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?

Tell that to the unfortunate families three streets from us hit by lightening a few years ago. Fire started from that.

More extreme weather means more extreme consequences. Very rare, but it happens.

My relatives live south of Chicago. Lost a big chunk of roof in a tornado. House next door unscathed. They decamped to the basement - which is what their basements are for in that area, and had everything they needed down there because they prepare for eventualities.

I think you both need to calm down and be mindful of what you're posting; and I'm saying that seriously not jokingly.

I lived in NJ for a couple of years and yes had a storm ready basement.

Now that's interesting. Here's a pic of my fuse box. (Gas hob, electrical oven, presumably Combi Boiler.)

Can the Mumsnet Hive Mind test this? If I switch off/remove the 'Cooker' fuse, I can light my gas hob with my matches stored next to my candles? Let's be clear...

Yes it's getting pretty wild here too on the border in Cumbria!

🤣😅😆😊❤️❤️❤️

Glad it works, though it might not be the clicker itself that controls the gas flow. Have you disconnected the power to the cooker altogether and the hob still works?

I'm considering investing in a battery powered kettle as I would miss a cuppa! (I'm in favour of the wine boxes too btw.)

Like you we'd also have heat problems without electricity as neither the (gas) central heating nor the (gas) fires would work.

How big is your glass?

https://www.wchc.nhs.uk/resources/hydration-information-leaflet/

It will probably light and it will probably stay lit as long as you are holding the knob down. As soon as you release the knob it will safety shut off.

👋.Take care !

Anybody stored up the Internet yet? What will you do if power goes off to the phone masts? My God, no wifi/data. Won't someone think of the children!!

Don't move to High Wycombe! Complete gridlock with snow and ice.

PS I used to live in Purley! Liked visiting Croydon. It had a Habitat!

I do. I have a largish pencil case with plasters, paracetamol, tweezers, nail scissors, a couple of safety pins, a tab of my ‘keeps me alive’ medication (rotated each month), a couple of safety pins, an emergency sanpro, a comb and a couple of spare hair ties. It goes in my handbag, doesn’t take up much space and is invaluable.

OP, there’s lots of unrest, both civil and global. We’ve had terrible weather in which has affected harvests. There’s more terrible weather forecast. There are supply routes being blocked. I don’t think a disaster is coming along the lines of bombs hitting us, but it’s possible that there will be power cuts and food, medication etc in short supply. And it’s always a good idea to be prepared for that, but the end of the world isn’t nigh yet. Get yourself a few bits off their list of suggested items, keep your ID all together, tuck some cash away in an envelope so you can get a loaf of bread if cards stop working for a bit, and then turn the news off and stop panicking. There is absolutely nothing we can do to stop whatever is coming and the only thing that worrying is going to achieve is to get you in such a panic that you won’t be able to function properly.

My gas hob works in a power cut.
It is one of those where you push the knob in and turn, then can here the gas coming out. I have to press the ignition button or in a power cut a lighter will do it.
Oven definitely not. I had to buy a new cooker because the clock broke.

Well Andy Burnham apparently is joking about stocking up on baked beans and Twiglets, so I can't imagine that whatever the "emergency" is, it isn't going to be apocalyptic as that's not going to sustain him for very long. So I'm taking it all with a pinch of salt. It's not a bad idea to have a bit of a buffer normally just in case you get ill and can't get out or there's a big storm or whatever. But to get battery windup radios and water in the quantity you're talking about, I think that's pretty ridiculous. Do you have a huge property where you have space to store so much extra goods???? Most of us don't. And so we can't.

Your post implies that we are in danger of attack from hundreds and thousands of illegal immigrants just, from what I can gather, by virtue of them coming here illegally and being male. You could have no illegal immigrants here and you’d still be in danger of attack coz, newsflash, you do not descend from superior beings who are incapable of fucking this place up. Also, them coming here illegally does not make them bad people. There was no legal way for Afghans to get here once that last plane left with people hanging on the outside of it for dear life. I’ll never get over the audacity of the British government leaving Afghans there high and dry. People who had risked their lives to help the British government and yet not only were they promptly abandoned but their personal details were left strewn over the embassy floors… for the Taliban to find… and now, any that somehow made it here are categorised as would be terrorists. It’s just bullshit GB news rhetoric.

Meanwhile, our entire lives have been computerised and therein lies the biggest problem. Look what happened with the supermarkets in France a few days ago…. Or when the computer systems crashed a while back and nobody in Sainsburys could buy anything unless they had cash. Some people are saying that if anything happens they’ll just go to the shops but if the systems are down, the chances are that the shops won’t be open and if they are, there’ll be mayhem. There are all manner of things that could happen but immigrants, illegal or otherwise, converging to carry out a mass attack is way down the list of things to worry about. If computer networks, en masse, malfunction we’ll have civil unrest… looting… raping… pillaging…

We're being asked to have three days worth of food in. It's not the apocalypse.

Some places were cut off without power for a week after storm Eowyn. A village only 8 miles from us didnt have phone or Internet for nearly 3 weeks. There were 100s of trees down some stopping access in and out of the villages. Its not the first or last time that has happened. After the roads were cleared of trees food vans were brought in so people could get hot food. Tankers were brought in with water and local service station had thousands of bottles of water delivered for people to help themselves to.
It doesn't have to be an apocalypse for these things to happen.

Just make sure you’ve throws and stuff to keep warm, torches, etc, keep charging bricks charged, enough food to be sure you can get through a few days, an extra pack of toilet rolls, etc and you’ll be fine. But what struck me - you drink up to five litres of water a day? Wow! I’d never be out of the toilet drinking that lot!

I agree that you drink far too much water, 4-5 litres a day? Just why?

There is such a thing as drinking too much, yes even if it’s plain water. I suggest a visit to your GP, it won’t hurt to at least ask them?

I once had a huge desire for fluids & my urine’s calcium levels needed testing, I was asked to try to drink (in the given 24hr testing ‘day’)-as much as 2litres if I could possibly manage it.

I've had no such messaging.

Yes - like most hobs it works fine without electricity. The gas connection is usually different for hobs that for more complex appliances. It's all about the role of electricity in the operation - gas hobs tend to be mechanical (you turn a tap to open and control the gas flow) while ovens, boilers etc tend to have electronic interfaces.

It was across all the main media outlets this week.

A cyber attack would be serious, but it’s not contagious. Crap happens. 🤷‍♀️