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?

There are some. A substantial chunk, I would disagree with. 10%, absolutely not.
Either way, all the more reason for the rest of us to be prepared.

I got caught out with a snow storm just after I moved to Scotland. Couldn't get milk as the weather meant the lorries couldn't distribute it to the stores. That was in a well connected city - I think it's common sense to have essentials for a few days.

The official campaign is coming later in the year but it won’t catch people by surprise and cause panic because the Metro is already running recipes that you can make with lentils and chickpeas in preparation.

All major news outlets are covering it.

If you need to be 'informed' that we are facing potential intermittent power, weather, cyber issues then my answer to your question is to stop living under a rock. Intermittent resilience is what I'm preparing for, as I posted upthread, and having a partner with severe disabilities and health conditions as I do makes it more important for us. 'Stockpiling' is a term you're using, I'm not. The campaign, as has been recently and frequently mentioned in main stream media is due out later this year with a probable national resilience exercise sometime next year.

I find it mind boggling how much people want to stick their heads in the sand or claim they know nothing about this.

Go and do some research for yourself about it and why

Thanks noblegiraffe you beat me to it while I was posting my own response 👍

because the Metro is already running recipes that you can make with lentils and chickpeas in preparation

praise be 😆

The first para of the parliamentary publication in my post:

"In 2024/25, 6.0 million people, or 9% of the UK population were in households experiencing food insecurity, including 14% of children. In 2025, Trussell (previously the Trussell Trust), a charity and network of foodbanks, supplied 2.64 million emergency food parcels."

I think it’s a coping mechanism just the other side of the coin

@LilyBunch25 how are you stockpiling medications? Not relevant if not taking daily ones.

This is just normal advice in my country and has been for longer than I have been alive I’ve pretty sure. We have natural disasters and people need to be prepared.

Could it be possible the UK is just getting in line with other places and starting to follow this very standard practice?

Fear isn't irrational. Fear of heart attacks pushes people towards exercise. Fear of having a house repossessed pushes people to work hard to keep their jobs. Fear of being without food and water during an emergency pushes people to have some minimal preparations in place. None of those fears are irrational, because all the events are things with a chance of happening, and exercise, hard work and planning are all appropriate responses. All three can be taken to an extreme by some, but for none of those three is it appropriate to do absolutely nothing and stick one's head in the sand.

It’s all a scam. They are trying to get everybody’s money into the system as much as possible before the big financial crash. The more you buy, the more money in the pockets of the big retailers so when the inevitable belt tightening comes after the financial crash the retailers won’t feel it as much. Their profits will already be sky high. Give it three months and you will see the likes of costco, sainsbury’s etc posting record profits from all the stockpiling. It’s all one big scam. Always do the opposite of what they tell you to do

I wouldn't bother trying to convince the poster that there are people so skint they can't afford to eat. Ignorance is bliss.

No, I just also read the bit where "food insecurity" is defined....

I'd like to know the answer to this too. I'm on fluoxetine and HRT and can't place my order before it's due.

Prepare for three days has been repeatedly doing the rounds on MSM for a couple of months. It has been on the telly; BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky etc. Plus most newspapers: Metro, Guardian, Independent, Daily Mail... It has been all over Social Media. This is the campaign.

The last leafletting was 2004 and some people got a bit upset that being asked to show some resilience for three days was too reminiscent of 'Protect & Survive' so the campaign moved online.

If it were a scam, they would have my money and I wouldn’t have extra soup and peanut butter in my cupboard.

If it were a scam people wouldn’t be able to immediately bring to mind recent situations where having some emergency water or food would be handy.

The reason for that definition is to include people who, for example, haven't gone hungry as such, but have relied on food banks.

@Ihateborisquite a few of my relatives are on a a lot of daily meds and have them delivered to their homes. Ordering extra for holiday is a pain in the arse, I think they normally have an extra weeks stash or so.

This thread has made me go check what ive got to see if ive missed anything. Maybe the paranoia is setting in 🤣
72ltrs bottled water
Fucktonne of batteries
3 battery powered torches.
Two wind up and solar power torches/ power banks
A power bank for phones
A power bank that has 3 USB ports and a plug socket
A big pack of water purifier tablets
10kg sack of dry cat food
2x3kg bags pasta
5kg bag rice
Dozens and dozens of tinned, dried and packet foods
12 kitchen rolls.
45 loo rolls
USB kettle
3 in 1 camping starter kit with stove, kettle and gas bottles
4 bags of cat litter
Full bag of first aid kit supplies.

In my defence we get snowed in in winter most years so this is pretty normal to keep in your loft 🤣

That is a rather paranoid take on things, if you don't mind me saying. The stocking up advice is not new

Serious question, aren't you worried about mice, rats or squirrels getting at your stash (assuming it is all in your loft)?

I live on a main A road linking to large Northern cities. Around 3 miles from the city centre of one of them. During storm arwen a tree knocked but did not completely destroy the lines near our house. Some of the houses kept electric, but not ours. We were on the priority register due to needing a cpap overnight.

8 days it took to fix with absolutely no help from Northern Powergrid. In fact we couldn't even speak to them- one time I waited 2 hours only to be cut off. We had a new rescue dog so couldn't just go to a hotel. In the end I sent DH to a hotel so he could actually sleep- we had to pay it up front with no guarantee we'd be reimbursed. A couple of days in I fell and broke my arm and elbow. I considered myself reasonably self sufficient before then- we had log burners, gas hobs that could be lit with matches, food that could be cooked on the hob/woodburner, candles galore, battery fairy lights and plenty of blankets and hot water bottles. Even so it was bloody hard work and I upped my game after that- most significantly buying a solar generator to run dh's cpap (which it has done through a couple of other powercuts).

Then I was involved in planning that was done a few years ago by the public sector on contingency planning for the power grid going down (project/programme yarrow). It was really interesting to think about the limits of the gvt response and how things like those that can having basic stores in would be essential to allow the focus to be on those who are the most in need.

I do find it quite odd the folk who insist there's no point as we'd all die in a disaster, that it is some giant conspiracy or that it would never happen in the UK. Cos 8 days without leccy in an urban area where there was still people on grid round us did happen and was unpleasant enough. It was not outside the realms of possibility that the wider area could have lost power too. Having a think about what you'd do and getting a few bits together doesnt seem that big of a deal for a majority of housholds to make life more comfortable if there is another big storm/flood/tech issue with infrastructure. And it will free up the emergency response to focus on those who need it most.

If you don't mind me asking, how did you build a stock of your essential medicines? Local GP surgeries here will only issue repeat prescriptions 7 days before your meds are due to run out from the previous prescription and will only give prescriptions for 28 days/one month's supply of medication at a time. Did you discuss building up a backup supply with your GP and they agreed to it?

Just wondering how I could do the same as you because I have meds I need to take daily and your post sounds like very good advice.