Prepping for internet outage, AI disaster, cyber attacks etc

[Prepwithmum]

With all the news of AI escaping, possible Russian cyber attacks and disabling the Internet, is anyone else doing more now to prepare for near term SHTF. I don't mean all out death and destruction but the interim period where things like the banking system might fail or communication outages.

I always keep a little bit of cash at home, is anyone considering having a bigger stash? If so, how much?

How will you keep in touch with love ones if the systems go down?

I'm always stocked up with food and water, a few torches and not much else. What else should I consider?

I probably would stock up. It's mostly stuff you will use up anyway. Same with any animals you might have.

A camping stove will work if outside. Just don't get bulks of stuff that need loads of cooking. Camping supplies like kettles will be useful to have in anyway for any kind of power cut.

If anyone hasn't already. Watch blackout about a cyber attack on the grid on C4. It helps cover some of the things you might not think of in a prolonged power cut.

I’ve just bought an Aferiy power station for £375, should be £440 but I found a code for 10% off from Pedal and Power and an extra £20 off for using paypal credit.
It’s expandable up to 5000w ( 5kwh - which will run a whole house) by buying extra batteries and will charge from mains, which will cost about 15p on a Sunday with half price power - so I’m going to use it to run my big dehumidifier to dry washing, it’s 250w so will run for 4 hours on the power station, far cheaper than using my tumble dryer.
It also charges by solar, max 500w panel so should fully charge in a couple of hours of strong sunlight , from a 12 volt ( car) or by a generator.

From the cold weather script: "For use when the temperature gets to −2 degrees."

-2??! I'd have thought they could use that script at a far higher temperature. Even at 10c outside with no heating indoors, many people could become far too cold, especially the elderly. I experienced no heating during a spell of 5c weather and it was brutal indoors!

Not prepping for a baby myself any more, but I'd go for plenty of next size up nappies etc. Breastmilk gives the baby safe food plus a completely safe thing to drink so you're well prepared there, but I might get some jars too for convenience - all you need then is a clean spoon. Or there's mashing fruit and veg from tins if you've got a clean enough fork in the middle of your power cut. I'd get a good ear thermometer and calpol - if it's going to be harder than usual to see a doctor, being able to track an ill baby's temperature accurately yourself will be very useful.

People would die during prolonged, area wide outages, people like my Sister with a CPAP machine, they don’t even have backup batteries and she can’t go to sleep without one.

I’m currently watching Blackout on C4 streaming, my God it should be required watching. It’s very realistic and VERY scary.
I’m glad I don’t live in, or near a City.

Yep I am glad I moved out of London long ago.

At the very least your sister needs to be on the Priority Services Register as she may then get help faster.

https://www.thepsr.co.uk/

We were without water for two weeks+ in 2007. At the time we were told not to put faeces in the bin. We managed with water from the water butt (luckily it was full), but I'd say don't put too much down the toilet (ie avoid too much fibre). We had no blockages. The first week we had very little water the first few days. Made do with a flannel in priority places, a quick rinse and left outside inbetween - that was in summer. I think about 350,000 were without water - no rioting, although supermarket raided first few hours of household cleaning products, wipes, anything in water that could be cooked (baked beans didn't work as hard to wash pan), anything you could drink, as well as the usual fruit, veg and bread and this was consistent throughout.

That sounds challenging!
But if it’s “just” no water, it sounds manageable, if difficult.

The massive, and seemingly insurmountable issue is if power cuts entirely shut down the functioning of the sewage system, and it backs up (as people would inevitably ignore advise not to use the toilet). Anyone in an urban/suburban area would be totally screwed.

Hmmm 'don't put faeces in the bin' - or try to flush them I presume. So then what, if the situation continues, you have to bury them in your garden? I can't see everyone doing that, can you? Our back garden is so stony you can't dig it. The mind boggles.

It depends on the crisis:

• no water, but sewage system working = no faeces in the bin. I guess you have to try to source water for flushing.
• sewage system not working = official advice is bag it 💩 and bin it (see government emergency script for complete power failure).

fun times either way…!

I think those were two different bits of advice from different times though. People in 2007 (was it in Gloucester?) had sewage still working; the government advice to poo in a bag and put it outside is for if absolutely nothing is working (real last resort stuff).

If sewage does stop working, pipes backing up will be a risk. I think you can buy inflatable balloons for blocking toilets, but you'd have to do all downstairs sinks too I suppose.

Suddenly the idea of having only an outside toilet looks quite appealing!

Suddenly the idea of having only an outside toilet looks quite appealing!

Spiders and all! 😂

Are we on the verge of turning into poo trolls? 😅

Yes regarding clean spoons etc for baby I was thinking about getting some Milton sterilising fluid, as similar to what they said in the broadcast script someone posted in this thread about having a bowl of water and soap to keep washing your hands in, I wondered if a bowl of sterilised fluid could keep being used over the course of a few days to rid baby stuff of germs/bacteria. Assuming the actual food residue was wiped off the spoon first for example, so it was just used to soak stuff in.

I don't know how long that liquid would stay actively sterilising, but perhaps you could just use a very small quantity of it each time (so it could always be fresh)? Or just wash the baby's spoon with the tiniest bit of washing up liquid and drinking water each time (only the baby's, no one else's)?

Having to handle baby food and spoons for a very young baby would be a reason in itself to have at least some hand sanitiser (for adult hands) in. I wouldn't trust that official recommendation of a bowl of water and soap to do that good a job. I think it's just better than nothing.

Ooh, ooh, I found a prepper solution for the poocopalypse!!

https://www.floodsax.co.uk/news/the-fastest-cheapest-and-most-effective-way-to-stop-sewage-backing-up-into-your-home-or-business-through-your-toilet/

👏 👏 👏

FloodSax are instant sandbags but in their dry state are incredibly flat and only become sandless sandbags when they are immersed in water which the polymer inside them absorbs and retains.

Genius!

There are places to buy these singular rather than cough up a decent chunk of coin for a bulk buy.

I have a wind up radio that is also a torch and can charge 2 USBs, oh and it has a solar panel, I'm not sure how much that works though.

That is handy to know. Any links? They do look good @RulesControlTheFun

I was happy to buy a 5 pack direct from Floodsax as we have 3 toilets. Looks like you can buy single ones here:
https://www.thesafetysupplycompany.co.uk/p/9386918/floodsax-sandless-sandbags-22l-capacity-single-ed-floodsax.html?

or the Floodsax website has quite a long list of suppliers.

Not sure what you could do about sinks/showers etc if they start backing up, though the idea is slightly less horrifying than toilets!

So sorry I've just come back to the thread. Looks like pp has obliged.

I did wonder about sinks/showers though. Plug in with something on top?

Those would be handy for actual floods though, given not so distant past events

I think personally, Seeing whats been happening in Bangkok with flooding. I'm a smite concerned about weather events that haven't come to the UK yet. Unprecedented was the words I read. We get a fair bit of flooding where I am in any flash rainfall and the last one was pretty alarming. I'm wondering if the poking to be more resilient from CG and the so many units per person in Lidl for eg might be a bit of a warning that we might be pushed out of our comfort zone soon.

Not that any bunging bogs up will help if there's proper flooding. I think going for water and electric issues is in our control at least.

Well, I am half way through watching The End We Start From, a movie on BBC iPlayer, about a flood in London seen from the view of a young mother who's just given birth. It is sooo depressing!