To be really scared by this messaging from the government?

[sookiestjames77]

As someone who really struggled during the pandemic this has really scared me. I have done a big order of hygiene basics to arrive tomorrow (12 x packs of wet wipes etc) and will be heading out for a stock up shop tomorrow to fill up on tins etc.

I’m considering ordering 12 of those water refills for water coolers and a pump that fits in the top, but I don’t know if that’s overkill. I alone drink 4-5 litres of water a day, plus cooking water!

I am really scared. How is everyone else dealing with this?

🙄🙄 Next summer, obviously

I'm curious - my gas cooker and gas fires all have safety cut-outs so they don't actually work if there's no electric power for the ignition. Do other people have mains gas appliances that will work without electricity?

I think you'll be OK, OP, it sounds like your house is more of a flood risk.How many bottles of water are in there?😂

I did wonder why they were keeping extra water for cooking tbh. 😂😂

Mine aren't.

Morrisons sell the best bread locally so I popped in for a loaf. Fully stocked plus a surreal load of toilet paper. I reckon it is a conspiracy to enrich the toilet paper manufacturers.

Then on the way back from the hardware shop we swung past Lidl that was also fully stocked. Plus so much fecking loo roll. I'm deeply suspicious about this bog roll conspiracy.

If you are this freaked out about being asked to adult for three days, please go see your GP about your anxiety. The be prepared advice has been consistent for decades.

My parents came here as legal immigrants, in the fifties, from the West Indies. They came here as British citizens. What qualified them as British is that their ancestors were brutally taken captive and enslaved by the British Empire. Generations of my ancestors, covering a period of at least 400 years, were shackled, branded like beasts, raped, sodomised, tortured, mutilated, murdered, starved and bred like cattle. But do tell us more about the dangers of illegal immigrants.

Incidentally, when slavery finally ended, compensation was awarded not to the people that were brutalised for centuries but to their owners. The owners were paid to give up their ‘property’. The slavery debt was finally paid off by the government in 2015… so as taxpayers, the British descendants of slaves, have contributed to paying that debt.

Facts are facts, whether you like them or not.

Totally over the top OP. We had regular power cuts and brown water when I was younger and we just lit candies and made sure we filled pans up with water to boil. No stockpiling bog roll.

Very wise and sensible post x

Pretty sure they release gas, you just have to light it yourself. We also have a log burner so will be able to do basic pasta/water boiling on the top of there.

It is precisely because it is so we arw generally prepared for different situations that the 'threat' isn't specified.

We had no water for days last summer - fortunately, it was fairly localised and supplies could be collected from the water company at specific sites (although the supermarkets were running out of bottled water). If this was on a larger scale this wouldn't be possible.

Apart from weather related issues (getting worse due to climate change), our increasing reliance on technology means that our infrastructure can be brought down by hackers 100s of miles away. I feel that this isn't completely unlikely. If the water and power goes off, having store cupboard basics and bottled water mean people can cope for a few days while it is restored. It seems like common sense really.

In the case of all out nuclear war, however, we do have a large supply of gin. It won't help us survive, but will hopefully make things seem less bleak.

I do prefer to wait until until Nov 5th
Now that was some proper terrorism, forget all these Iranians in boats 😅

I think it’s more of a new way of thinking, a rebalance of our previously piss-poor reactions to normal occurrences. By ‘our’ I mean the government, but also general understanding and preparedness.

We’re so worried about looking reactionary, OTT or like conspiracy theorists or American preppers, that we’re doing ourselves a disservice. It’s not about nuclear war, tins won’t help anyone! It’s more to do with power/energy restrictions, storms, cyber attacks and trade route instability.

We’re so used to being able to get literally anything at any time, I just got Amazon to bring me ibuprofen in 30 mins the other night as I was tired and my son was unwell. If your local Tesco metro has had no deliveries for whatever reason, and it’s because of some cyber attack on I don’t know, say whatever they use to manage stock, and it’s across the board so you can’t use Amazon either and people have cleaned out the local pharmacy…. How are you getting ibuprofen? There was a shortage not that long ago of amoxicillin when my child needed it, I had to drive miles to a pharmacy to get it after ringing round about 10 different ones locally. Antibiotics you can’t buy to store anyway, but again this is a part of the concern. You soon feel it, when something you’ve taken for granted as always being available is suddenly not.

I don’t think having some water supplies, a few tins and some dried goods is irrational at all, it makes sense! Just buy things you like and would eat anyway, and eat/replace every few months to stop it going off. If it’s never needed then wonderful! I’m sure most people in war zones or left high and dry never thought it would be them, either! What’s the harm in being prepared? It doesn’t make someone a credulous victim of scaremongering, most countries are way more careful than we are on this subject and people keep a small cupboard just for this purpose.

My friend in Italy showed me their pantry as they were using some stuff out of it to be replaced so it wouldn’t get old. She said everyone in the neighbourhood did this in case of power cuts or supply chain issues. Perfectly stocked pantry with additionally packs of silver blankets, candles, batteries, massive water bottles. This was right by the pantry they use every day. Once in a while they replace the old stock and bring it all forward. There’s no gross tins from 1997, they check it once in a while and rotate. Never goes to waste, so what’s the issue?

Yes, my husband saw a report that the supermarkets aren't happy as they weren't prepped for it

OP how have you read all the government weblinks that have Bern's hared for you and come away with the idea that this advice is an October Special Do This Right Now For An Immediate Event, rather than perennial advice on how to be better prepared for an emergency?

Your habit of grasping onto one aspect of what people are saying to you and ignoring the others (in this case - PP talked about fire or flood, you tried to dismiss it by only focusing on the fire aspect) does make me think you're acting in bad faith.

I'm really curious. Is it bad reading comprehension, a dislike of admitting you were wrong, or do you just like lying to wind people up?

Yeah, they don't release gas 😔

OP also consider all these types of news stories that were rife in the summer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwymzly270zo

Gov are doing what they should be doing and responding to that.

Why wouldn't people provide some basics for themselves where they can instead of expecting handouts from the government?

Completely agree!

Seriously OP you need to take a breath and calm down! Across Europe they have had this messaging for years. We are BEHIND in getting the nation prepared. The fact they’ve put out the possible scenarios, is to explain reasons it might be needed (for those who don’t get it), there is no immediate threat!!! And this messaging has been going on since the very hot summer, it’s just upped in time for the predicted winter storms.

It’s common sense! I’ve been half prepared for years, I’ve bought a few more bits. If you grew up in the countryside you know to always be ready for a three day cut off of power or water.

Are you saying that because that happened to your ancestors, that no other group of people can pose a risk in the future? What are your views on the Holocaust in that case? Genuinely don't understand what you're trying to say.

In the spirit of facts...what bombs were used during 9/11?

Nothing is different this winter but we as a society are complacent and lazy and assume the nanny state we bitch about will hold our hand and dig us out if we need it. Meanwhile you could have a few tins in (and bottles of wine) and save yourself a bit of grief while you wait- or maybe not wait because you don’t need a grown up to save you? It’s much more likely to be power lines down in a storm than a nuclear war, just get on with your day.

Keep calm and carry on

Tescos is doing 25% off 6 bottles of wine so stocked up. Sorted.