Households told to stockpile food, water and medicine in new warning
Households were urged to stockpile tinned food, bottled water and first aid kits, as Defence Secretary Wes Streeting warned the nation must “be ready”. Hand sanitiser, blankets and clockwork radios should also be stored for emergencies, according to a new government campaign.
TL;DR
- Households are advised to stockpile tinned food, bottled water, first aid kits, hand sanitiser, blankets, and clockwork radios.
- The 'Be Ready' campaign aims to ensure people can survive for at least three days without outside contact.
- The measures are officially for extreme weather but Defence Secretary Wes Streeting cited threats from hostile states and terrorists.
- Potential disruptions include supermarket payment system failures and cyber-attacks.
- New legislation is planned to protect undersea cables and pipelines from spying.
- Guidance includes storing nine litres of water per person, three days' worth of food, torches, power banks, important documents, nappies, pet food, baby formula, and essential medicines.
- Homes can get cold quickly when heating fails, hence the advice for blankets and sleeping bags.
- The campaign aims to reduce pressure on emergency services by preparing people for everyday emergencies.
- A social media and radio advertising campaign will target at-risk audiences like families with young children and older people.
- Over 500 organisations, including charities and businesses, are involved in spreading the message.
- 32 UK Government services were taken offline, and four partially unavailable due to security updates following the discovery of a critical flaw in PHP.