Government 3day emergency ready

That's quite a small scale event. If it was across a wider area and affected more people, it would take longer to distribute bottled water to everyone and there might not be enough to go round.

As an illustration of 'just because we are asked to prepare not necessarily meaning that the bad thing will happen', Japan has just carried out a 'what if Mount Fuji erupted during peak season' exercise even though it has not erupted for over 300 years and isn't expected to any time soon.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/10/23/japan/mount-fuji-eruption-foreign-tourists/ shows the types of emergency planning that has been done by local authorities the world over for decades.

I find the opposite, that having a few bits in means I don't have to worry or give any more thought to it. I've got young children too and there have been times we couldn't get to the shop because we all came down with a virus so it's not just about power cuts or flooding or whatever...... it's just part of normal household management.

I would just make sure you have some long life things in that don't need cooking but that you will use up normally and can replace so nothing goes to waste. So for us that's porridge oats, long life milk, tinned fruit, crackers, peanut butter, raisins, tuna, tinned sweetcorn etc.

I don't buy lots of bottled water but do fill up old milk bottles each week and if we don't need them use them to water the garden and then refill.

Honestly OP, it used to be very normal to have extra food in the house. We’ve grown so used to 24 hour supermarkets and online deliveries that many people live day to day and just assume there will always be easy access to everything they need. Maybe there will be but at the same time, if you can, try and have extra stuff in. You’re not prepping for Armageddon, you’re just being sensible in case there’s a disruption to power or the supply chain.

Ever since Covid/panic buying silliness, I’ve had a couple of plastic boxes with tinned stuff that I rotate. Also have a camping stove, candles, torch and I have a wind up radio which also has a phone charging function. Governments have always put out big scary warnings like these (that’s a subject for another thread!) but everything from the Y2K panic to ‘weapons of mass destruction’, it’s always been a thing. If you can, take sensible precautions but other than that, being terrified is honestly a wasted emotion.

OP do you have anxiety? I don’t think it’s normal to be as worried as you sound about this. All the gov is doing is bring us inline with the rest of Europe, who all have these warnings in place already. It doesn’t mean anything’s actually going to happen or that the advice is being given because they think it’s likely to be needed. It’s just helping people be prepared in the extremely unlikely event they’ll be stranded in their house for days. Do remember a time in your life ever when the water got cut off, the shops all closed, and the power went out all at once?? No, cos it’s never happened and it’s extremely unlikely to ever happen!

I don’t think the food thing is the issue.

For me it’s the water - they recommend 3 litres per person per day. So need to store 12 litres of water somewhere. I shall reluctantly buy a wind up radio as this messaging seems to be really ramping up for some reason.

I dont think its a plan for anything big because its for 3 days only. I think the most likely thing is what they say, weather events which they know are more likely due to el nino, and fuel disruption / power shortages due to Iran.

Its just for people who can, so those who cant can get to shops easier.

We didn’t have wind up radios in the 70’s but my parents had everything else. We had a small black & white tv that my dad could run off a car battery, a camping stove and calor gas lamps, candles and battery radio. Power outages were regular and scheduled. My parents bought a calor gas fire, it was huge and you pressed a button to fire it up. We all congregated in one room to keep warm.

I’ve seen so many people saying this and it seems like an infantile reaction to me. There is a good chance that there will be power cuts this winter. We know this is likely for a multitude of reasons. Denying it is nonsensical. Making sure you’ve got food for the next three days isn’t “terrifying”, it’s just plain common sense.

I’m sure empty cupboards during a power cut would be far more terrifying than the inconvenience of having to live on cereal bars and cold beans or rice pudding for a few days.

Focus on water and what your 2 year old needs.
You will feel better if you have done what you are able to make sure they are OK.

If those of us with the ability to are able to prep a little, it will leave more for those who do live day to day. I think that is the point.

I certainly remember the strikes of the 70s; the lack of power, the bakers going on strike, and sitting huddled around a calor gas heater in the dark, playing cards. it wasn’t much fun for my mum, trying to keep us all fed when we had very little money and she didn’t drive. We lived fairly rurally, in a village that had frequent power cuts. I think that has shaped my mindset a bit. Emergency candles were always under the sink, with matches to light them. These days our power supply is a bit more stable, but we have more severe weather, so swings and roundabouts.

When I was a child we had the strikes in the 1970’s with shortages and sitting in the dark. we also had to practice hiding under our desks in case there was a nuclear attack from Russia. I was also in a couple of IRA bomb scares.

Countries like Switzerland have had a requirement to have a few days emergency rations for years. I always have plenty of stuff in reserve as I bulk buy as it’s cheaper. Not a prepper just organised.

If "something worse" happens it will be because this bloody government has led us into a war with Russia by supporting Ukraine. We have nothing culturally in common with this country on the fringe or Europe so we should have kept out of this. We have a PM with NO MANDATE for this or anything else at present - elected by a few thousand people in some obscure part of the country. We need a referendum to determine if the BRITISH BORN population as a whole want to support other countries and risk danger to themselves.

Tbh real problems in the here and now of my life are occupying my mind rather than these what ifs.

What is the obsession with wind up radios? Are battery operated ones obsolete or unobtainable now?

You sound like a Russian bot.

Labour made it clear before the GE in 2024 that it would continue to support Ukraine if elected.

Born in 1972 so as a very small child it was my job to fetch the candles when the power went off.
Parents were war babies so always stockpiled.
I learnt from covid to have a reasonable supply of stuff. We worked through covid and by the time I got to the shops there was nothing left.
Need to get some water and pretty sure my ancient wind up radio in the loft has died.
Nothing nefarious happening, think it's just good to be prepared for crappy weather.

I have got a plastic beer barrel that I sometimes put homemade cider in when I make it. I will fill it up with water. I don't know how often water would keep for.

Bots are usually less ridiculous.

Yes I wonder how long stored tap water keeps for?

My DH likes to argue water doesn’t go off but it must do.

I am old enough to remember playing Monopoly by candlelight and Ted Heath announcing the 3-day week. Apparently, productivity went up. I also remember queuing up in the post office to collect the game's teacher's petrol rations, as I had a broken wrist and couldn't do games. Happy days. 😀

That was my experience during covid. We worked, and finished work to come to empty shelves.
I won't ever forget the feeling- which is why I've aimed to be more self reliant since.
I'm actually still quite angry about it if the truth be told. All those people sat at home having fun times home schooling their children and I was telling my kids we had to be careful only to eat what we really needed.

Russia is responsible for this. Russia. Is that clear enough for you?

It is a bit disquieting. For our Government to announce repeatedly that people should prepare for failures in supply, be it water, food, medicines etc.

I do realise the climate and the world politically is volatile. And switch that off as much as we like it is becoming more apparent month by month that what used to be might not be the way of things going forward.

But I do also hope that they, as a Government, have some contingencies in place for handling extreme weather, food supplies, and should we be attacked in some way be that via hacking to financial institutions etc or more directly. It is one of their tasks.

If the government told you to fit smoke detectors in your home, would you take it as them telling you that there will definitely be a fire in your house and you need to prepare? It's just part of risk management, the risk is there but it's small.

Putin is cornered because he can't afford to drag the Ukraine war further than spring. It will most likely end this winter. He has increased all of the hybrid attacks in Europe to force us to stop supporting Ukraine. In the UK the biggest threat is that Russian vessels have been surrounding the undersea cables which are critical for digital communication. Some government security officials think that it's likely that Russians have already placed explosives on the cables. If they were severed it would cause a major disruption in banking and supply chains. We don't know if Putin will go this far but we should be prepared

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwe8lz45d820o