Preparation for war

Well we always have candles because approx twice a year we lose power. Privatised electricity of course. Some have actually bought a generator. Sometimes the water gets cut off for a day . Ah the joys of living in Australia. Still, it looks beautiful and we can’t see any neighbours ! Plenty of wildlife.

Yes, candles, matches, water purifying tablets and a few tins of beans/meat/fish is just common sense. Not forgetting the cat and dog food if you don’t want them teaming up and plotting 😁
IKEA sell very long burning candles (50 hours I think) quite reasonably.

Battery powered lanterns are a lot safer than candles, particularly when they are carried about.

JML Handy Brite torches which you can carry or hang are excellent, really bright LED. They aren’t expensive either. I’ve got enough candles to last for ages too, presents over the years that I haven’t used, so at least if we do get long power cuts my house will smell nice.

Households preparing. Is the government?

I expect so .

They aren’t going to publicise what they are doing though, for obvious reasons.

Will they increase the budget for it, which many say is needed.

I don't know why there is such resistance to people simply being prepared. As soon as someone says they've got extra bottles of water or a wind-up radio they are accused of panic buying and told to stop worrying.

Going by this thread, there has been a sea change from even a year ago.

Back then, much more talk of panic buying and conspiracy theories.

fancythat

Households preparing. Is the government?

Obviously so, because they have written new guidance?

Pieces of paper will hardly cut the mustard if there really is a war coming.

The leaders of the armed services appear to have gone quiet.
So that at least, is a good sign. Hopefully.

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202609/medium-1xexwq-1000017249.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202609/medium-ayv7xg-1000017248.jpg

We had a booklet through a couple of weeks ago, a couple of pages from it

Wind up radio is on the list,power banks, strong plastic bag for valuables,road map ,supply of non perishable,etc

I am interested to know where people wourld run to?
Government centres?

Would that not depend on what the threat was fancythat? It’s impossible to predict where it would hit, and whether it would be fire, flood, chemical, bomb etc. etc.

Doodledog

As I have said before, I have always had a small surplus, and an 'emergency box' which has been variously ridiculed and raided over the years. I am not preparing for war - to be honest, if that happened I would rather go up in the first blast - but I am thinking about how we could go to ground for a week or so if there were power cuts, water supply interruptions or similar. Maybe natural forces, maybe malice, but I feel happier knowing I am prepared.

I have bought extra items, and plan to store them all in a large bag, or maybe clear out an under-bed drawer for the purpose. I have a wind-up solar powered radio, a power pack, two sizes of batteries, camping lanterns and a head torch. Oh, and one of those plastic long lighter things. I will put in a few foodstuffs, although the kitchen cupboards would keep us going for some time. If we had to leave the house, I could take the packs of lentil casserole and tuna salads with us, though - they wouldn't need heating and would be relatively tasty and better than nothing. I have been adding things like Imodium, paracetamol and sticking plasters, and have a four pack of loo roll in there, despite the numerous ones in the bathroom and boot room cupboards. I could donate them if there were a scarcity. I've ordered a pack of playing cards to arrive with my next grocery order, as in a power cut we'd be without TV or music .

I have 36 litres of water and a camping stove (with gas), and plenty of lentils, rice and pasta in the pantry as a matter of course.

In the absence of rioting and looting we'll be fine for weeks, but realistically if others don't 'prep' and shortages bite, it will be everyone for themselves, and two older people in the centre of a relatively wealthy town will be vulnerable.

I am considering asking the neighbours if they want to share numbers in case of emergency. We are mostly older people, and there are two widows in our small street, so I think it would make sense. If they haven't prepared I'd happily share what we have, as IMO if 'things' go on for long enough for us to run out there will either be central intervention or we'd just be deferring the inevitable.

It's just my way, though. I also have six baskets on a spare bed - one for each of my children, their partners, my husband and miscellaneous, and am adding Christmas presents to each as I find them. I like to spread the cost and cut the stress of it all by doing things gradually. September was aways my 'return to work' date when I started collecting stocking fillers, and I have continued the tradition.

I have all that bar the wind up radio (do you need a license btw 😂) & the sterilisation water tablets.

MT62,I wish I could be that organised

Casdon

Would that not depend on what the threat was fancythat? It’s impossible to predict where it would hit, and whether it would be fire, flood, chemical, bomb etc. etc.

It would.

But I was interested to know what people had in their minds.

Googled it.
The suggestions are Scottish Highlands, Aberystwyth and Inverness - areas away from major cities and military zones.

We're being encouraged to store extra food and bottled water in preparation for an 'event' I just googled "is bottled water good for the planet?" This is the answer that came back.

AI Overview No, bottled water is not good for the planet.
Environmental Impacts
Resource extraction: Making bottled water has a resource impact up to 3,500 times higher than drinking tap water.
Ecosystem damage: The harm to natural ecosystems from bottled water is roughly 1,400 times greater than from tap water.
Carbon footprint: Manufacturing, processing, and transporting bottled water—sometimes shipped from thousands of miles away—releases massive amounts of carbon dioxide.
Plastic waste: Billions of single-use plastic bottles end up in landfills, incinerators, or as litter in oceans and on land, where they break down into harmful microplastics.The Guardian+4

Given bottled water carries an expiry date this will mean using the supplies and replenishing them on some sort of rotation. Those that will be storing gallons of bottled water when they wouldn't normally use it will probably outnumber those for whom it's a regular thing. Just worth a thought. I'm in the group that lives in such a tiny space I wouldn't have room even if I had the inclination. Of course maybe people are stocking up with water in glass bottles but at an average price of £3 a litre that's beyond the pocket of many I'd say.
www.tesco.com/shop/en-GB/products/330722272?srsltid=AU7gw4Uy3XGsTlRyshRezB-RJXZPvzaEwOXmVxQGEMfYXNh_6rAlKtw5

As long as you’ve got something else to drink if the water supply is cut off, it doesn’t matter if it’s bottled water or not. Stock up on cans of beer, or coke, or whatever your preference is.

Casdon

As long as you’ve got something else to drink if the water supply is cut off, it doesn’t matter if it’s bottled water or not. Stock up on cans of beer, or coke, or whatever your preference is.

What room I have available for emergency drinking supplies would be water or fruit juice, I really don't think getting your day's supply of fluid from beer or coke would be a good choice 😉 I thought we were supposed to consider the environment and our impact upon it. Single use plastic bottles of water (or any single use plastics) have a big impact but I suppose criticism of them will now totally cease 🙄

The government don’t care what you have in reserve to drink, as long as you have something, it’s just that water is more adaptable to other use than anything else. They aren’t making a point of being environmentally unfriendly for the sake of it, it’s just that water is most commonly stored in plastic bottles.

I am sure WWIII is Trumps goal. He wants to be able swoop in and end another yet another war.

How long are we supposed to be preparing for? An article in the ‘i’ today quotes 2.5 litres of water per person per day for drinking, but adding in laundry and personal hygiene ‘you’d be more comfortable with 10’. How many families of four could store 10 litres of water per person per day for two weeks?.