U.K. government calls on Britons to be ready for disasters, stock up on food and water

05/24/2024 / By Kevin Hughes

A new website created by the British government is telling citizens of the United Kingdom how to stockpile food and water and develop a “household emergency plan” to be ready to meet all kinds of disasters.

The webpage, called “Prepare” and presented by Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden, urges people not to leave their safety solely in the hands of the authorities.

The British media reported that the initiative is part of Dowden’s drive to make the nation “more resilient” despite many supposedly increasing threats such as natural disasters and violent conflicts.

The deputy prime minister, who was speaking at the London Defense Conference at King’s College London on Wednesday, May 22, said that “resilience begins at home.”

“We are working ahead of time to equip the whole of society to prepare for and even prevent the next shock while delivering a clear and robust plan that is so vital to our national defenses,” Dowden said.

The list of possible “shocks” the U.K. could confront, as stated by the government, includes cyber attacks, power outages, natural disasters and biohazards.

Advice given by the authorities on this matter includes becoming acquainted with the “risks in your local area,” signing up for alerts and warnings, knowing “basic first aid skills” and writing down “phone numbers of anyone you would want to contact in an emergency.”

Prepare website advises Britons to have a household emergency plan and emergency kit

According to the Prepare website, having a “household emergency plan,” along with “the best escape route from your home” would not hurt either.

Aside from that, a well-prepared Briton is supposed to have an “emergency kit” in an easily accessible area at home.

The kit should contain different batteries, a radio, wind-up flashlights, a first aid kit, a hand sanitizer in addition to bottled water and non-perishable food. On water, the government is recommending stockpiling a minimum of 2.5 to three liters of drinking water per person per day, however having “10 liters per person per day will make you more comfortable.” (Related: Top rules for smart preppers: Building your ultimate emergency stockpile.)

The website does not indicate how much food one needs to store to feel sensibly safe, but Dowden thinks that being “resilient for three days in simple terms” would help a person make it through “localized flooding” that “can lead to power outages and … water disruption.”

“You’re not going to be worried about getting down to the shops in that period,” the deputy prime minister said.

Dowden added that ultimately the measures are likely to make it easier for the government to deal with any probable crisis since it would mostly have to concentrate on those who do not follow its advice.

“Every additional person that takes steps to make themselves resilient means that when a crisis hits, the government can focus more on the people that aren’t ready and aren’t resilient,” Dowden stated.

Based on a poll carried out by the London Defense Conference, only 15 percent of people in the U.K. have emergency kits at home and more than 40 percent do not have three days’ worth of non-perishable food and water supplies.

Government officials said the advice would bring Britain in line with countries like Finland and Japan, which are considered leaders in citizen resilience.

Nevertheless, retailers are eager to prevent a repeat of the early days of the pandemic, when shoppers dropped on U.K. supermarkets in droves to stockpile daily essentials from bathroom rolls to canned meat, pasta and rice, leaving shelves empty while supply chains struggled to refill their stocks.

This was because supermarkets operate a precise “just in time” supply chain model by which fresh food cannot be stored for more than a few days and there is not enough warehouse or store space to maintain huge quantities of non-perishable goods.

The rise in demand caused supermarket chains to ration items and manufacturers and distributors to search for ways to boost supply.

“While it is sensible to have some additional food at home, most households will find they already have sufficient non-perishables sitting in the cupboard,” said Andrew Opie of the British Retail Consortium.

Follow Preparedness.news for more stories about stockpiling food and water as well as developing a household emergency plan.

Watch this video of a prepper discussing how to stock up a pantry for only $5 a week.

This video is from the Daily Videos channel on Brighteon.com.