Preparing for El Niño

I ‘get’ the tone of your OP, kittylester, but I guess the situation projected might turn out to be very serious, so maybe some folks are feeling the need to take the idea of stockpiling very seriously. If the wet and windy weather is comparable in its intensity to the heat of this summer, then many people will find it a real strain.
Anyway, just going off to check on the wine cellar, the champagne fridge and the caviar in the pantry…….

El Niño is said to produce extreme disruption to weather patterns, wet, cold or hot and dry. This summer may have been an easy time a very wet cold winter will affect many more. A very cold winter like 1962,63 or 47 will feel much worse.

Casdon

In my opinion the fools are those who are in denial. It’s not just the unknown impact of El Niño, it the uncertainty of the world at present which makes it only common sense to make sure your household is prepared. There’s no need to go overboard, just make sure over a number of weeks that you have everything you need to survive for a few days if whatever happens- my money is on supply chain disruption due to undersea internet cables being cut, but it could be anything - and if nothing happens, great, just eat the non perishable items at your leisure, it’s not as though it costs you more ultimately.

👏👏👏

Usedtobeblonde

I’m going to brush up on rubbing two sticks together to create a flame and then learn how to do smoke signals from the fire I have created , made possible by the amount of kindling and logs I have stockpiled, no supermarket needed.
I can of course then cook on said fire.
I will be self sufficient especially if I learn how to catch rabbits and fish.
How long is El Niño supposed to last?

Well, even if you dont master the art of starting a fire by rubbing two sticks together, the effort of trying should at least keep you plenty warm enough 😁

I will have to live off the contents of my freezer.
200 Kg of stewed plums.

I guess I ought to stock up on toilet rolls…

greyfur16

Appreciate the idea of a light hearted post but I don't think unsubstantiated warnings are helpful.

We have weather in the UK, always have.

I don't think Angela Eagle was issuing an 'unsubstantiated warning'.

In my opinion the fools are those who are in denial. It’s not just the unknown impact of El Niño, it the uncertainty of the world at present which makes it only common sense to make sure your household is prepared. There’s no need to go overboard, just make sure over a number of weeks that you have everything you need to survive for a few days if whatever happens- my money is on supply chain disruption due to undersea internet cables being cut, but it could be anything - and if nothing happens, great, just eat the non perishable items at your leisure, it’s not as though it costs you more ultimately.

Appreciate the idea of a light hearted post but I don't think unsubstantiated warnings are helpful.

We have weather in the UK, always have.

"We have a gas BBQ so as long as we have enough gas we will be able to cook most foodstuffs and heat water for hot drinks."
So have we, but who's volunteering to go outside in the storms to cook? ☔

What puzzles me is, that whenever there's a crisis of any kind, there's always a shortage of toilet rolls!

We are always well stocked for food and wine, loo roll comes on a subscription so it’s just logs and peat.

There's no such thing as someone who only speaks English. It's a mongrel language originating from many sources and has evolved through many influences over many hundreds of years. You can't get from one day to the next without using a "foreign" word.
Even the word "troll" has evolved from several sources.

Totally irresponsible of Eagle to make that statement - and very much beyond her remit - panic buying will ensue - and we will see the results of living in a plutocracy ( of which the vile Eagle is a member)
I agree with the Weirdoagain
👍☘️

Aldom

Someone I know has 100 tins of sardines. It's a family joke. 😂
Makes sense though. Good source of protein.

Is that why I couldn’t find any in the supermarket last week?
I love sardines on toast- one of natures treats!

OK so long as they don’t go off sardines!

As TerriBull mentioned earlier, we started keeping a moderate stock of baked beans, tinned tomatoes and tinned soup at the time of Brexit, and we still have that sort of stock, although using it from the front and filling up as we go. We have a wood-burning stove on which we could heat soup or cook pasta and vegetables (assuming the water is still running), and have done so in a power cut.

I admire the 100 tins of sardines though, Aldom. Don't think anyone has come up with anything to beat that so far!

I practice good housekeeping and always have a decent stock cupboard, it has often been very useful during winter, particularly during 2010 when suddenly overnight we were snowed in and that lasted for six weeks

Anway, I have good chocolate, varied good hobbies to occupy me. and plenty of fuel for my stove. I am grateful to be going into this during winter and not, like two of my sisters, facing this during summer in Australia

Someone I know has 100 tins of sardines. It's a family joke. 😂
Makes sense though. Good source of protein.

kittylester

This thread is missing a Phoenix. 😪

✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️

We have a gas BBQ so as long as we have enough gas we will be able to cook most foodstuffs and heat water for hot drinks.

Freezers should be ok for up to 48 hours if full, less if it isn’t.

As long as the wine and fizz doesn’t run out I will be ok 🍾🍷

If I drink enough I won’t care about the minutiae 🤷‍♀️

I would never stockpile. I don’t like the idea. If there’s some sort of emergency situation I would ensure that we have enough of our medication, both prescribed and over the counter. Also a modest supply of bottled water as D H needs this for an ongoing kidney problem. The idea of people grabbing large amounts of provisions is disturbing to me.

kittylester

This thread is missing a Phoenix. 😪

It’s certainly missing something kitty 🤣🤣

I’ll go back to making space for wine and join utbb in practicing fire making skills, roasted rat maybe?

I’ve just been making biscuits so while waiting for them to bake I had a look in my store cupboard.
I have already got enough… well pineapple chunks, beans, pasta and tinned tomatoes anyway.
They seem to be edible almost to the end of 2027. We also have torches and a gas camping stove, oh and a gas barbecue too.
If we run out of loo roll then I have some bamboo wipes that I will wash in the water butt. What else could I possibly need? Apart from 🍷, we do have about 6 bottles of Sloe gin that my DH made earlier. I suppose that will do if we run out?

El Nino years tends to hit is hard. We average 55 inches of snow each year. In an El Nino year, it pushes that up to an average of 75 inches. We usually also see temps below 0F and blizzards that can drop feet of snow at once, which can shut the city down for days. In the 1997 El Nino storm, the National Guard had to be called out ton rescue people from their cars off the highway.

We are encouraged to stock up on supplies, but that doesn't mean hoard them. If we know a storm is coming, we get milk and eggs and whatever to be able to hunker down and not leave our house.

We literally did not have a winter this year and have historic low water levels that led to restrictions and emptying reservoirs, so we need a El Nino to catch up, but Lord do I hate the snow.

I was thinking about this since I seen your thread,
If we stock up with tins and dried goods , and the weather is so bad that the electric goes off, how do we heat them up or cook them. Same with frozen food it will all go to waste once the freezer starts to defrost , I know if you don't open the door it keeps frozen but that rather defeats the object, so perhaps Alcohol is definitely the way forward, don't forget the loo roll.

Not forgetting that I won’t be able to afford my heating bill if it hasn’t conked out completely , so better stock up on cashmere jumpers.
MawsRosie What an excellent idea!