Lit Window Press · Independent publisher

Plain handbooks for the days things stop working.

We publish practical, sourced guides for ordinary families: what to have, how much, and what to do first. Short sentences, real numbers, and a source for every fact. Calm, never fear.

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One home, ready.

Book one · The civilian family handbook

Prepare while the lights are on. Know what to do when they're not.

A plain, step-by-step handbook for ordinary families. Prepare while life is normal, know what to do when official warnings come, and manage your household through the first 72 hours and the first 90 days of a long disruption when power, fuel, water and money become unreliable. With a plan for if it lasts longer.

Plan your household, free See what's inside

139 pages, with worksheets For any home, no bunker needed Every fact sourced US · Canada · UK & Europe · Australia · NZ

Before the Dark book cover: a city at night with smoke, two helicopters and one lit window

How every Lit Window book is made

Every number has a sourceFrom public agencies such as the CDC, FEMA, the IEA and UNICEF, marked in the text so you can check it.

Medical pages get expert reviewHealth, medicine and food chapters go to an independent doctor and a specialist before a book is published.

Calm, not fearNo doomsday talk and no countdowns. Plain steps that a tired parent can follow at the kitchen table.

Open about moneyProduct links live on our website, never in our books. If we earn a commission, we say so, and it never changes our ranking.

The books

One book now. More on the way.

Every Lit Window book follows the same rules: plain English, worked numbers for real homes, options for every budget, and sources you can check.

Cover of Before the Dark: a city at night with one lit window

Book one · Family readiness

Before the Dark The civilian family handbook

What to store and how much, how to choose on any budget, and what to do in the first 72 hours and the first 90 days when power, fuel, water and money become unreliable.

In expert review · launch list open

Day 90: planned from the first 72 hours
29: decision ladders, every option ranked
16: quick scenarios, one page each
139: pages, including 7 worksheets

Explore the book Free household planner

Local emergency numbers and units for the US, Canada, UK & EU, Australia and NZ.

Why longer than 72 hours

Most guides stop at three days. A long disruption doesn't.

In a long war, power, fuel and banking are among the first things hit. In Ukraine, rolling blackouts went on for months.¹ Services depend on each other, so one failure often spreads to others. The book shows each link, and what to have ready for it.

What official guides ask households to plan for

European Union72 hoursMinimum self-sufficiency goal, 2025 Preparedness Union Strategy

United Kingdom72 hoursGovernment emergency-kit advice at gov.uk/prepare

United States3 daysCDC water advice, and two weeks if you can

Sweden1 week"In case of crisis or war" brochure, 2024

This book72 h → 90 daysThe first three days, the long stretch after, and what to do if it lasts longer

The root linkPowerLights, lifts, card machines, charging, water pumps in tall buildings and most gas boilers.

Fuel & transportPetrol stations can't pump without power, even with full tanks.Chapters 3, 5

Phones & paymentsMasts run on backup batteries. Card payments and banking apps can stop with them.Chapters 1, 7, 8

Water & wastePumping, treatment and sewage all need power.Chapters 2, 6

Daily life & incomeRationing, prices, medicines, repairs and routines get harder to keep going.Part Two

These are examples of how one failure can lead to another, not a fixed order or a forecast. ¹ International Energy Agency, 2022. Official guides: European Commission (2025); UK Government, gov.uk/prepare; US CDC; Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency, MSB (2024).

Built for ordinary homes

No bunker. No basement. No generator needed.

Most families live in flats or small houses, rent, share walls and have normal budgets. The book is written for them first, then shows what extra space or money can add.

Flats and renters

Nothing to drill or build. Plans that work in a shared building, with lifts and pumps that may stop.

Small storage

Where two weeks of water and food can fit: under beds, in wardrobes, behind doors.

No car

Plans that work on foot and by public transport, with meeting places in walking distance.

No generator

Light, charging and cooking with rechargeable lamps, power banks and small solar panels.

Tight budget

Every decision ladder has a very-low-cost rung, with what it costs and what you give up.

Care needs from day one

Medicines, mobility, baby feeding, home oxygen and assistance animals, planned before anything else.

An honest promise. Not every home can store 90 days of everything, and you don't have to. The book shows how to store the first two weeks, then how to refill safely, use official help and neighbours, and how to tell when leaving is the safer choice.

Inside the book

Two parts. Prepare, then live through it.

Part One tells you what to have, how much, and how to get it ready, in order of priority. Part Two walks you through 90 days in five stages, with a routine and warning signs for each.

Part OnePrepare

Every chapter is marked by priority, so you always know what to do first.

1Your householdPriority 1
2WaterPriority 1
3FoodPriority 1
4Power & lightPriority 1
5Heat, cooling & cookingPriority 2
6Health & hygienePriority 1
7Money & documentsPriority 2
8CommunicationPriority 2
9Home safetyPriority 2
10Go-bagPriority 2
11Special needsPriority 3

Priority is the order to read and prepare, not how much it matters. If someone at home has medical, mobility or baby-feeding needs, start Chapter 11 on day one.

Part TwoLive through 90 days

What changes at each stage, the daily routine, and the signs that tell you to change the plan.

72 hoursStage 1Stay safe, stay put, save phone battery, use the food that spoils first.

Days 4–14Stage 2Set a daily routine for water, cooking, light and hygiene.

Days 15–30Stage 3Ration fairly, check on neighbours, keep health problems small.

Days 31–60Stage 4Live with scarce power and fuel. Repair, share and resupply.

Days 61–90Stage 5Hold the routine, protect morale, decide when to stay or leave.

Day 90+If it lastsTake stock, resupply, use support systems, or move somewhere safer.

How the book makes choices

Every choice, with the reasons.

For each big need, the book lists the realistic options from best-funded to last resort, with what each costs and where it breaks. You pick the highest rung your budget, space and home allow. This is the ladder for light.

Rechargeable LED lanterns and headlamps

Lots of light for very little power. Needs a way to recharge.

Our pick

Battery torches and stored batteries

No charging needed. Batteries run out and can leak.

Backup

Solar garden lights

No batteries to buy. Dim, and weak in winter.

Low budget

Candles and oil lamps

Often already at home. A real fire risk.

Last resort

Free household planner

Your numbers, in two minutes.

The book's own numbers, worked out for your home, with the page to read next. Each result shows how sure we are: A comes from an official agency, B from an independent standard, C is our own estimate.

Store at home A · CDC212L

Find after day 14 B · Sphere0L

Food energy B · Sphere0kcal

Power a day C0Wh

Water, day by day

Stored: 3.8 L a person a day (CDC)From a safe source: at least 15 L a person a day (Sphere)

Your stored water in 20 L cans

Your plan

What	How much	How we worked it out	Book

Sources: US CDC, How to Create an Emergency Water Supply (1 US gallon a person a day; 3 days minimum; 2 weeks if you can). Sphere Association, The Sphere Handbook (at least 15 L a person a day; 2,100 kcal a person a day). Power and solar: the book's method, Chapter 4 (★ estimates from typical device ratings). Every number here matches the book; the page numbers show where.

Backup oxygen

For someone who already uses oxygen on a doctor's prescription. A concentrator stops when the power does, so the backup has to last until power or a new supply returns.

Continuous flow only. If your device uses pulse settings (numbers without "L/min"), this does not apply. Ask your supplier for their run-time chart.

Prescribed flow (litres per minute)

Outage to plan for

Your gauge reads in

Cylinder size (letter on the label)

Gauge reading

Full cylinders

Concentrator watts (on its label)Home concentrators typically draw about 290–400 W.

Power station size (Wh)

Its output (W)

Hours of oxygen against the outage

Concentrator on batteryCylindersNo oxygen

Battery runs it C0hours

Per cylinder C0min

Cylinders in total C0hours

Call your oxygen supplier now, not during the outage. Ask how much backup they will leave at home for a long power cut, whether a larger cylinder is possible, and who to call when the grid is down.

Safety firstOxygen does not burn by itself, but it makes other things catch fire easily and burn fast. Keep it well away from candles, gas stoves, heaters and smoking. Never change the flow your doctor prescribed. This planner does not tell you how much oxygen you need.

Cylinder formula: (gauge − 200 psi reserve) × cylinder factor ÷ flow, with the standard factors D 0.16, E 0.28, M 1.56, G 2.41, H/K 3.14 litres per psi. Bar method: water capacity × (gauge − 14 bar reserve) ÷ flow. Battery: the book's rule that you can use about 85% of a power station's rated Wh (Chapter 4), and its output must be higher than the concentrator's watts. Real cylinders and devices vary: always use your supplier's chart and the maker's figures. Not medically validated. Oxygen safety: NHS, Home oxygen therapy.

Do I need an oxygen cylinder for a radiation, chemical or germ attack?

No. In these events the danger is what is in the air, on surfaces or in water, not a lack of oxygen. A cylinder does not clean the air, adds a fire risk and runs out in hours. Masks do not supply oxygen either. Each event needs a different response, so follow official instructions for that event: usually get inside, sometimes leave.

Radiation or nuclear

The CDC's three steps:

Get inside a solid building fast. Cars give little protection.
Stay inside for at least 24 hours, in a basement or the middle of the building.
Stay tuned to official news on a battery or hand-crank radio.
A mask does not block radiation from fallout outside. Walls, distance and time do.
Take potassium iodide only if health officials tell you to.

CDC, Radiation emergencies: Stay inside.

Chemical release

Officials will say whether to leave or shelter in place. Do what they say.
If sheltering: go inside, close windows and doors, turn off fans, heating and air conditioning, and use an inner room with few windows.
Seal the room with plastic and tape if officials tell you to.
Do not go out for family or pets until officials say it is safe.
Dust masks do not stop chemical gases.

CDC, Shelter in place for a chemical emergency.

Germ (biological) threat

Follow public health instructions for that illness. It can take days for officials to know what it is.
Wash hands often, keep away from people who are ill, stay home if you are ill.
Stay away from suspicious powders or liquids, and report them.
A well-fitted respirator lowers the risk from germs in the air. It is not a guarantee.
Sealing a room is not the usual advice for germ threats. Do it only if officials say so.

Ready.gov, Bioterrorism; local public health agencies.

What to keep at home

A small supply of well-fitting respirators for each person: N95 (US, Canada), FFP2 (UK, EU) or P2 (Australia, NZ). Similar for dust-like particles, but tested under different standards. They do not filter gases or give oxygen.
Plastic sheeting and strong tape, used only if officials say to seal a room
A battery or hand-crank radio
Water and food you can reach from your inner room

Mask standards: N95 filters at least 95% (US NIOSH); FFP2 (EN 149) and P2 (AS/NZS 1716) at least 94%. B

How we check facts

Every claim shows how sure we are.

Each fact in the book carries a small source number and a grade. We would rather say "we are not sure" than guess.

AOfficialGovernment and public health agencies, international bodies.

BIndependentUniversities, major news reporting, standards bodies.

CEstimateManufacturer figures or our own arithmetic, shown with the working.

DLead onlyUsed to find better sources. Never printed as fact.

US CDCFEMA · Ready.govInternational Energy AgencyUNICEFUS NFPACitizens Advice (UK)Council on Foreign RelationsIdaho National LaboratoryEuropean CommissionUK GovernmentSwedish MSBUS NIOSHUK NHS

How we make money

From selling the book. Our website also lists products for each decision ladder. Some links pay us a small commission at no cost to you. We rank products before we look at commissions, and we tell you on every page that carries such links.

What this is not

It is not medical advice, and it is not a forecast of any war. It is general preparedness guidance for families. For medicines, oxygen and health conditions, follow your own doctor and your local authorities first.

Questions

Before you decide.

Still unsure? These are the questions families ask us most.

Is this a fear-based "doomsday" book?

No. The tone is calm and practical. We describe real risks plainly, then give you steps you can finish in an afternoon. Most of it also helps in storms, floods and ordinary power cuts.

Which countries is it written for?

The United States, Canada, the UK and Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Amounts are given in litres and US gallons, and we note where rules or products differ by country.

My English is not strong. Will I understand it?

Yes. Short sentences, one step at a time, worked examples, tables and checklists. Every chapter ends with a "done when" box so you know you've finished.

Do I need a big budget?

No. Every decision ladder has options for a comfortable budget, a tight one and very little money, and explains what you give up at each rung.

Does "90 days" mean you promise we will be fine?

No book can promise that. The book helps you prepare and make better choices for the first 90 days of a long disruption, and plan for if it lasts longer. Official instructions and your own judgement on the day still come first.

Does it replace advice from my doctor or government?

No. Official instructions always come first, and medical decisions belong with your doctor. The book helps you prepare so you can follow that advice when it matters.

When is it available?

We are finishing expert review now. Join the launch list below and we will email you once, on the day it is out.

Launch news

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One email when Before the Dark launches, with the free printable household worksheets. After that, only when a new book or free tool is ready. Leave any time.