When the Met Office names a storm or issues an amber warning, the useful window is often the day before it arrives. That is when shops are open, phones can still be charged, garden furniture can be moved, and small problems can be fixed before heavy rain and high winds turn them into bigger ones.
This checklist is for ordinary UK homes: flats, terraces, family houses and older relatives who may need a quick check-in. It is not about panic buying. It is about doing the few practical jobs that make a storm night safer, warmer and less chaotic.
First: charge and gather the essentials
Charge every phone, power bank, torch, head torch, emergency radio, laptop and any rechargeable medical or accessibility device. If you use AA or AAA torches and radios, put spare batteries beside them rather than leaving them loose in a drawer.
Put a head torch, LED lantern, power bank, charging leads and emergency radio in one visible place. A kitchen worktop, hallway shelf or bedside table is better than a tidy cupboard you will struggle to find in the dark.
Prepare for a power cut
Assume the lights, router and heating controls may go off. Fill a flask with hot water if bad weather is close, make sure everyone has a warm layer to hand, and decide which room you would use as the warm room if the power stays off for several hours.
Avoid relying on candles as your main lighting plan. A head torch and lantern are safer, brighter and easier to use around children, pets and older relatives. If you do use candles, keep them away from curtains and never leave them unattended.
Check food, water and cooking
Store some drinking water before the weather turns, especially if your area has had flooding, burst mains or previous supply problems. A couple of clean water carriers or sealed bottles are enough for most short disruptions.
Plan meals that do not need the oven, microwave or a working freezer. Tinned soup, ready-to-eat meals, oat bars, crackers and a manual can opener matter more than elaborate emergency rations. If you have a camping stove, use it outdoors only, never inside the house, porch, garage or tent.
Secure the outside of the home
Move garden furniture, bins, plant pots, trampolines and loose tools before the wind rises. Check gates, shed doors and temporary covers. A tarpaulin, bungee cords, duct tape and work gloves can be useful for minor weatherproofing, but do not climb ladders or attempt roof repairs in dangerous conditions.
If you are in a flood-risk area, move valuables, documents, medicines and chargers upstairs or onto a high shelf early. Keep a grab bag near the door only if there is a realistic chance you may be told to leave.
Protect medicines, documents and important information
Check repeat prescriptions, inhalers, insulin supplies, mobility aids, hearing-aid batteries and any equipment that needs charging. Write down key phone numbers on paper, including your electricity network operator, GP, close family and neighbours.
Keep insurance details, medication lists, pet records and basic ID in a waterproof folder or dry bag. A waterproof phone pouch is useful if you need to leave the house in heavy rain, but paper backups still matter when batteries run low.
Check on people before the storm lands
Call older relatives, neighbours who live alone and anyone who depends on powered medical kit. Ask three plain questions: do they have light, can they stay warm, and can they call for help if the power goes? If the answer is uncertain, fix that before the weather worsens.
Agree how you will communicate if mobile networks become patchy. Text messages may get through when calls fail, and a battery or wind-up radio can provide local updates when broadband is down.
During the storm
Stay away from coastal paths, swollen rivers, fallen trees and floodwater. Do not drive through standing water, and do not touch damaged power lines or anything in contact with them. For power cuts, report the outage to 105 or your network operator rather than assuming someone else has done it.
The best storm kit is boring by design: light, power, warm layers, water, a radio, simple food, basic first aid and a plan for vulnerable people. Put those in place before the warning turns into weather and the night becomes much easier to manage.
