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?

They’re not being upfront! That’s the issue.

What are you worried about?

There’s nothing to panic about. It’s simply that if there is some sort of problem, it would help the authorities hugely if people could manage for a few days without needing outside help. Completely rational and sensible and something that is normal in other countries.

I mean it's not. Unless you are doing over 2 hours of intensive exercise a day, that amount of water could affect your kidneys, digestion and brain.

I’ve explained this?

My kidneys are fine. Really not the point!!!

They suggest three days worth of food and water and spare batteries. Most of which most people have anyway!

stop getting carried away

I’d be interested in whether they’re asking energy companies to invest their huge profits into making the network more resilient!

I don’t!

Stocking up on gin and bottles of tonic? Honestly stop reading this stuff. I have one of those life bottles (for travel, hiking) and you can fill from any river that isn’t brackish or rainwater butts - far better than stock piling water which you need to rotate too. Boiling water too will make it safe to drink so if in doubt drink tea!

It's because most of our food and goods comes from the EU. Because of the perceived threat from Russia, and the Trump administration wanting to meet with both Russia and China with the hopes of forming something looking like a strategic alliance, freezing out Europe, Asia and Australia. The EU will adopt an "EU first" policy and freeze all exports of goods to protect their own supplies. They will only export to "vulnerable" countries in North Africa and the Middle East. As we are no longer in the EU that leaves us in an increasingly vulnerable position with no obvious means of restoring supply lines. This is why they want people to stockpile reserves.

I don’t think anyone is worried about your kidneys.

When you see things in the media OP it's always worth looking for the primary sources so that you're stripping out editorial bias and distortion.

This page feels pretty proportionate and clear about the nature of risks and actions to take - as well as the fact that we're well behind a lot of our peers on this as a nation. It's not new, it's just new to us.

Soft launch yes. But every newsreader/article/interview it’s been addressed directly and the message on everything I’ve seen has been ‘no active threat, just advice, don’t panic’. Pretty clear to me so not sure which media you’ve been seeing unless you’re stopping at the headlines.

Iv stocked up on enough bottled water and tinned food to keep us going for 72 hours. A decent torch, a cheap camping light, and a battery powered radio with sufficient batteries to keep those going for a few weeks I hope. £150 in an envelope in case the banks go down.

We've been keeping a healthy stock of toilet rolls and hygiene stuff since COVID, and already had a first aid kit.

I'm going to get a grab bag rucksack sorted next just in case we had to leave in a hurry due to floods or fire.

I don't think there is a specific emergency, it's just preparing yourself to survive for 72 hours should there be an outage of water, electricity or gas; or disruptions to food deliveries.

If that was the case they would come out and state this clearly.

I'm doing nothing. Sky news has just said we need to be alert not alarmed whatever that means. I'm neither only fed up of all this already.

That's not true.

https://observer.co.uk/news/national/article/el-nino-and-be-ready-prove-britains-preppers-have-a-point?UID=&dm_i=7EQK%2CDPJK%2C2SC6KY%2C1XE93%2C1%2C0%2C0%2C0

This article will tell you more.

Yes, it is. None of these articles come direct from the government. Burnham should’ve addressed this on television in a formal address, instead of going on gogglebox!

They’ve been saying this for months, there’s been loads of news articles (and other mumsnet threads lol) I don’t understand why everyone is suddenly panicking now.

I did wonder about the 3 to 4 litres of water drunk by @sookiestjames77 a day, that's a lot!

This is not a 'big problem coming tomorrow' situation, the advice is just to gradually build enough stocks for a 3 day disruption. They haven't specified what kind of disruption because it isn't one specific threat, it is a range of lower level possibilities.

We have gradually reduced the resilience in the supply chain over decades as so much stuff is 'just in time' rather than being kept for weeks in large warehouses. Having each household having a bit of a buffer is genuinely the most sensible and non-panic reaction there could be to reduce the risks.

It’s really not. I have an Owala, it’s only three of those to hit just under 3l. I drink one before I’m even done at the gym every morning, another by lunch, three by dinner plus the water in tea/coffee (which counts!), plus usually another bottle by bed. It’s a normal amount.

It's certainly not doing her nerves any good.

https://beready.campaign.gov.uk/ - is this one government enough?