Anyone planning on buying a wind up FM radio?

What's with the wind up torches? Just buy batteries? It's stuff that plugs into the grid you need to replicate.

As long as you have good ventilation - windows wide open, which in winter if the power is off, might lose you a lot of heat. Camping gas stoves can give off carbon monoxide fumes, so make sure you have a working detector, too. Absolutely essential if you're considering getting a gas camping stove.

Ideally you'd be cooking outdoors if power was down, but the nature of the emergency might make that impossible or impractical. A couple of years ago, we had what we thought was a gas leak (it wasn't - we're on LPG as semi rural, and what we were smelling was the sludgy end of the gas tank as we'd run out!). We were told to turn our electricity off and air the house out. It was the beginning of January... One of my sons is severely autistic and only eats a very limited range of food, and I found myself squatting outside on the patio, frying him the one vegetable he eats, over my wood fueled 'rocket stove' in my cast iron camping pan! Obviously I can't use that indoors, though we've got a wood burner, and the top of it gets hot enough to roast chestnuts. I've often wondered what I could cook on top of it, but there's only about six inches clearance.

I bought one, and a wind up torch, about 15 years ago when we had a power cut that lasted almost 24 hours.

Same here. I have loads of bits iny Amazon basket, but I am terrible for wanting to find the best option of everything, which means I usually end up with something really good, but in situations like this, something would be better than the perfect something that I don't have yet!! 🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️

So I must get some bits ordered today, even if they are not the most perfect option!

Do you live in the UK?

Shower in the garden any time between now and May at the earliest is not going to be something you'd really want to do.

If you had some way of heating the water and you bought a camp shower, you could hang in the indoor shower then yes you could use the water butt water.

Water butts for the loo 🤣🤣aptly named 🤣🤣

I used to camp and go to festivals so I have a little solar radio that also functions as a torch. It works well. And a ‘wind up’ torch that you pump a button on (rather than actually wind) to charge it. We also have a solar charger for phones. We have sleeping bags in the attic but plenty of blankets in the house if needed anyway. We do have a toddler so obviously if the power went out, his monitor wouldn’t work, but we’d probably bring him in with us anyway for warmth.

We have had central heating, but also have one electric radiator at the awkward end of the living room. And our hob is gas but the oven is electric. So if one or the other goes out, we should still have a heat and cooking source (with matches or a lighter to light the hob, as obviously the ignition switch is electric).

We always keep our cupboards well stocked anyway. We could manage a few days no problem.

For people worrying about cooking food but not wanting to spend money on a camping stove or similar that they’ll likely never use outside of an emergency, what about a BBQ? It’s something most people have. Even getting a few disposable ones, so you could eat one hot meal a day, would be useful.

Otherwise, cupboard food that stores well and doesn’t need to be heated to eat is fine. Crackers and crisp breads can be used instead of sandwiches, with something like peanut butter. You can get jars of pickled beetroot, peppers in oil, tins of fish/meat etc. Even beans can be eaten cold. Many soups etc can be too; just check the labels.

Don’t forget that a lot of things need to be refrigerated once opened, like UHT milk. So if there’s no power, and you use a bit of milk for cereal and a cuppa, you’d have no way to store the rest of the carton safely. Better to buy small cartons than big ones, or even buy cereal bars instead that don’t require milk to eat, and powdered milk for drinks.

You don’t really need to buy anything special to be prepared. Just try not to let your cupboards run low, and make sure you have some painkillers and basic first aid supplies to hand.

So the only things you might need to buy specially are a torch or lantern, a small radio, and maybe something to cook with (even if it’s a cheap BBQ, like the little ones you can take to the beach etc). And don’t forget batteries!

Lucky you!
We don't.

🤣🤣🤣

we often get powercuts that don't affect the network.

yes youcan use some of them indoors for short periods in a well ventilated space, go and have a look on Amazon. If I was you, I'd buy a suitable sized fire blanket at the same time just in case

I'm the UK, rural, always have water, food for at least a week, medication, a generator, of course wind up FM radio etc, and phone chargers.

Plus wood for wood burner, borehole, private Solar.

Although if the network is down, What's the point of chargers?

Also am an Archer, so can defend us!

There are war hawks who want to see a significant spend on defence; Russia is their boogeyman.

Russia has lost it's military initiative in Ukraine, they've resorted to hoping Ukraine will surrender something to them to save face.

Personal preparedness is about adverse weather events, cyber attacks and such like. Not a war.

We have a garage full of camping gear including a stove, solar panel charging system, various torches and a radio. Need to think about food options.. also going to store some cash. Work has kicked in a disaster recovery site and the last time that happened was Covid so I’m taking it as a serious sign something is afloat.

Forgive my ignorance, can’t you use a camping stove inside?
if we did have 3 days without electricity, I’d be miserable without tea! I’d like to be able to boil water.

Do you not read the news?

Both current and former Heads of the British Army, the head of MI6, and the Minister for the Armed Forces have all said we’re preparing for war. Every European country is preparing for it.

And when it happens, our troops will be sent to Ukraine; or Finland or Poland or whichever is the next country that Russia invades. It’s not scaremongering, it’s common knowledge.

There is no chance of a ground war anywhere in the west.

I don't necessarily think the 'be prepared' initiatives are scare mongering (they're resilience bods justifying their salaries). Posts like yours however ARE scare mongering.

Ours has been on and off tonight too. Im not usually nervy, but I am on edge. Realising how quick society collapses and how quickly crime would rise.

I’m in the south and we’ve had tiny electric outage’s tonight … which has made me nervy and more determined to get stuff together!

My gran did and i loved the smell ! Weird lol

70’s child. I have a blue glass paraffin lamp my Mum used during power cuts.

I bought a wind up radio/torch/power bank a couple of years ago when we were told to have stuff so have got that out and tuned the radio to see if it works.

Another 70’s child who remembers stockpiled foods and powercuts!

Nope. I fished out our wind-up torch and find I can barely wind the thing. You're supposed to do it for ten minutes... I'd be dead by then, maybe that's the Govenment's plan - weed out the weak before the balloon goes up.

Good point, we might have some of our population either away or assisting the army so that means the rest of us will have to take the initiative.

I have one. It’s also a torch.