Spain's 72-hour emergency kit
Spain's Directorate-General for Civil Protection and Emergencies asks for a basic emergency kit for 72 hours, seven items long, as part of its family emergency plan. Here is the list, with the water amounts from Catalonia's regional government.
What Civil Protection asks
72 hours. That is the heading Spain's Dirección General de Protección Civil y Emergencias (DGPCE) gives the kit in its family plan template: „Kit básico de emergencias (72 horas)“. It explains: „El kit básico de emergencias incluye todas las cosas que la familia puede necesitar si tiene que permanecer fuera de casa durante varios días.“ In English: the basic kit holds everything the family may need if it has to stay away from home for several days.
The same sheet says to keep it in a visible place in the house, and reminds you that the emergency number is 112. We read it on 11 November 2026.
The 7 items in the kit
The national list is short. Catalonia's government spells out each item in its 2025 guide and adds two.
| Item | Civil Protection (national) | Detail from Catalonia's government |
|---|---|---|
| Bottled water | Yes | At least 1.5 litres per person per day |
| Non-perishable food | Yes | Long-life food that needs no cooking, if you stay home |
| Usual medicines | Yes | First-aid kit and long-term medication |
| Torch | Yes | With spare batteries, or a head torch |
| Radio | Yes | Battery or wind-up, to follow official instructions |
| Batteries | Yes | Spares for the torch and radio |
| Portable charger | Yes | Phone and charger, plus a power bank if you can |
| Documents | Not listed | ID card, health card, insurance policies, in a waterproof bag |
| Money | Not listed | Cash and a bank card |
National column: DGPCE family emergency plan (in Spanish). Catalonia column: Kit de emergencias page and the guide „Prepara't per a les emergències“.
Water for a family of four
18 litres
The three-day minimum, drinking only
Catalonia's guide asks for at least 1.5 litres per person per day, and recommends 3 litres to cover drinking and cooking.
Source: Generalitat de Catalunya, Prepara't per a les emergències
Three days of water at home
People times days times litres, worked out.
| People | Minimum (1.5 L a day) | Recommended (3 L a day) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4.5 L | 9 L |
| 2 | 9 L | 18 L |
| 3 | 13.5 L | 27 L |
| 4 | 18 L | 36 L |
| 5 | 22.5 L | 45 L |
| 6 | 27 L | 54 L |
Per-person figures from Catalonia's guide, which asks for water for at least 3 days. The national template gives no amounts. The water calculator uses the US rule of 3.8 litres a day, which includes hygiene.
If you have to leave home
After an evacuation order you may not get back for a while. Catalonia's government says to add:
- A change of clothes and shoes
- A raincoat
- Personal hygiene products
- House and car keys
- With children: nappies, baby food, and an ID bracelet in case they get lost.
- With older or disabled family members: glasses, crutches, a walking stick or frame, hearing aids and their batteries, breathing devices.
The family plan behind the kit
Civil Protection's template is four pages you fill in together. The kit is one part of it.
01Who lives here and how to reach them
- Name, age, mobile, and work or school phone for each person.
- Each person's illnesses, medicines and allergies.
- Pet details: name, species, colour and registration number.
- Family emergency contacts, plus the numbers for the health centre, police, fire brigade and civil protection. The emergency number is 112.
Source: DGPCE, family emergency plan
02Ways out and where to meet
- Evacuation routes and a meeting point.
- Risks inside and outside the home, each with its fix.
- A task for each family member.
Source: DGPCE, family emergency plan
03A floor plan of the home
- Draw it together, seen from above.
- Mark safe and dangerous areas and the ways out.
- Mark the fuse box and the water and gas shut-off valves.
- Mark where the torch, battery radio, chargers and kit are.
Source: DGPCE, family emergency plan
Is there a blackout kit?
There is no separate national list. Catalonia's guide names a blackout among the events that can hit any town, next to heavy snow, windstorms and forest fires, and the same kit serves for all of them.
Four of Civil Protection's seven items are there for exactly that: torch, radio, batteries and portable charger. For the first hours without power, see what to do in a power outage.
Spain and the EU
Spain's 72 hours match the figure from Brussels.
| Who | How long | Where it says so |
|---|---|---|
| Civil Protection (DGPCE) | 72 hours | Family emergency plan |
| Generalitat de Catalunya | 72 hours; water for at least 3 days | Guide Prepara't per a les emergències |
| European Commission | Self-sufficiency of at least 72 hours | Preparedness Union Strategy, March 2025 |
The Commission writes: „The Commission will propose guidelines for Member States to reach population self-sufficiency of at least 72 hours.“ JOIN(2025) 130.
Questions people ask
How many hours does Spain's kit cover?
72 hours. That is the heading of the kit section in Civil Protection's family plan.
How much water per person?
The national template gives no figure. Catalonia's government asks for at least 1.5 litres per person per day, or 3 litres if you count cooking.
Where should the kit live?
Civil Protection says somewhere visible in the house. Catalonia adds that it should be easy to reach and everyone should know where it is.
Is there a car kit?
Catalonia has one: water, food that keeps, a blanket, snow chains, tools, a torch, a V16 emergency light, a first-aid kit, and a shovel or snow brush.
What is the emergency number in Spain?
112.
Read next
Sources
- Dirección General de Protección Civil y Emergencias: Plan familiar de emergencias (PDF, in Spanish) Basic emergency kit (72 hours), the seven items, 112 and the plan. Read 11 Nov 2026.
- Generalitat de Catalunya, Interior: Kit de emergencias (in Spanish) Basic kit, evacuation, car and pets. Updated 26 Feb 2026.
- Generalitat de Catalunya: Prepara't per a les emergències (PDF, in Catalan) 72 hours; 1.5 and 3 litres per person per day.
- European Commission and High Representative: Preparedness Union Strategy, JOIN(2025) 130 (PDF) Self-sufficiency of at least 72 hours.