AIBU to wonder whether the three day emergency advice is serious?

[Mich1986]

I know I might sound crazy, but is anyone else worrying about all the posts about stockpiling and prepping for 3 days that the government is telling us to do? Is anyone actually taking their advice and buying torches, extra water and wind up radios? I just don’t know whether to take it seriously?

I would have trouble boiling it if electricity cut. No gas here or open fire.

Someone in a flat would struggle to make a bonfire!!

I don’t know. I want to be prepared but don’t want to join the hysteria. I’ve shopped a bit.

We did have 5 outages this summer where we had no water till the afternoon. As a result I’ve bought 5 x 5L bottles of water. I can use it next summer if it’s repeated or use it in a national emergency, whatever comes first 🤷

We’d flee to a different holiday house of a family member in a remote location and use them there.

so carry water for the journey then purify upon arrival 😬

Yes I would say it’s serious. My village had no gas, electric or internet for over a week a few years ago. It’s always handy to have a little extra just in case

Maybe this is why I’ve prepped so much, because I’m not green fingered at all 😂

“I have an overactive imagination” - you sure do! But it’s understandable given the experience of your relatives. There are never going to be Russian troops in the UK, they’ve already had their backsides handed to them in Ukraine and their economy is on its knees. Talk of them attacking any of NATO, let alone the UK, is for the birds.

Good luck getting there….

@wafflesmgee but what scenario are you envisaging that you are fleeing to a remote location?

All our holiday homes are abroad and I can’t sail 😆

I bought a camping stove with 8 gas bottles for 20 quid.

These threads tend to descend into the Apocalypse. As I said I work on the basis of a prolonged power cut, no cooking available.

Three days water, tins of beans, salmon, sardines corned beef, etc., long life milk, cereal, cheese, crackers, ryvita, crisps, chocolate, a few torches, two power banks, wind up radio.

I've always got dried food in pasta, noodles, rice etc anyway i grew up poor in the 70s and 80s but I've made sure for a couple of years that I've got plenty of tins in, a working tin opener and 5 liter bottles of drinking water. Also candles and matches. I can remember power cuts and bread strikes. We haven't got coal fires now to cook on so anything that can be opened and eaten easily is good. Peanut butter also. No point in collecting loads as if it goes on for ages someone with just break in and steal it.

I’m not giving away my secret emergency holiday home location!! It’s mine!! 😂😂😂

yeah, all people with holiday homes in France will be f*cked! …I suppose they could train now to swim the channel…😐🤔

It's an absolute waste of time for the majority.

IF something happens to cut you off for three days - no power, can't leave home etc - well we'll have three crappy days. We'll dig out the bag of Xmas tealights, have early nights, wrap in blankets, eat tinned stuff from the cupboards, drink the water we always have in anyway. Then go back to normal.

Anything more drastic than three days, well, following the guidance is only going to delay the inevitable PITA anyway.

Anything seriously drastic - not quite nucleur but long term life or death type scenario, due to society ending and everyone having to fend for themselves for weeks or months or forever. Well. Unless you're a serious prepper that is remote, hidden and can remain self sufficient forever, you'll either be quietly dying if unfortunately you're incapable of fending for yourself - or you'll be out smashing supermarket windows and burgling homes in well to do areas to feed yourselves, with the rest of us. Being able to stay exempt for the first three days of chaos is unlikely to have much impact on your long term survival.

Anyway...whichever way you look at it, prepping for three days will only be worth the effort in a scenario where the alternative is minor inconvenience. I'd rather save myself the effort and deal with the inconvenience if it arises.

I first read that as minor incontinence 😀

99% of people have a torch on their phone these days

@Summer26woohoo yes my backup plan after 3 days is good old looting!

We are always ‘prepped’ for a week or so as we live very rurally. Just is sensible preparedness.

@wafflesmgee but I haven’t asked for the location!
What has happened that you need to flee there?

Ooooh I haven’t prepped for this

**manically googles window smashing devices

I said it in my post earlier, nuclear war or an invading army that want to kill us…obviously.

I’m not claiming this is entirely rational.

They won't do it via troops and bombs. As someone above said, all they need to do is cripple out power networks - which they're more than capable of doing - and we're toast. Water through the taps, if it keeps running, is only drinkable for a day or two, as water treatment plants run on electric. If you could find a shop that's operational, there would be no tills working, and no cashpoints operational to get cash. If we don't get the power back on quickly then hospitals would only operate effectively until the diesel for their generators runs out. It doesn't take much for a riot to kick off in Britain, so civil unrest and looting would soon follow and then it's a downward spiral. It may sound all far fetched but completely possible, and the Russians are keen to kick the boot in to the UK because we've assisted Ukraine with arms.

What you appear to be saying is that you have lights, food and water in that would see you through a three day emergency - which is what is being recommended?

Runs the battery down quite quickly though.

@wafflesmgeeIm going with hammer & bolt cutters.

Apologies, I missed where you answered nuclear war or army.

It’s not going to be boots on the ground is it, they will just bomb us & as a Londoner I think I would be in the contamination zone so no point in me fleeing

It’s sounds more than far fetched 😆 I still remember the last time the Russians were going to end us 🙄. What we do need to urgently tackle is the level of anxiety in this country, much of it fuelled by completely groundless fear mongering.