AIBU to think the stockpile advice suggests something to come??

[OhNoooooooooooooooo]

The government is low-key telling people to stock up with tinned food, bottled water etc

I have tinned food, gas camping stoves etc just need to think about water really..

Do you think that they know something is happening/going to happen?

How?It won’t for those living by in flats or houses that don’t have adequate ventilation. Carbon monoxide is invisible,odourless and builds up fast in poorly ventilated areas. Open flames can easily catch fire on curtains, paper, or counters. The burning gas uses up the oxygen in the room. Damaged tanks can leak fuel and cause a sudden blast. The fire brigade warns these units are strictly meant for the open air.

No people don’t and enough people die as it is from carbon monoxide poisoning without MNers telling people to rush out and buy cheap camping stoves to use indoors.

It's not new advice. This was banded around last year too. Everything you need for a power cut, Everything you need for a water cut and possibly both of above with a foot of snow. That should cover most situations.

Think back to our worse recent storms and how some was effected ( affected?) . The gov just want people to think about how they can help themselves in the hours after a major storm etc. Because has your water ever gone off and within 6 hours there's a a community water station up and running and no queue?

Yes the threat of something bigger is getting larger ( lots of war in the news, mutterings of bombing UK bases) but who knows?

How likely is it Russia will bomb a RAF base in your town this winter? Pretty low I'd guess.

How likely is a major storm to take out power to a water pumping station? Much higher than WW3 I'd guess.

We dont know where the next big storm Will hit so it's something for everyone to consider.

That's all

Everyone who normally says they will just loot their neighbours. I have 3 sons living here over 5,9 and dh. I'd rather buy my 28p pasta and 50p candels in Tesco than fight four men / teens.

Have you got a thermos? You could ask a neighbour to boil up some water for you and you could keep 5 cups worth to sustain you for a day.

I've got several thermoses and i was thinking i could use them to give elderly neighbours a supply of hot water for dinks or noodles, etc. It's more efficient to boil a large amount of water in one go and have a way of storing the extra hot water, we do this when camping.

Yes I have a couple of thermos flasks but my neighbours are all elderly (retirement bungalows) so unlikely to have camping stoves.

Oh good grief.

It doesn’t have to be Armageddon. My elderly aunt and uncle got caught up in the Boxing Day floods in the north west a few years back and refused to stay with me or their kids. The house was fine but the electricity substation was flooded and they were left without power and hot water for three days. I took over my jet boil and my camping stove and they managed with food from the freezer and sponge washes.

It's using something in a sensible adult way, that you wouldn't usually have to so obviously you take sensible and adult precautions with both the ring and the canisters. If you do not have adequate ventilation you obviously do not use one, you also equally obviously take sensible precautions regarding soft furnishings and curtains. A normal gas stove uses oxygen in a room. Candles are a fire risk in the wrong hands. You check the canisters are not damaged- common sense. God help us if no one has any common sense left. The guidance yes is not to use them indoors, but also says IF YOU HAVE TO to take sensible precautions.

It's a shame we don't have coke stoves and coppers any more. I think we could learn something from how our grandmothers used to survive when their villages got snowed in.

Portal solar powered panels are now available and portable induction stoves (often to be found in the middle aisles) are a viable alternative.

God forbid we allow the sale of gas camping stoves to adults without training.

I suggest we ban all camping trips in case people are too stupid to go on one safely.

Frankly if in a crisis, you Darwin yourself, it means there's less competition for resources...

People living in flats can use them on the balcony (if available) or take them outside to use. Or open the window if things would go that badly. People at Ukraine are managing to not collectively gass themselves.

We live in a flat and bought a small pocket stove (about 4£) and a package of solid fuel tablets to go with it. If nothing happens, we will take it outside and use as an experience for DD. If something would have to happen, we want to be able to boil some water (on a balcony). Not for every cuppa, but one hot meal a day or some first aid & second aid, to clean a wound at home.

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Yes, not everyone is able to do it.
The idea is that if able bodied people take a few small steps to be able to take care of themselves and their children for a few days, it leaves less people in need of an immediate help.

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BTW some dry food can be prepared with cold water. Not all, but some yes.
Couscous (30 minutes), oats (2 hours), ramen and other "ready stuff" in sachet (1 hour), will be all be ok to eat.

Family of mice. Very sensible mice.

Ukrainian are more capable of looking after themselves. Brits are clearly incapable of the same. We should just nominate ourselves for the Darwin awards now and immediately surrender to Russian control.

If I had to use my stove inside living in a flat and was worried about the carbon monoxide I’d use it in the bathroom with the window open. Then I could leave the window slightly open and close the door once done. Easy peasy.

As it is I have a space that’s both inside and outside technically so well ventilated that I’d use mine to cook in. I could also use my camping log burner in there. But I also own a carbon monoxide alarm so I could just use it anywhere.

Not everyone is stupid.

It's more a case that this Government thinks everyone should be dependant on the state for all guidance and instruction, the emergency alert was another good example of this philosophy.

If you have the space, time and money it's a good idea to have some independent resilience, you shouldn't need the state to tell you this.

It's hardly a secret conspiracy that sea trade through Iran has been severely limited since February including fertiliser, which will definitely affect crops planted this year for harvest next year so I don't know why the paranoia about 'knowing things we dont' - we know there is a problem coming down the road!

Honestly some people just seem to take a weird sense of delight in mocking people who are sensibly stocking up. It's truly astonishing how stupid and selfish some people are. Take some responsibility for yourselves.

We are literally being told that the risk is high and our country doesn't have enough food resilience.

National audit office report just released this week confirming that we have a food resilience problem.

here

Everyone should be taking some steps to have a back up supply for a few days at the very least.

Portable induction stoves need a mains electricity supply, which will not be available in a power cut etc. But if you have a campervan battery you're all set...... but most of us won't have either of those two things realistically.

I'm not going to worry about hot food/drinks I won't die as a result of not having them, but I will be in trouble without fresh/potable water.

People do not take responsibility for themselves anymore. They expect everyone else to do it for them.

It's bewildering.

There's definitely a phenomena where people can't cope without having been 'told' something. AI is making this worse. We have friends who go around sprouting utter shit "well AI says this". And when you ask them a couple of questions about it the nonsense they are spouting completely falls apart and they get all over defensive trying to justify his nonsense. The lack of responsibility and critical thinking is insane. These idiots don't develop life skills and understanding of the world around them.

In a disaster there are going to be two types of people in the UK. One group which just gives up and dies because they are too stupid to work out what to do, and one group who are going to be able to survive because they actually have a basic level of general knowledge and understanding that the government and the internet will not save them.

It's actually quite scary to see people rabbiting on about safety standards when we are talking about disaster planning. Normal rules will go out the window. That's the point. You will have to make do with what is available, compromise and dynamically risk assess what's the least risky option under the circumstances which might not be ideal. Rigid ideas that "you can't do this" are not really helpful, because lots of people live and survive without that level of protection and would think you were nuts for refusing to do it if you needed.

It's about having some food and water, basic hygiene and sanitation levels above everything else most of the time. Along with adequate shelter and not being exposed to the elements. If you get wet and cold, do you know how long you can stay in that state and do you know how to get dry and warm quickly? These are the ways you are most likely to get sick and die quickest.

Not gassing yourself with a sodding camping stove.

This is the Swedish guidance:

https://www.mcf.se/en/advice-for-individuals/home-preparedness--prepping-for-at-least-a-week/basics-of-home-emergency-preparedness/

(Page in english, further material in Swedish). I like their factual tone and it summarises the principles - if everyone does a few basic steps, it will be easier to manage whatever situation would arise.

The only part I don't see in the summary is loads of bin bags - would be used if toilet flushing won't operate.

I’ve stockpiled for 40 years!! I always have extras of everything. I did read about it a few days ago but it’s just second nature to me to have spare toiletries, OTC remedies, tins, food in the freezer etc. If you are able to stockpile items, it’s a sensible idea. I’m not sure if the government advice is sinister in any way though…

It is absolutely sensible to have a stock of supplies. There is no need to worry about it, just add a couple of extra tins and some water to your weekly shop and stick it in the garage or shed. Have a place where you keep everything- charged battery packs, we have an old radio and have got some more batteries for it, torches. Keep 2/3 large bottles of water in your car.
States such as Russia are capable of exploiting weaknesses in our national energy security, The Times is a good source of trustworthy rigorous journalism on this.

What bothers me most about the lack of critical thought is that it makes us weak by being unprepared in terms of having stuff on standby, but also wide open to manipulation of thoughts.

If we do have some crisis, chose your information sources carefully.

DH teaches his scouts to make tea light stoves.
He uses a coke can and a tea light.

So even if you couldn't afford a gas stove, there are cheap ways to be able to heat food.

I wouldn't recommend this for use in a tower block but I should not need to say this...

@RedToothBrush "One group which just gives up and dies because they are too stupid to work out what to do, and one group who are going to be able to survive because they actually have a basic level of general knowledge and understanding that the government and the internet will not save them." A significant amount of people in the unprepared and unadaptable group will not just give up but will become very violent. Parts of UK society are ready to go out looting and become violent with almost no provocation.