How do you stock two weeks of supplies at home?

Short answer. The US CDC asks for at least 1 gallon (about 3.8 L) of water per person per day for 3 days and suggests a 2-week supply if possible ¹. Germany asks for ten days of supplies ³, while Sweden, Norway and Switzerland ask for about one week ⁵⁶⁷. Build up to two weeks one step at a time.

How long do official agencies want you to last on your own?

The answer depends on the country. Among the agencies cited here, targets run from several days to ten days:

• United States. Ready.gov asks for water and non-perishable food for "several days" ². The CDC is more specific: at least 1 gallon of water per person per day for 3 days, and "try to store a 2-week supply if possible" ¹.
• Germany. The BBK asks households to be able to supply themselves for ideally ten days, and adds that even three days of supplies helps a lot ³.
• Sweden. Krisinformation.se asks you to plan to manage on your own for at least a week without electricity, running water or shops ⁶.
• Norway. DSB says the authorities recommend that as many people as possible be prepared to manage on their own for one week ⁷.
• Switzerland. The federal office for economic supply recommends food for about one week at home ⁵.

Two weeks therefore sits at the upper end of official advice. It is the CDC's suggested target ¹ and a modest step beyond Germany's ten days ³.

How much water does one person need for two weeks?

Agencies do not agree on the daily amount, partly because they count different uses and periods:

Scaled to 14 days, these daily figures give a range. At the CDC's 1 gallon a day, two weeks comes to 14 gallons (about 53 L) per person. At Germany's 2 L a day it comes to 28 L, and at Sweden's 3 to 5 L a day it comes to 42 to 70 L. These totals are simple arithmetic from the agencies' daily figures, not numbers the agencies publish themselves. For people aged 65 and over, Germany's food agency recommends 2 L of drinks a day rather than 1.5 L; it puts children up to 12 at about 1 L a day ⁴.

If space is short, start with the national minimum and add containers over time. The water storage and water-per-person guides cover containers and rotation.

How much food does one person need?

Of the sources cited here, only Germany's federal food agency gives a quantity table by food group. The BLE table for one person for ten days, based on about 2,200 kcal a day, reads ⁴:

The agency says these are general recommendations that may need adjusting to individual needs ⁴. For 14 days instead of 10, the same proportions apply over four more days: multiplying each line by 1.4 gives, for example, about 4.6 kg of grain products and 28 L of drinks. That is arithmetic from the table, not an official figure.

Other countries give categories rather than weights. Switzerland lists rice, pasta, oil, ready meals, salt, sugar, coffee, tea, dried fruit, muesli, UHT milk, hard cheese, dried meat and canned food ⁵. Sweden recommends foods that provide enough energy, need little water, cook quickly or can be eaten cold, and keep at room temperature: dry goods, canned food, high-protein foods such as beans and lentils, high-fat foods such as oil and nuts, and energy foods such as chocolate, honey and dried fruit ⁶.

What else belongs in a two-week home supply?

Food and water are the bulk of it, but a two-week stay at home without services also needs equipment. Ready.gov's basic list includes a battery-powered or hand-crank radio, a flashlight, a first aid kit, extra batteries, a whistle, a dust mask, plastic sheeting, scissors and duct tape, moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for sanitation, a wrench or pliers to turn off utilities, a manual can opener, local maps, and a phone with chargers and a backup battery ². Sweden's guidance assumes you may be without electricity and running water, so think about heat and light as well ⁶.

Medicines, infant formula and pet food follow the same logic: count the days, then add a margin. Ready.gov asks you to consider the unique needs of your family, such as supplies for pets or seniors ².

How do you build up to two weeks without a big one-off purchase?

A practical sequence follows the agencies' own steps:

1. Three days first. This is the CDC's minimum for water ¹ and the point at which the BBK says supplies already help a lot ³.
2. One week next. This matches the Swedish, Norwegian and Swiss targets ⁵⁶⁷.
3. Ten days to two weeks. This reaches Germany's ten days ³ and then the CDC's two-week suggestion ¹.

Buy foods your household already eats, so the stock can be used and replaced before it expires. Sweden's checklist focuses on foods that keep at room temperature ⁶, which makes rotation easier. The food shelf-life guide explains date labels and rotation.

What official agencies recommend

• United States: at least 1 gallon of water per person per day; 3 days minimum, 2 weeks if possible (CDC) ¹. Several days of non-perishable food and water in a basic kit (Ready.gov) ².
• Germany: ideally 10 days of supplies; 2 L of water per adult per day for drinking and cooking ³; detailed quantities per food group from the BLE ⁴.
• Switzerland: food for about one week; 9 L of water per person for drinking and cooking over three days ⁵.
• Sweden: manage on your own for at least one week; at least 3 to 5 L of water per person per day ⁶.
• Norway: be prepared to manage on your own for one week ⁷; about 20 L of drinking water per person for that week ⁸.

Part of the difference comes from what each figure covers and over how many days: Switzerland's 9 L is for three days of drinking and cooking ⁵, Germany's 2 L a day covers drinking and cooking ³, and Ready.gov's gallon includes sanitation ².

Frequently asked questions

Is two weeks an official recommendation?

In the United States, yes as a target: the CDC asks for at least 3 days of water and suggests trying to store a 2-week supply if possible ¹. In Europe, the targets in these sources run from about one week in Sweden, Norway and Switzerland ⁵⁶⁷ to ten days in Germany ³.

How many litres of water should a family of four store for two weeks?

At the CDC's 1 gallon per person per day ¹, four people need 56 gallons (about 212 L) for 14 days. At Germany's 2 L per person per day ³, the same family needs 112 L. Both totals are arithmetic from the agencies' daily figures.

How many calories does an emergency food supply assume?

Germany's federal food agency bases its ten-day table on about 2,200 kcal per person per day and says the figures should be adjusted to individual needs ⁴.

Do I need special survival food?

None of the agencies cited here requires it. Switzerland and Sweden list ordinary shop foods such as rice, pasta, canned goods, oil and dried fruit ⁵⁶, and Germany's table is built from everyday products ⁴.

Does a two-week supply replace a grab-and-go kit?

No. A home supply is for staying put. Ready.gov's kit list covers basic items for any emergency ²; the 72-hour kit guide covers what to carry if you must leave.

Prepare your kit

Start with the three-day minimum and build toward two weeks from there. Compare what you already have with the list your own government publishes.

Sources

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — How to Create an Emergency Water Supply — https://www.cdc.gov/water-emergency/about/how-to-create-and-store-an-emergency-water-supply.html (accessed 2026-10-20)
2. Ready.gov (DHS / FEMA) — Build A Kit — https://www.ready.gov/kit (accessed 2026-10-20)
3. BBK, Germany — Essen und Trinken bevorraten — https://www.bbk.bund.de/DE/Warnung-Vorsorge/Vorsorge/So-koennen-Sie-sich-vorbereiten/Bevorraten/bevorraten_node.html (accessed 2026-10-20)
4. BLE, Germany — Vorratstabelle — https://www.ernaehrungsvorsorge.de/private-vorsorge/notvorrat/vorratstabelle (accessed 2026-10-20)
5. FONES (BWL), Switzerland — We advise: emergency supplies — https://www.bwl.admin.ch/en/we-advise-emergency-supplies (accessed 2026-10-20)
6. Krisinformation.se, Sweden — Home preparedness — https://www.krisinformation.se/en/hazards-and-risks/home-preparedness/ (accessed 2026-10-20)
7. DSB, Norway — Egenberedskap — https://www.dsb.no/sikkerhverdag/egenberedskap/ (accessed 2026-10-20)
8. DSB, Norway — Vann i beredskap — https://www.dsb.no/sikkerhverdag/egenberedskap/vann-i-beredskap/ (accessed 2026-10-20)