — water and power
Buy or fill sealed containers to reach the 6 litres per person detailed in our guide on the water reserve. Check that a flashlight works, with spare batteries, and that a phone charger doesn't depend solely on the mains — our guide on power outages details the right reflexes.
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Weekend 2 — food and medical
Build a non-perishable food reserve that needs no cooking: canned goods, dry biscuits, dried fruit. Gather a first-aid kit and note down each household member's ongoing treatments, with their GP's contact details.
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Weekend 3 — lighting, communication and the family plan
Add a battery radio, candles and matches or a lighter. It's also the right moment to write, in one evening, your family safety plan: who does what, where to meet, who to notify.
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Weekend 4 — assemble the kit and check the home
Gather everything in an easy-to-carry bag or bin, stored out of the reach of water (never in a basement). Take the opportunity to check your smoke detectors: our fire evacuation plan details this step and the meeting point.
Mistakes to avoid
- Buying everything at once. That's often what discourages finishing: four completed weekends beat one weekend abandoned halfway.
- Storing the kit in a basement or cellar. The Ministry for Ecological Transition explicitly advises against it: an easily accessible place out of the reach of water is preferable.
- Forgetting to renew. Bottled water and food have an expiry date. One check a year is enough, for example at the clock change.
- Writing nothing down. Preparedness that stays in the head of a single adult in the household is useless if that person is absent on the day.
Small budget, small home
A studio flat has no room for a year's reserves, and that's not what's asked: 72 hours of self-sufficiency fit in a hiking bag or a carry-on suitcase. On a tight budget, start with what's free: fill bottles of water you already have, write down useful numbers on paper, choose a meeting point with a relative. The radio and the light can wait until next month.
Turning this order into a plan for your household
This guide gives the order to follow. The LASTLINE app can then help you:
- assign a role to each household member and record meeting points;
- build a 72h bag per person, with checklists to tick off;
- print an evacuation plan and a family pocket card as PDF.
LASTLINE doesn't supply the physical kit (water, radio, first-aid kit): it helps you organise what you've already gathered.
Prepare my household with LASTLINEFrequently asked questions
Where to start when nothing is prepared yet?
With water: 6 litres per person in a sealed container, per the official « Tous responsables » guide from the SGDSN. It's the priority with the fewest improvised alternatives on the day it runs out. Next comes power (light, radio, charger), then food, medical, lighting and communication.
How long does it take to prepare your family?
Allow four weekends of about an hour each to cover the six priorities, plus one evening for the family plan. Nothing stops you going faster, but spreading the effort out avoids giving up halfway.
Do you need a big budget to prepare?
No. Water, documents and most warm clothing are already at home. The main budget item is the battery-powered radio, the light and the first-aid kit — around thirty euros for the essentials depending on the models.
Is this preparation only for high-risk areas?
No. A power outage, a storm or a house fire can affect any household in France, including outside zones classified as major natural-risk areas.
Sources
- SGDSN, Guide « Tous responsables: face aux risques, agissons », November 2025.
- Ministry for Ecological Transition, Preparing your 72h emergency kit, updated 31/07/2025.
- Géorisques, The individual safety plan.
- Civil Protection (Ministry of the Interior), House fire.
This guide gathers public recommendations for informational purposes. In a real crisis, always follow instructions from the authorities and emergency services on site.