British Government Warns Citizens to Stock up on Nonperishables and Water

Dowden announced on May 22nd, 2024, that every household should be holding and creating a supply box to become self-sufficient in case of flood, power outages, cyber-attacks, or wars. This advice has been paired with a ‘Prepare’ page on the government website, guiding citizens on what to do during a crisis.  

He is also Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Secretary of State in the Cabinet Office and has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hertsmere since 2015. He’s been an important part of the British government for many years.

Dowden believes that Brits need to be better prepared in case a similar situation happens again. Not only should households be keeping non-perishables in stock, but also items such as battery-powered torches and battery-powered radios, and spare batteries for them. 

The Gov website states that battery/wind-up torch, portable power bank, battery/wind-up radio, spare batteries, first aid kit, hand sanitiser and wet wipes, baby supplies, food, and bottled water, are the most important things to keep in a house in case of an emergency. Certain items, such as bottled water, would be needed to be checked and changed occasionally to stay within the use-by date.

Numerous items should be in and replaced frequently in your first aid kit, such as sterile dressings with eye dressings and waterproof plasters. Bandages, protective wear such as gloves and face masks. Cleansing wipes, gauze, tape, scissors (to cut the other items), pins and clips, and a foil blanket in case of a situation where you need to retain body heat.

The Finnish government has given guidance regarding emergency prepping due to the fact that the country borders Russia. Japan are also preppers, as they often have freak weather activity such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and floods.

In the speech giving the advice, Dowden discusses the Covid pandemic, suggesting if households were more prepared it could have been easier to deal with. He also mentions floods and ‘If there was a national power outage’ households should have supplies to stay safe if they are left in the dark literally. 

The UK phone Emergency Alert System only was introduced in April 2023. In 2013, they tried cell alerts but had not since developed the system until Covid-19 when they sent text messages to warn UK citizens of new rulings to stay safe during the pandemic. 

Buying the wrong food items can cause them to go off. In a 5-gallon water jug, typically, the water will last for 2 years. This means that before the end of the 2 years, you need to replace the water bottles in case of an emergency. Prepping means checking the stock you still have, not just buying everything all at once.

It’s likely from feces in the water source. Citizens have been told to boil their water before using it to stay healthy. A crisis like this reminds people that buying bottled water from other parts of the country will save them from panicking if something like a water crisis happens locally. 

Although this may seem simple, it could pose difficulty for those families who struggle with the cost of living. Often, living paycheck to paycheck leaves no room for spare food when a family needs to be eating now.

Many households don’t have the spare money to prepare as they need it to look after their families and often can’t think of a crisis that may or may not happen. Although Dowden has not specifically mentioned these problems, there are food banks and other places households can visit if they are unable to get food on the table.