Germans told to stockpile food and water

"Water controlled by electricity?" Pumping stations. The Romans had gravity-fed aqueducts, but now water is pumped around the country.

Water controlled by electricity? Are you thinking about hydro-electric supplies there?
This kind of advice is normal in places like NZ where everyone lives at risk of earthquakes. Not sure how many comply.
I guess the German Government must have done a risk assessment on different types of terror attacks which could include damage to transport system (preventing food deliveries), a dirty bomb, chemical/biological/explosive attack on a vulnerable facility. If people can manage at home for a few days it would tend to keep them off the streets and out of harms way, and discourage looting. Remember what happened in New Orleans when it got flooded? Something that disrupts the road network, such as the diesel delivery drivers strike we had a few years back can very quickly cause a major problem with supply of food to supermarkets.
Water companies, and similar, have to make a lot of contingency plans for civil emergencies. I remember once, when working for one, having an interesting conversation with the disaster planning manager. Apparently we had control rooms that were protected from nuclear fallout and huge subterranean stores of generators etc all ready to be used if ever needed. At that time nuclear attack was the thing in the forefront of people's minds. I saw one of the bunkers once, it was in a water control room where they had an inner set of doors that were metal and about a foot thick and the inner room was built into a hillside. There were a few senior managers and essential personnel who knew they had to go there if there was a nuclear alert - and close the doors behind them. From there they could control the water network that fed a major city etc.

Is it now official? Or was the "unofficial" "leak" enough to warn people?

*MargaretX

That's what I bought yesterday.

Up to now it is not official. It just brings to mind that water is now controlled by eletricity and the whole business is computerised.

I suppose we could buy in sardines and sauerkraut to supply the vitamins and then pasta and crisp bread.- and tea. We have an little old calor gas stove used by campers years ago. I could still make a cup of tea or fill a hotwater bottle.

I never actually eat them but its a comfort to know they're there just in case! Anyway why would I be lambasted for eating them?

Jane10 you'll get lambasted for daring to eat sausage rolls!

Well, we wouldn't starve (we might go thirsty though) The meals would be rather strange as I seem to have a huge amount of mayo (different flavours!) tomato sauce, brown sauce, chili sauce and jam! Must have been offers at Sainsbury's!!

I always have a pack of emergency sausage rolls in case we get snowed in!

I'm stockpiling at present but for a different reason. I'm having knee replacement sometime soon and then can't drive for 6 weeks, and I live in the countryside so this is a bit of a challenge.
This German warning is a bit strange, isn't it, and quite worrying!

Mormons are supposed to store a year's worth of food and water for their families.

For the next Noah-type flood, or something.

As a Prussian I've to see it a bit different. During and after WW 2. the population had fireplaces at home, more or less. Same people had in the UK.
Germany has a complete different housing situation now. In case of emergency only a small percentage would be in the potion to steam water up nor to cook. Excet from the country I'll have to say.
And if any terrorist attack will happen very few people will have a chance of looking the time up when this happens.
This advice is only good to keep the population quiet and to distract from thinking about the disaster the politicians have produced.

Strange what exactly are they expecting. I'll chuck a few tins of baked beans in the shopping basket, just in case there's something we are not being told

Is it perhaps because of German history, and they are used to stockpiling if there is a possible big problem heading their way?

As we get a bit older and less keen to go shopping in rotten weather, it makes sense to stockpile enough food for a week or two - but advising a whole country to do so does sound a bit ominous.

This is a bit strange! I've definitely started to stock up more over the past few years; it can't hurt!

It reminds me of cold war days, when we were advised to have a stock of tinned food and bottled water. Then there was the power cut era, when you might have no electricity for a while. We went out and bought a camping stove and a cylinder of propane/butane too, as well as tins of easily-heated food and supplies of things that could be eaten without cooking.

You can even get self-heating tinned food.

Think my grammar is odd - apologies!!!

I see to remember that we here were advised to keep a stockpile of food and water at one period. I just asked DH and he remembers it too, but neither of us can remember when it was, now, or for what reason. It is sudden, this, though, and curious.

This does sound slightly sinister! Why now? Surely this will encourage panic buying?! Is it to do with terrorism? It's what we don't know that worries me more than what we do.
We too have our own water supply, and have a Woodburner with an oven attached, and endless supplies of timber. This all sounds a bit 1939ish to me and a bit scary!!

We could probably live out of the store cupboard for a week. The freezer stuff would need to be eaten in a hurry. We have an open fire and a camping stove. Water? We'd have to boil the pond and water butt stuff.

If you live in a small flat where could you store enough water for ten days?

It could that she is thinking of possible cyber attacks on the utilities
Such as gas water electric.

I saw photos of empty shops in Germany yesterday. What struck me was the sheer amount that was recommended to be stockpiled. An average family would need lots of space to store the crates of water alone far less the quantities of food. A worrying time.

If I was living in Germany, and up to now they have thought she is like a mum, many will panic buy I would have thought.
I was going to write, poor people, but she must be preparing them for something I think.

Yes, I too could live out of the store cupboard for several days, but of course if we had no power then some of what is there would be useless anyway. I like to keep a stock of long life milk also. Pity, though that this suggestion by Merkel might make people panic buy.