Preparedness for when

FurryBeastOz

Just watched the Blackout programme. Agree with you GQ that little girl got very annoying. But I don't agree about the ad breaks. Perfect for a 2min flying session - and it didn't feel like it!

Looking at it though it seems there is more to come? Anyone know if it is a series?

Might have to make DH watch it. He constantly complains about my hoarding tendencies. In Brum we have no space, but when we go back north I'm planning an Armageddon prep.

[Deleted User]

I think in a situation like the one portrayed the very best thing to do if it were possible would be to go as low profile as you possibly could and not draw any attention to the fact that you were indoors, whilst making the building as secure as it was possible to do. The idea of a blacked out room is really sensible, even the back of the house with lights would draw desperate people. I even think lighting the woodburner would attract attention as people would see or smell the smoke, so I'd use the camping cas burner and then only to boil water as I'd initially try only to use instant dehydrated items that gave no aroma which would certainly pull in hungry people. In the longer term, hopefully some settling down would happen after the initial panic and disruption and then using the woodstove would be ok and I'd certainly offer to heat water etc for neighbours if they had no access to a heat source. We would be comfortable enough even in an unheated house as we have the right cold weather gear and 15 tog duck feather duvets so as long as we weren't subject to looting, and there is no guarantee that won't happen, we would be able to make it through until some order was re-established in society. We don't have any new stuff anyway and although the house is sound it doesn't look squeaky shiny new and expensive so I don't think we would be the first choice for looting and might have a pre warning if other homes nearby were involved and maybe the chance to do some judicious distribution of food and equipment. I thing it would be 99% being prepared and 1% luck as to what happened though!

ALIBOBSY

mardatha wrote: »

ALI don't eat city pigeons, they carry TB. But you can eat wood pigeon.

Well OH and I are of an age where we still had the TB check thing and vaccinations so I guess if starving we could risk it?

Ali x

ALIBOBSY

RAS wrote: »

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:
And those concerned have not got in store a carton or 2 or UHT or a tin of dried milk nor a bag of fllour and the know how to make soda bread, scones or drop scones?

Does that mean I am a star prepper for having all the above in quantity :A,:rotfl::rotfl:

Regarding blackout again re the prepper guy and water, why did it show him filling old bottles with water, but not any kind of stored water or the big water bag things we all seem to have. Also he drained the radiator, but didn't mention the toilet tank which would require less straining and cleaning than the sludge from the radiators. TBH our radiators were cleaned not so long ago when we had to change the boiler and I really think I could find better sources of water than that-mind you we are within about 5 mins walk of a fast flowing river, but high enough and with enough field between us and it to make flood risk low for us. Oddly those on the other side of the river seem to be more at risk. So with boiling and a bit of purification that or the stuff from our water butt would do after the stored bottles.

Ali x

ALIBOBSY

pineapple wrote: »

2 x 5 litres of 12% white vinegar arrived today. I dilute it into spray bottles so along with the bicarb, that's my cleaning sorted till spring and beyond. Plus weed clearing when used at full strength! Have used this supplier before - and they usually throw in a couple of free samples of other stuff. Can mail the link if anyone is interested.
Another item off the list

Would love to have the link, I don't suppose they do large tubs of bicarb and the like as I have plenty of tips regarding stuff like this, but only seem to find tiny tubs in the supermarkets

Ali x

7_week_wonder

ALIBOBSY wrote: »

Would love to have the link, I don't suppose they do large tubs of bicarb and the like as I have plenty of tips regarding stuff like this, but only seem to find tiny tubs in the supermarkets

Ali x

Have you got a Chinese Supermarket anywhere near you? The ones in my area do 1 kg bags of bicarb for a ridiculously cheap price.

Frivolous question: I have Last Light on loan from the library and Blackout downloaded to my phone: which one will I start with on my long train journey to visit relatives this evening?

[Deleted User]

ALI the programme, what little I watched of it, was more of an entertainment drama with much drama and not much entertainment than a useful factual programme. If people had displayed any of the practical commonsense approach to being ready for disruptive problems that the contributors on this thread do on a day to day basis it would probably not have been classes as 'Good TV' with which to pull in the viewer numbers. The writers probably don't have a real understanding of 'real' prepping ways to prepare for the likely problems in such a situation but have a real flair for OTT dramatic TV. I'm not denigrating it, I suspect some of the happenings would be true but I'm certain that some of the population has a degree of common sense and would fare much better under adverse circumstances, Cheers Lyn xxx.

Shropshirelass

I watched this programme on Monday night, and thought it was a bit of a wasted opportunity. Guess I am very old fashioned - like to have either hero, heroine, storyline, outcome or useful information at the end of a programme.

Scariest thing for me was the fact that a lot of the action was provided by real (as opposed to staged) films of riot and disaster news reportage. Or perhaps it was that no suggestion was made about how population could deal with a blackout without complete chaos, death and serious injury, anarchy...:eek::eek:

I do think some people would have made sensible preparations, and small communities (local populations, friends, suburbs, villages, etc) would be able to work together with a measure of common sense. It does seem that if possible staying put and keeping head below parapet is best option for most of us, and we should prepare for that...and keep everything charged...

[Deleted User]

Get a bull.

He'll charge anything.

mardatha

Re pigeons ALI, I don't know - think you couldnt catch TB from eating them but you probly could from preparing them.. Falconers don't let their birds eat them because of the risk of disease, that's all I know