UK residents have been told to keep a 72-hour emergency kit ready at home, causing a bit of a stir over what essentials to pack and how to store extras like cans of beans and water bottles. The government’s latest encouragement to be prepared comes alongside similar moves from European nations, urging people to gear up with emergency supplies that cover them for at least three days.
Former Deputy PM Oliver Dowden rolled out the “Prepare” website as part of UK measures for helping households brace for various emergencies such as floods, power cuts or disease outbreaks. The site lists essentials to include in an emergency pack:
The government suggests those unable to buy all necessary items at once should build up their stash gradually, purchasing additional supplies when possible.
Similarly, the European Commission is urging EU citizens to gather sufficient food, water, and other needs for a 72-hour stretch, marking a shift in readiness tactics aimed at softening the blow from potential calamities, ranging from natural to man-made crises including pandemics and military conflicts.
This push is a slice of a larger scheme to uplift public awareness and consolidate EU reactions to looming common dangers.
The Dutch government is urging its citizens to prepare 72-hour emergency kits in anticipation of potential crises, which could include natural disasters, cyber attacks or conflicts. Recommended items consist of drinking water, non-perishable food, a flashlight, batteries, a first aid kit and necessary medications, reports the Daily Record.
For those with limited space, experts have offered advice on how and where to store these emergency supplies.
Not everyone has room for a full-sized pantry, but even the smallest kitchens can house supplies for 72 hours.
Allocate one kitchen cupboard for long-lasting food such as canned meals (think ravioli or baked beans with sausages), tinned fruit, dry pasta, UHT milk and high-calorie snacks like energy bars.
Filling a pantry all at once can be expensive, so spread out the cost by adding a few extra items to your weekly shop, and rotate them regularly to keep them within their use-by dates.
A mini pantry can prove invaluable during power outages or if the household falls ill and can’t make it to the shops.
Emergency supplies are useless if you can’t find them when needed, so consider purchasing some stackable, clear storage boxes. These can be used to store essentials such as spare power banks, batteries, torches, tools, first aid supplies, hygiene products, baby necessities, and additional blankets or foil blankets.
Once you’ve packed, label each box by category and store them in a central yet out-of-the-way location, such as under the stairs or in a low kitchen cupboard.
These should be easily accessible for everyone and kept inside the house, not hidden away in the loft or garage. This is also the perfect place to keep bottled water and extra loo rolls.
In the US, professional preppers might call this a ‘bug-out bag’, but essentially it’s a small bag packed with essentials you’d need if you had to leave home quickly.
This could be invaluable in situations like evacuations due to flooding or other local emergencies.
Choose a compact yet sturdy bag, about the size of a school backpack, and make sure it includes: a torch, charging packs (don’t forget the cables), a plastic pouch for medications and important documents, snacks like cereal or energy bars, a few small bottles of water and any essential medication.
Ideally, this should be stored somewhere easily accessible to all, near the front door – perhaps in a hallway cupboard.
To ensure it’s instantly recognisable as the emergency grab bag, consider tying a colourful ribbon around a strap so everyone knows which bag it is.
After securing a 72-hour survival kit for your home, it’s wise to equip your car as well. The boot is the perfect spot for an emergency stash, invaluable during breakdowns or when stuck in traffic due to severe weather.
Blankets, lightweight yet warm clothing such as fleeces, a high-visibility jacket, energy-rich snacks, and bottled water should all be on your checklist.
Storage expert Sarah Day from Pay Less for Storage has some reassuring words: “While this news might understandably be worrying for some, remember it’s not intended to scare you, just to ensure that everyone is well prepared in the event of an emergency.
“And remember, preparedness doesn’t mean panic buying or anxiously hoarding – it means planning for the worst and sensibly storing what you need.”
She also highlights the importance of having an emergency kit ready: “A pre-packed emergency kit can make a big difference in stressful situations, whether it’s a blackout caused by cyber interference or flooding caused by mother nature.
“The key to this is accessibility and suitable storage, think boxes you can find in the dark, home insurance documents carefully placed to grab and go, food you’ll actually eat if the lights go out, and storage systems that fit your space.”
Sarah adds a tip for making the most of what you already have at home: “Many of us already have most of the items we need, but they’re lost in cluttered cupboards or overstuffed drawers.
“With a few small tweaks, you can repurpose those spaces to make your home not just tidier, but more resilient too.”
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