Emergency Kit for Malta: Part 2 – Preparedness Made Simple

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Putting together a simple emergency kit is just common sense. Spend a couple of hours gathering a few key items today, and you will spare yourself and your family a great deal of discomfort and worry when the next crisis—big or small—shows up. This guide is not intended to be your final comprehensive list, we cover some of the essentials only. Each family has it’s own needs! If you have not already check out : Part 1.

The idea for this post came from the EU’s 2025 Preparedness Strategy

Level 1 – 72‑Hour Grab Kit (family of four)

Water

Item	Qty	Notes
Bottled water	36 L	3 L pp / day; longest shelf life
Tap water in food‑grade jugs	20 L	Rotate every 6 months
Purification tablets + filter	1 pack	Backup for suspect sources
Unscented bleach	1 bottle	4 drops / L clears cloudy water

Food ≈ 25 000 kcal

Choose items your family actually eats; add gluten‑free, dairy‑free, or baby items as needed.

Item	Qty	kcal†	Reason
Canned tuna / meats	12	1 440	Lean protein
Canned beans / veg	12	2 880	Fibre & iron
Mixed ready‑meals	8	6 400	Heat‑and‑eat morale food
Energy bars	36	9 000	Instant calories
Nuts & dried fruit	2 kg	5 000	Healthy snack
Can‑opener	1	–	Essential tool

First‑Aid & Health

Bandages (20), gauze (5), antiseptic wipes (10), painkillers, prescription meds (3 days), disinfectant, vinegar for jellyfish stings (rinse first with sea water), thick work gloves, small fire extinguisher.

Light, Power & Communication

Battery radio, 2 LED torches + spare AA/AAA, 10 candles + waterproof matches, 4 whistles, 10 000 mAh power bank (charged monthly).

General Tools

Item	Qty	Purpose
Multi‑tool	1	Cutting, opening, minor repairs
Duct tape	1 roll	Quick fixes, sealing
Rope or paracord	10 m	Securing gear, makeshift clothesline

Sanitation & Comfort

Toilet paper (4 rolls), soap (2 bars), hand sanitiser, deck of cards, soft toy per child.

Docs & Cash

ID and insurance photocopies in zip bag; €200–€500 in small notes.

Level 2 – 1‑Week Stay‑at‑Home Kit

Extra Water

+ 48 L bottled or jugged; second pack of purification tablets.

Extra Food ≈ 56 000 kcal

Rice (3 kg), pasta (3 kg), canned veg (24), canned meat (12), honey (1 kg), instant coffee/tea (barter & morale), nuts & bars top‑up.
Aim for one “treat” per day—biscuits, chocolate, or powdered juice—to keep spirits up.

Cooking & Power

Portable butane stove + 4 cartridges; folding solar panel (15–25 W) to keep phones charged; 20 000 mAh bank.

Waste Management

Bucket‑style portable toilet or thick garbage bags + cat litter; disinfectant; designate an outdoor spot (courtyard/rooftop) for sealed rubbish until collection resumes.

Community & Pets

• Swap phone numbers with neighbours, agree to check on elderly flats.
• Keep 1 week of pet food, water, meds, and a carrier ready.
•Think about the children: toys, books, costumes which might occupy their time. (no tablets!)

Care Packages

Prepare 2–3 small bundles—bottled water, canned food, wet wipes, and a friendly note—to share with isolated neighbours or the unprepared, first responders after the first assessment.

Level 3 – 3‑Month Resilience Plan

Water Strategy

Source	Capacity	Reality Check
Indoor storage tanks	≥1 080 L	3 L pp / day × 90; space needed
Rain‑catchment barrels	Site‑specific
Solar still	0.3–0.7 L / m² / day	Supplement only—not primary
Purification tablets	As stock	Costly but compact backup

Food Goals

Target ≈ 670 000 kcal for four people. Combine: freeze‑dried meal buckets (20‑year life), 20 kg rice & oats sealed with oxygen absorbers, 10 kg legumes, 5 kg honey, 60 mixed cans, multivitamins, heirloom seeds. Balcony or rooftop boxes can yield herbs, lettuce, and radishes—even in Valletta flats.

Energy

1 kW roof‑top solar + 2 deep‑cycle batteries run lights, fans, chargers. Apartment dwellers: foldable 200 W kit on balcony rails is still useful.

Tools & Skills

DIY manuals (paper and PDFs on phone), basic carpentry/repair kit, fishing rod/net if you live near Marsaxlokk or St Paul’s Bay. Inflatable kayak—optional—for those with storage and coastal plans.

Waste & Hygiene

Compost raw veggie scraps in a sealed bucket on balcony; store other waste double‑bagged. Dig latrine only on private rural land and at least 30 m from watercourses.

Mental Health

Set routines: breakfast at 08 00, 15‑minute neighbour check‑in, quiet games at night. Keep books, notepads, and downloaded movies on a tablet.

Security

Legal self‑defence spray, sturdy door locks, neighbourhood watch chat group.

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Common Maltese Scenarios & Key Actions

Scenario	Primary Risks	Actions
Earthquake	Falling debris, water cuts	“Drop‑Cover‑Hold”, keep shoes by bed, shut off mains if pipes leak
Shipping stoppage	Food & fuel shortage	Tap 1‑week stocks; ration canned goods; follow CPD bulletins
Heatwave (40 °C+)	Dehydration, blackout	Double water to 6 L pp / day; use shade nets; run fans on solar
Prolonged power outage	Cold chain failure, ATMs down	Use gas stove, rotate fridge food to cooler, rely on cash
Public‑health emergency	Quarantine, clinic overload	Store masks, hand soap, 90‑day meds; follow Health Ministry SMS

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Maintenance Calendar

Item	Inspect / Replace
Bottled / jugged water	1 Jan & 1 Jul
Batteries & power banks	Charge monthly; replace 2 yr
Gas cartridges	Shake & weigh every 12 mo
Canned / dry food	Eat / donate by best‑before
Medications	Note pharmacy expiry
Fire extinguisher	Gauge check 2× year

Set two phone reminders: “Kit audit – 1 Jan” and “Kit audit – 1 Jul”.

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Evacuation Snapshot

If staying put isn’t safe…
• Agree on a family meeting point (e.g., Birkirkara parish square).
• Keep a grab‑bag with passports, €200 cash, phone charger, snacks, 1 L water pp, and pet lead.
• Know CPD shelter sites announced on local radio.

Advanced Skills & Local Knowledge for Maltese Resilience

Island Water & Food Security

• Fishing mastery – practise shore angling with rod/reel or hand‑line (hand‑line). Know local bait and seasons (e.g., dorado run Aug‑Dec, sea bass peak in winter). If you have a kayak or dinghy, learn basic in‑shore boat fishing.
• Boating & seamanship – learn how to handle a boat, kayak, or inflatable.
• Rainwater & well know‑how – test the quality of water in wells.
• Gardening – grow basil, mint, lettuce, radish, and compact tomatoes in recycled buckets; use drip irrigation and home‑made compost to conserve water. If you have space plant fruit trees or olive trees.

Medical, Safety & Communication

• Advanced first aid & CPR via St John Ambulance or Malta Red Cross, emphasising heatstroke, severe dehydration, wound care, and jellyfish treatment.
• VHF marine radio – earn the Short Range Certificate and monitor Channel 16 for distress; practise mayday protocol.
• Amateur (ham) radio – licence through MARL to reach Gozo or Sicily when phones fail; keep a short‑wave receiver for global news.
• Fire awareness – know escape routes in terraced apartments; service extinguishers.

Mobility, Logistics & Community

• Bicycles : Might come in handy in certain situations.
• Common car parts might become good barter items

Mindset

Cultivate the can‑do attitude—resourceful, calm, and ready to improvise with what’s at hand.

Start Today

Sign up for a weekend powerboat course, join a ham‑radio net, or spend Saturday morning setting up a balcony planter. Pair these quarterly skill refreshers with your bi‑annual kit audit for a well‑rounded, resilient household.

Final Word

A reliable kit is built one payday at a time: an extra water case today, a stove cartridge next month, a solar panel by summer. Preparedness isn’t doomsday thinking—it’s everyday peace of mind on an island where help can take a boat ride to arrive.