Defence secretary Friday warning and tells UK households stockpile 9 items now

Defence Secretary Wes Streeting today issued an urgent alert to people to stockpile 9 items – because at any time an emergency can arise. The UK has been hit by a string of crises recently, including wildfires, droughts, and health-threatening heatwaves.

Flooding can hit, and with the conflict in the Middle East there are also concerns over the supply of fuels. Mr Streeting, appearing on Sky News this morning, has backed government calls for people to take action to prepare for major problems.

The Prepare government campaign says every household in the UK should put together an emergency kit of items at home – and know where it is. It says:” Emergencies happen every day in the UK and across the world. They can be caused by severe weather or other natural hazards, by deliberate actions, or as a result of accidents or infrastructure failure. They can be events that happen quickly and are over in a few hours, or they can develop and continue over the course of several days, months, or sometimes even longer.”

Mr Streeting said: “I think we do need to have a national conversation about our resilience as a country and our preparedness. And before we turn to that scenario you described of an event where this country is under attack, I would actually say let’s think about resilience today. We’ve just had a summer of wildfires across the country.

“Lots of communities across the UK will be looking to winter with trepidation about extremely cold weather or flood. And I’d ask people watching actually on a really practical level, in the event you have a power cut, would you know where you keep a torch? Have you even got matches or candles?”

The emergency plan advice recommends considering what you might require during an emergency lasting several days, such as a power failure or water shortage, or circumstances where you are told to remain at home or evacuate your property.

It is advised to store these items in one location that is straightforward to locate if the lights aren’t functioning. It can be useful to keep these items in one spot in your home and ideally somewhere accessible to find if the lights aren’t working. Any items could be stored in a “grab bag.”

You should make certain you have sufficient medication you require to sustain you for multiple days. In your car, you could pack items that will assist you in dealing with winter conditions.

These might include a torch, an in-car phone charger, warm clothing and blankets, high-visibility attire, jump leads, food and drink, a first aid kit, and a shovel.

Here’s everything else you might require:

• A battery or wind-up torch – torches are safer than candles. A portable power bank for charging your mobile phone.
• A battery or wind-up radio to receive updates during a power outage – a car radio can be utilised, however, in severe weather it might be safer to stay indoors.
• Spare batteries for torches and radios and a backup battery for any medical equipment you depend on.
• A first aid kit (or some first aid supplies) including items such as waterproof plasters, bandages, a thermometer, antiseptic, eyewash solution, sterile dressings and gloves, medical tape for dressings, and tweezers.
• Hand sanitiser and wet wipes for hygiene purposes when the water supply is disrupted.
• Bottled water – there is no standard quantity for this as emergencies can vary in duration and people consume different amounts. The World Health Organisation recommends a minimum of 2.5-3 litres of drinking water per person per day for survival. 10 litres per person per day will make you more comfortable by also providing for basic cooking and hygiene needs. Additional water might be required for preparing baby formula, for medical devices, and for pets.
• Non-perishable food that doesn’t require cooking, like ready-to-eat tinned meat, fruit or vegetables (and a tin opener). As with water, the quantity you need will depend on your personal circumstances.
• Don’t overlook food for pets.
• Baby essentials such as nappies and baby formula – ready made or ready-to-feed formula is ideal as you may not have the ability to boil water or sterilise bottles.

Here for more information on preparing for disaster from the UK Government