Extreme heatwave kit
Heat kills more Europeans most summers than any other climate event. Five low-cost moves before the next one — and a kit that fits your home, not a forest.
Heatwaves are the climate event most likely to harm a European household, and the one people prepare for least. Most deaths happen quietly, inside flats, in temperate countries that were never designed for thirty-plus degrees indoors. The fix is mostly about water, sleep, and one cool room — none of which requires special equipment, and all of which require thinking before the forecast turns red.
Why this kit, not a generic 72-hour list
A heatwave kit is not the same as a wildfire kit. The risk profile is your apartment, your medication storage, your sleep, and the people in your building who live alone. We tag items by climate and dwelling so that someone in a Hamburg top-floor flat sees a different list than someone in a Madrid ground-floor patio house. Personalise yours; it takes 90 seconds.
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: €214.
| Item | Quantity | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|
| Oral rehydration salts (ORS sachets)critical A pack of WHO-formula ORS sachets — for heat exhaustion, diarrhoeal illness, and any sustained sweating loss. |
(adults + childrenCount) * 4 sachets | €8 |
| 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 |
| Headlamp + spare batteriescritical A hands-free LED headlamp per person, plus enough spare batteries for one full set. |
adults + childrenCount units | €18 |
| Battery / hand-crank radiocritical A small radio that works without mains power and receives AM/FM and (where available) NOAA/EBU emergency bands. |
1 unit | €30 |
| Cooling towels + battery fan Reusable instant-cool towels and a small USB-rechargeable fan. Damp towel + airflow is more effective at cooling than either alone. |
adults + childrenCount sets | €25 |
| Reflective window film / thermal blinds Reflective window film or external thermal blinds on south- or west-facing windows for the hottest months. |
1 set | €40 |
| FFP2 / N95 respirators A small pack of FFP2 / N95 disposable respirators — one per person, plus a spare. |
(adults + childrenCount) * 4 masks | €15 |
Three habits this week
- Pick one room of your flat as the "cool room" before the heat arrives. Move chargers, medication, and a few books there. You will sleep there if it is the only option.
- Buy an oral rehydration salt box (€3, lasts years) and put it where you keep paracetamol. It is the single most useful item in a heat crisis and the one most missing.
- Identify two neighbours over 70 or with chronic conditions and agree a daily check-in by phone or door knock for the duration of any red alert.
Personalise YOUR heatwave 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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