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Emergency preparedness in Singapore: what the official rules say

Singapore at a glance: Ready Bag and two weeks of food, 590+ public shelters, sirens and SG Alert, mandatory home shelters, 995 and 999.

Updated 2026-10-20· 9 official sources

Singapore at a glance

updated 2026-10-20
SuppliesThe SCDF asks every household to keep a portable Ready Bag of essentials to take when evacuating, and its 2026 Civil Defence Emergency Handbook advises keeping a two-week supply of essential non-perishable food at home.sourcedPublic sheltersSingapore has more than 590 Civil Defence (CD) public shelters in MRT stations, HDB blocks, schools, community centres and other buildings.sourcedAlertsThe SCDF Public Warning System (PWS) is a network of sirens with three signals: Alarm, All Clear and Important Message.sourcedIodineNo official Singapore source found describes a public distribution, pre-distribution zones, stockpile or sale status for potassium iodide tablets.not publishedPrivate shelterUnder the Civil Defence Shelter Act 1997, every new house must have a household shelter, and every new block of flats must have one in each flat or a storey shelter on each storey.sourcedShelter standardsSCDF publishes binding technical standards: the Technical Requirements for Household Shelters 2023 (TRHS), which apply to all houses and flats, and the Technical Requirements for Storey Shelters 2021.sourcedEmergency numbersDial 995 for SCDF (fire and emergency ambulance) and 999 for the Police.sourced
Crisis bookletSCDF publishes the Civil Defence Emergency Handbook.sourced
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Short answer. Singapore's Civil Defence Force (SCDF) asks every household to keep a portable Ready Bag for evacuation and a two-week supply of essential food at home 12. There are more than 590 public shelters 6, but household and storey shelters are the primary wartime shelter, and the law requires one in every new house and flat 27. Emergencies: dial 995 (SCDF) or 999 (Police) 2.

Facts on these pages were checked against official sources on 20 October 2026.

Who is responsible for preparedness in Singapore?

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) is the lead agency for civil defence, shelters and public warning 2. It publishes the Civil Defence Emergency Handbook, now in its 10th edition (2026), as a free PDF in English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil 32. The handbook covers first aid, fire safety, the Ready Bag, stockpiling, SG Alert, the Public Warning System, shelter protection, Improvised Cover At Home and In-Place Protection 2. It sits alongside the national SGSecure campaign and Total Defence Day on 15 February 2.

Other agencies appear in specific areas: the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) handles shelter plans in building submissions, and the National Environment Agency (NEA) handles radiological emergency planning. See Emergency numbers and official contacts.

What does each Singapore page cover?

Page Key fact
Emergency supplies Two weeks of essential food at home; a Ready Bag for evacuation; no official water quantity 12
Official kit list 18 lines from SCDF: 8 essential and 7 optional Ready Bag items, plus 3 stockpile foods 12
Public shelters More than 590 public shelters; find them on OneMap or SCDF's list 6
Emergency alerts Three siren signals; Important Message tested 15 February and 15 September at 6:20pm; SG Alert rolling out 245
Iodine tablets Singapore publishes no official iodine tablet guidance 2
Building a shelter Every new house and flat must have a household shelter (or a storey shelter for flats) 7
Shelter standards Technical Requirements for Household Shelters 2023 8 and for Storey Shelters 2021 9
Emergency contacts 995 SCDF, 999 Police, SMS 70995 and 70999 2

What should a household in Singapore do first?

  1. Pack a Ready Bag and build a two-week food stock from the official kit list 12.
  2. Know your shelter: the household or storey shelter in your home, or the nearest public shelter; see Public shelters.
  3. Learn the three siren signals and check whether your phone can receive SG Alert; see Emergency alerts 45.
  4. Save the emergency numbers 995 and 999; see Emergency contacts 2.

Our general guides go deeper: What goes in a 72-hour emergency kit?, How do I make a family emergency plan? and Which documents and how much cash to keep for an emergency?.

What is changing in 2026 and 2027?

SG Alert, a cell broadcast system that sends warnings to phones without an app, is being rolled out in phases: on StarHub's network by end-2026, then on M1 and SIMBA by mid-2027 5. The 10th edition of the handbook was published in 2026 and replaces the 9th edition (2021, updated 2024) 23.

Frequently asked questions

Does Singapore publish an official preparedness booklet?

Yes. SCDF's Civil Defence Emergency Handbook, 10th edition (2026), is a free PDF in English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil 32.

How long should food supplies last in Singapore?

The 2026 handbook advises keeping a two-week supply of essential food items at home 2.

Do homes in Singapore have shelters?

Every new house must have a household shelter, and every new block of flats must have one in each flat or a storey shelter on each storey 7.

Sources

  1. Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) — Ready Bag for Emergency — https://www.scdf.gov.sg/home/community-and-volunteers/fire-emergency-guides/ready-bag-for-emergency (accessed 2026-10-20)
  2. Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) — Civil Defence Emergency Handbook (10th edition, 2026) – English — https://www.scdf.gov.sg/docs/default-source/comm.---volunteers-(docs)/2026-scdf-emergency-handbook(eng)_16-oct.pdf (accessed 2026-10-20)
  3. Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) — Civil Defence Emergency Handbook & Interactive Tools — https://scdf.gov.sg/home/community-and-volunteers/fire-emergency-guides/civil-defence-emergency--handbook---interactive-tools (accessed 2026-10-20)
  4. Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) — Public Warning System — https://www.scdf.gov.sg/home/civil-defence-shelter/public-warning-system (accessed 2026-10-20)
  5. Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) — Emergency Alert (SG Alert) — https://www.scdf.gov.sg/home/civil-defence-shelter/emergency-alert-(sg-alert) (accessed 2026-10-20)
  6. Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) — The People Behind SCDF's Public Shelters — https://www.scdf.gov.sg/home/about-scdf/media-room/our-stories/storyarticledetail/the-people-behind-scdf's-public-shelters (accessed 2026-10-20)
  7. Attorney-General's Chambers – Singapore Statutes Online — Civil Defence Shelter Act 1997 — https://sso.agc.gov.sg/Act/CDSA1997 (accessed 2026-10-20)
  8. Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) — Technical Requirements for Household Shelters 2023 — https://www.scdf.gov.sg/docs/default-source/cd-shelter-(docs)/technical-requirements-for-household-shelters-2023.pdf (accessed 2026-10-20)
  9. Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) — About Civil Defence Shelter — https://www.scdf.gov.sg/home/civil-defence-shelter/about-civil-defence-shelter (accessed 2026-10-20)

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Sources

  1. Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) · Ready Bag for Emergency checked 2026-10-20
  2. Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) · Civil Defence Emergency Handbook (10th edition, 2026) – English checked 2026-10-20
  3. Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) · Civil Defence Emergency Handbook & Interactive Tools checked 2026-10-20
  4. Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) · Public Warning System checked 2026-10-20
  5. Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) · Emergency Alert (SG Alert) checked 2026-10-20
  6. Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) · The People Behind SCDF's Public Shelters checked 2026-10-20
  7. Attorney-General's Chambers – Singapore Statutes Online · Civil Defence Shelter Act 1997 checked 2026-10-20
  8. Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) · Technical Requirements for Household Shelters 2023 checked 2026-10-20
  9. Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) · About Civil Defence Shelter checked 2026-10-20

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