Extended winter blackout kit
Multi-day loss of electricity and possibly heating in cold weather â the highest-mortality blackout scenario in temperate and cold European regions.
An extended winter blackout is not a longer version of a normal outage â it is a different event. Within 12 to 24 hours, an unheated apartment in a cold-temperate region drops below the temperature at which a normal household can sleep safely. The kit below is built around that fact: one warm room, water that has not frozen, food that needs no cooking, and a way to know what is happening outside.
Why this kit, not a generic 72-hour list
A winter blackout kit for a stone house with a wood stove looks nothing like one for a top-floor apartment with electric heating. The wizard asks about your dwelling type, floor, and climate, then prioritises items accordingly.
What this kit usually contains
A representative slice of the kit a typical European household receives for this scenario. Quantities are tuned to your household and climate when you run the personaliser. Estimated total cost for the items below: €735.
| Item | Quantity | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|
| Battery-powered carbon-monoxide alarmcritical A stand-alone CO detector with a 10-year battery, placed in any room you might burn fuel for heat. |
1 unit | €25 |
| 0 °C-rated sleeping bag or quiltcritical A sleeping bag or duvet-style quilt rated to 0 °C or colder, per person. |
adults + childrenCount units | €60 |
| Cold-weather layers per personcritical Thermal underwear, fleece, wool hat, gloves, thick socks — one full set per person, kept together in a labelled bag. |
adults + childrenCount sets | €50 |
| Insulated cool box for refrigerated medicationcritical A small passive cool box plus a stockpile of frozen gel packs (kept rotating in the freezer). |
1 kit | €30 |
| CPAP / oxygen battery backupcritical A medical-grade portable battery or 12 V power bank sized for at least 8 hours of your CPAP or oxygen concentrator. |
1 unit | €250 |
| Seasoned firewood reservecritical Two weeks of seasoned hardwood stacked dry, plus kindling and matches near the stove. |
14 days of heat | €80 |
| Manual well pump or pitcher pumpcritical A hand-operated pump compatible with your well casing — lever or pitcher style — and an annual water test kit. |
1 unit | €150 |
| Water purification tabletscritical Chlorine-dioxide tablets that make almost any clear water safe in 30 minutes. |
(adults + childrenCount) * days * 2 tablets | €12 |
| Drinking water reservecritical Sealed potable water in cool, dark storage. Split across multiple containers — if one spoils, the rest survives. |
(adults + childrenCount) * 2 * days L | €12 |
| Shelf-stable no-cook food (3 days)critical Nuts, bars, tinned fish, peanut butter, dried fruit. Food that needs no heat, no fridge, and almost no prep. |
(adults * 2000 + childrenCount * 1500) * days kcal | €35 |
| Manual can openercritical A simple, reliable can opener that does not need power. Keep one in the kitchen and one in the evac bag. |
2 units | €6 |
| Basic first-aid kitcritical Adhesive dressings, sterile gauze, tape, gloves, scissors, tweezers, antiseptic, paracetamol/ibuprofen, ORS sachets. |
1 kit | €25 |
Three habits this week
- Identify one room you can heat or huddle in if the main heating fails. Move blankets, a torch, and a way to charge a phone there now.
- Buy a battery-powered carbon-monoxide alarm if you have any fuel-burning appliance. CO poisoning is the largest cause of avoidable cold-weather deaths during outages.
- Identify two neighbours who would be hardest hit by 36 hours without heat (over 70, infants, chronic conditions) and agree a check-in pattern for any forecast that drops below -5 °C.
Personalise YOUR winter blackout kit — 90 seconds
The list above is the universal half. The wizard asks 6 short questions about your home, household and climate, then adjusts the items and quantities.
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