To get through a week without power and water, secure five things in order: drinking water, heat, light, a way to get information, and food that needs no cooking. The first hours matter most, so know where everything is before it happens. Sweden's Agency for Civil Defence (MCF, formerly MSB) recommends every household be able to manage at least one week on its own. Here is a calm, practical plan.
Reviewed by Oskar Bjork, defence engineer (Swedish Armed Forces) and adviser to Kapsel. Last updated 2026-06-18.
The first 24 hours
When the power goes, act early while you still have daylight and a charged phone. Fill containers and the bathtub with water. Move warm clothes and torches to one room. Check on neighbours. Keep the fridge and freezer closed, a full freezer holds the cold for a day or two. Then settle in: most outages are short, but plan as if it will last.
Water
- Store at least 3 to 5 litres per person per day. For a family of four over a week that is roughly 84 to 140 litres.
- Keep a filter or purification tablets so you can treat more water if the taps run dry.
- A collapsible container makes it easy to collect water from a distribution point.
Heat without power
- Gather everyone in one room and close it off. Bodies and candles warm a small room fast.
- Wear layers: wool, hat, gloves. A sleeping bag per person beats a thin blanket.
- If you use any flame or fuel indoors, ventilate and watch for carbon monoxide. Never run a petrol generator or barbecue inside.
Light and information
- A head-torch per person keeps your hands free. Keep spare batteries together.
- A battery or hand-crank radio reaches Sveriges Radio P4 and the VMA alert when the mobile network is down.
- Charge a power bank now and top it up monthly. Keep some cash, card terminals fail in an outage.
Food without cooking
Eat the fridge first, then the freezer, then the cupboard. Stock food that needs no cooking: tinned food, crispbread, nuts, dried fruit. A camping stove with fuel lets you boil water and make a hot meal, which matters more than you think when it is cold.
A simple one-week plan
You do not need a bunker. You need water, heat, light, information and food, gathered in one place and ready to grab. Build it from our complete emergency-kit checklist, or solve it in one step with the Kapsel Core, a system of three capsules (Energy and Light, Water and Health, Personal and Shelter) with over 30 selected, certified components, built to the MCF one-week recommendation and assembled in Boras. One system covers one to three people. See the Kapsel Core.
Frequently asked questions
How long can a power outage last in Sweden?
Most are over within hours, but storms and grid faults have left thousands of households without power for several days. MCF recommends preparing for at least one week.
How do I keep warm without electricity?
Gather in one room, wear wool layers, use a sleeping bag per person, and close off the space. If you use any flame indoors, ventilate and watch for carbon monoxide.
How do I get information when the power and network are down?
Use a battery or hand-crank radio to reach Sveriges Radio P4 and the VMA alert. Keep a charged power bank for your phone and a written list of key numbers.
Sources: MCF (mcf.se), krisinformation.se, Livsmedelsverket, Roda Korset.
Managing a week on your own is exactly what the authorities' brochure asks of every household. See if crisis or war comes.