Government announcement today that we should stock up on food etc

This increases my anxiety so much, but I do very little about it. There is plenty of food in my house but it’s why we would need to be stocked up that bothers me. 

Some people don't have store cupboards, some people eat out so often they don't really have much food in the house, I think this was one of the things that caused so much panic during covid lockdowns. For those of us who are home cooks its a bit different, whilst we may not have everything, we'd probably scrape through in an emergency, I think the government are just asking people to be a bit more aware, that something bad could happen. If the electricity goes off and you have no other source of heating, lighting or cooking, things could get uncomfortable.

I never thought having been a hippy would ever come in useful, but I know a bit more than some about living off grid, in the wilds with no running water and minimal sanitation.

If we had problems with water supply then I'd use the water butts in the garden for flushing the toilet and only flush when someone's done "a big job". Keep the plug in the basin and a fill it halfway so as you have somewhere to wash you hands, unless your hands are filthy you don't need to change the water every time.

Battery opperated xmas tree lights are good, the last time we had a power cut Mum and I had a string of them round our necks for reading and lighting our way round the house, they're cool light so you don't have to worry about burning.

I could cook over an open fire, I've got a load of those metal poles with a sort of crook at the end, like councils used to use to hold up netting and stuff when there were emergency repairs or something. I also have a couple of pans that I could use over a fire, they're Le Crussier type and have metal integrated handles that I could hook up to the poles over a fire.

I think some people may struggle if they rely totally on their freezers and microwaves for food as if the electricity went off they wouldn't be able to cook food from their freezers over a different heat source.

Years ago, when we had less processed food, shops actually had stock instead of just in time delivery and shops weren't open 24/7 we did keep more food in the house and a variety of it too. European people have kept this habit and those who live on the front line of aggressive countries or who've lived through civil war and unstable governments do too.

We've got a storm raging through again, I hope we don't have a power cut, but it's possible, we usually have a least one lasting a couple of days every year, it's why I have a gas fire in the living room and a gas hob, the fire dosen't get used often, just in power cuts, or for an hour of an evening in spring and autumn when you don't want the heating on, but its a bit chilly.

Where I used to live, our water supply would freeze and I got used to coping with little water, I didn't enjoy it, but I managed, you just start remembering things like a strip wash.

Thank you there is some good advice here. Our family camps so we have a couple of camping stoves and some gas. Also have a log burner to keep warm and also can heat water on it. 

I have to have hope that it would be okay. 

...and please don't run these in a confined space without good ventilation (carbon monoxide poisoning risk) - better outside if possible.

...and please don't run these in a confined space without good ventilation (carbon monoxide poisoning risk) - better outside if possible.