Any MN Stockpilers out there?

[Motuihe]

https://beready.campaign.gov.uk/be-ready-for-emergencies/

https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16230385/Brits-warned-ready-national-crisis-Government-campaign-urges-storing-food-water-three-days-cash-case-electronic-collapses-wind-radio.htm

AM I unreasonable for not wanting to do this....just yet?

Why not?

I find it very worrying.

eta I mean I find the advice worrying, not your feelings about it!

YANBU for not wanting to do it yet… but I’m considering getting a few more bits in. This feels like Covid did in early Jan/Feb when there were a few signs in the world that things weren’t going well, and I made sure the cupboards were full and had food in for the kids, so that made the first few weeks a bit easier.

With this though, it seems like it’s just be prepared for ‘something’ rather than a specific scenario.

Why would you wait? Supplies will cost even more later on.

So I have deleted my social media and I don't watch the news, reading this article feels very ominous. Is there something Im not aware of?

I stay away from the news and social media for mental health reasons

Now is the best time to do it unless you have a crystal ball. It’s going to be a big PITA if there is a situation and you aren’t prepared yet.

in the past there have been a couple of occasions we haven’t had water and the water companies and and emergency services have brought it for the community. So I’m not too bothered.

If we get to the stage where fresh water cannot be provided, 3 days of supplies won’t help will it? Neither will 3 months..:.it’ll just prolong the agony.

Andy B would be better off investing in defence and stopping all the big companies from slashing jobs in favour of AI. The whole reason we are so vulnerable is because of Cloud and AI.

I think you should start reading the news again. There's a war, and AI is running riot.

They're predicting a bad winter this year. Its only 3 days of supplies. Most people probably have that to hand anyway food wise. I always ensure I have 2 weeks worth in over the winter because the beast from the east hurt us badly. Yes I could get to the supermarket but the deliveries couldn't, our town was cut off and the shelves ran bare.

Personally I think they're just sensible precautions

I think you’ve missed the point a bit in that the guidance is being given to ease up demand on the emergency services should something happen. If a cyber attack occurs and interrupts water stations, they may not have the communications to coordinate or even the ability to deliver water. Pretty much everything relies on internet services nowadays. There’s also a matter of scale, like if the whole country is affected rather than a small locality. If there’s an extreme weather event, they will (rightly) focus on the vulnerable who may be injured or are in need of evacuation.
The point is, it doesn’t hurt to be prepared and having that little buffer eases pressure on emergency services in the short term while a plan of action is made (though hopefully it doesn’t come to that!)

I get that people don't want to do this but from what I understand the government is promoting a campaign this autumn to encourage us to have sufficient supplies to get through 3 days. Even on Radio 4 thus afternoon. I don't know why they keep on about water though. I imagine they are preparing us for worse case scenario.

Water is essential to life, more so than food, so if the supply is cut for any reason, it's so important to have some stashed. Unfortunately water containers aren't small so that can be problematic if you don't have a lot of space. If the power goes out then water supply can follow, perhaps not immediately, but evenutally, and in that case you'll really wish you had a few bottles put away.

You can last a couple of weeks without food but only a few days without water, it’s likely the single most important thing you can stow away if space allows.
Chances are if anything happens, it’ll be smaller scale disruptions rather than all out war etc. Think utilities going down or food delays in shops… if you can keep yourself sustained at home for a few days, that might be all you need. Understandably most people wouldn’t have the space or inclination to have months of supplies or anything but the government wants to replicate some kind of resilience (like in many other countries already) as IF anything happens, they won’t have the ability or resources to help in the initial chaos

Is there a reason it needs to be bottled water? I'm thinking of buying a big water container and filling it with tap water.

Also, does wine count? In which I have enough to last at least three weeks.

I think sealed bottles last longer. Containers you fill yourself should be rotated regularly. And the containers washed. I have both, but the bought bottles are for drinking, the refilled ones I keep for washing. American peppers talk about putting drops of bleach in the refilled containers, but personally I think enough bleach to work would taste bad.