Government announcement today that we should stock up on food etc

When I’ve been camping without electricity I would cook a tin of corned beef with a jar of curry sauce and warm some Naan breads over the primus. I also keep an emergency stock of Pot noodle, 

Amazon sell several such devices, some of which have bad reviews and at least one is set up for the US market. Generally, I prompt my search engine with something like "best wind-up radio UK", read reviews and check out their top recommendations. It's a painstaking process but it did yield one good contender, which I found on a UK prepper site being sold for less than other sites (and around £40 cheaper than Amazon). Yes, it has a torch, radio and its own internal battery, which can be charged from the mains, wind-up or solar. Oh, and it charges phones. 

Amazon selll a device that has a battery that charges via wire solar power and wind up its a FM/am radio (very useful in s flood or something where power is out to hear any safety updates) a torch(good for if your normal touch is out of battery power) and a power bank to. Keep your phone charged. 

That's helpful.

All the very best.

Let's hope we never need to use them.

Thank you.

The recent stuff about this gave me a kick to make a list and maintain a stock. I'll begin next week with a good wind-up/solar/battery radio. Fortunately, I have one decent power pack but that would only last 48-72 hours in an emergency, charging up the phone and laptop. Also fortunately, I have room in the garage to add a box for this stuff. I know some houses in Scotland were without power for a couple of weeks after a bad storm a couple of winters ago and people there had to travel (if they could get through the snow) to recharge their phones etc. Here's my current list for one person for 1-2 weeks without power/heat (see below).

Camping stove (single or double ring) & butane.
Hurricane lamp and oil
Safe heater (Catalytic? Not sure propane safe for indoors. More research needed)
Wind up radio/torch
Flask
Cash
Candles
Books/solitary games

Milk powder (online specialist that sells whole milk, not supermarket crap skimmed milk)
Dried beans
Tinned veg (e.g. tomatoes)
Tinned meat/fish
Rice or dried pasta
Rice crackers/rusks
Water jerry cans – 3 x 25 litres (1 person for 10 days)
Soup (tinned/packet)
Coffee
?Sauces
Yoghurt Granola bars
Ready to eat camping meals (from prepper site)

I have a good larder too, I like to cook so have lots of ingredients handy.

If people are worried about what happens if????? Then make a plan of what you'd like everybody else in your block do, think of a list of useful tasks, people like to have someone in charge when things go wrong, you ccan then leave them to go about thier tasks whilst you sit in a chair and "supervise" them. Get men digging latrines and fire pits, going to the river or beach and getting loads of roundish cobbles to line the firpits and collect wood and cut it up so as it can go in the firepits that can then be used both as heating, but for cooking too.

Point 3 is very true and world leaders who use it as a "threat" Is basicly propergander to reinforce their possiton of power and usually within their own conntry be like you sa m.a.d is a thing so no world leader would see it as a solution it's more of an outdated weapon that serves no purpose because in like during ww2 where a nukr ment a winner thee days if one is set off everyone loses 

Just like with the emergency alerts people including "insiders" Claim it's to prepare us for war when the reality is that in the UK we are seeing more floods EC thsn ever so they have stepped up awareness 

A link below to the government site:

prepare.campaign.gov.uk/

I hope this announcement isn't going to make people panic buy like in COVID.

I don't think I will be stocking up loads unless further guidance is given. I'd probably be waiting a bit before I was really stocking up.

I will make sure I have plenty of squash in because that's the only thing I drink. I may fill an empty one of those up with water and keep it in the fridge as that costs nothing.

I'll make sure I've got some of my safe foods in the freezer just in case.

I do hope the electricity doesn't go for any significant amount of time as I don't have gas so would have no anything. I think on this basis I will make sure I've got a torch/electric lamp. I think this would sensible anyway.

I am not to be honest, I live in a tiny studio

Thank you Profdanger, I think I know this logically, but do appreciate your wisdom. 

Any food that doesn’t need cooking, sandwiches, cereal whatever is your thing. Try to collect rain water in a plastic bin or very large tub outside in case the power goes off for a while and you need to flush toilet. From experience you need about a washing up bowls worth for a good flush. A Torch. Stash of bottled water for drinking. I think the bbc article was aiming at people in high risk areas so try not to stress too much about it. It’s always good to be prepared though. I personally give the US preppers and bunker people a very very wide birth. Slightly unhinged and are in a perpetual state of “what ifs” and potential crisis creating fear. Not great for anxiety or keeping things in perspective.

profdanger said:

For reference of what I alluded to: Trump blaming Minnesota Governor

Thanks for sharing. 

Oh dear ...

For reference of what I alluded to: Trump blaming Minnesota Governor

Very wise words 

Try not to panic, especially if you feel sufficiently prepared already. When you feel anxiety over the possibility of a societal crisis, think of these things:

1. Humankind is immensely resilient. If society as we know it collapses in the near future, it will not have been the first time nor the last time. Humans have survived incredible odds on this wild planet so far.
2. Yes there are bad people out there, but community is a natural instinct for humanity. We have developed community since prehistory for survival and that is not a learned skill, but an innate one.
3. Don’t let news outlets or cinema convince you that nuclear war is imminent. Mutually assured destruction makes it practically impossible for nuclear war to ever break out.

It’s going to be okay. Preparedness is good, but panic helps no one.

Breakfast cereal.

Long life oat milk.

Homebird said:

There was one winter with planned power cuts, usually before or after 6 pm, so people could prepare

I remember that well, and also the 'winter of discontent' as my dad's company, Ford Motor Company, was on strike so we had even less money than usual.

An open fire was a very useful thing then but I don't have one and I think most people rely on gas or electric heating.

Homebird said:

Gas hob also useful to warm water in a kettle

 Could we not lose the gas supply?