So what is this grab bag chat all about then?

[ElephantsSitOnSmellyPants]

Police forces across the UK seem to be tweeting about how people should have a “grab bag” handy in case of an emergency evacuation. Something called 30days30ways. “Preparedness month”??

Naturally there are a lot of people on Twitter who appear fairly concerned about this. Asking why on Earth we are being advised of this all of a sudden. Just what are they expecting? I don’t usually get my knickers in a knot over stuff I read on twitter but I must admit it’s a little odd.

If nothing else, in the (likely) event that there is nothing behind this, I think it’s quite irresponsible to tweet such a thing with no explanation.

What fresh hell is this. I’ve followed the hashtag but I’m not getting any good info

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.scotsman.com/news/what-are-we-preparing-for-police-scotland-slammed-for-anxiety-inducing-grab-bag-tweet-1-4999893/amp

Scaremongering crap.

It's perfectly normal in every country other than ours. In ours it's some sort of act of lunacy and cowardice.

I guess its for any emergency situation, flooding, hurricanes ect. Where i live we have an earthquake kit & 3 days worth of stuf for our family of 5. Updated regularly & ready to go

It's an OFRS.

Hth.

To be honest I’m not really questioning why one might need a grab bag. I can see the logic.

It’s more that it is not the norm here. We are not advised to do this as a matter of course.

There is already underlying fear and tension and uncertainty. I think the decision to try to make this a “thing” right now is irresponsible without any sort of explanation or reassurance

.

OFRS?

Oh Fuck Rucksack.

Thing is in most parts of the country in this part of the world, you'll never ever need it.

We have few hurricanes and even fewer earthquakes, neither of which have generally necessitated leaving the house.

If you're likely to need it you'll probably already have it, and better kitted out than the police suggestion. The police tweet is totally just generic and scaremongering.

It's as part of 30days30 ways campaign which has been going on every September for at least 4 years. Its also pretty standard advice in the household section of community resilience planning. Go google the name of your area and resilence forum or community emergency planning.

@AmateurSwami

"what the fresh hell..."

That saying has tickled me. I must remember to use it myself...

Really? I've missed it for four years then.

And yes... you should have it anywhere. While not everywhere in the country is likely to flood (which is one reason you might need to leave) , all buildings can set on fire. You can.also have chemical incidents.. whether that's industrial or like Salisbury. It's not scaremongering. It's being prepared so that if something does happen you will have a few things that help that for at night rather than standing outside on your pyjamas.

It's worth having one even if you don't live in a hurricane or earthquake country. Floods or house burning down, having something by the door with insurance details, passport, change of clothes etc is sensible.

Ask them in Whaley Bridge about having to leave at short notice.

If the house burns down i wouldnt be stopping for anything, even an emergency grab bag. Passports and other important documents are always kept in a fire proof box which is better if you dont fibd yourself able yo get your grab bag

Better advice is to keep a copy of all important documents on cloud storage so you can access them from anywhere and order replacements easier.

I don’t think i’ll bother. If the house burns down i’ll just be glad to get out with the DC and pets. Presumably it’s if something so terrible happens that 24 hr tesco won’t be open in which case we are all screwed.

@Carpetburns I use it so regularly nowadays

Whaley bridge residents had time to evacuate. They could even return briefly to their homes to grab stuff as necessary for a while after. The seconds to evacuate was if they stayed and the dam broke. Ie stupidity and worse case scenario

1. September has been Emergency Preparedness month for yonks.

2. I can name of at least 2 high profile incidents where people recently had to leave their houses at short notice (Whaley Bridge and the Moors fires). A quick google reveals many more incidents where people have been told by the emergency services they’ve got 10 mins to evacuate due to flood/chemical spill etc. In my volunteer role I go to help people in the aftermath of house fires all the time, who are sometimes literally stood there in their boxers and nothing else.

You can bet your arse i’ve got a bag full of stuff with a spare change of clothes, phone charger etc next to the door. Yes, I might not be able to grab it; but then again I might and it’ll be handy. I’ve not gone the American prepper route of 3 days of food/water etc, more preparing for a test centre or hotel/family stay. Similarly if someone has to go to hospital i’ve got a bag to grab with essentials.

If you don’t see the point, fair enough, but no need to scoff at those that would feel better to chuck some stuff in a bag.

I’m not scoffing. I do see the point. The thread wasn’t really about the benefits of a grab bag 🤷🏻‍♀️

I have a warm coat, bottle of water and bags of crisps in the car.

Does that count

(Coat in case of breakdown; water so I don't have to think about it every time I get in the car and crisps because I daren't have them in the house as they open themselves and put themselves in my mouth if in the house)

Oh and a fiver and a pound coin

I'm another one who has been oblivious to this for the last four years. And I'd still be oblivious if I hadn't clicked on this thread.

Do they only advertise it on Twitter? Because, if so, that would explain why I've missed it.