Preparedness for when

ALIBOBSY

Also want to add I think this is definately in the right forum as often OS types are also those who GYO and have stores already.

From a point of view of what issues could happen one thing is already here. This rotten summer has been repeated accross many countries and worldwide food production has been badly effected, food prices WILL be pushed up. US wheat and soya production is badly effected and you can bet they will hold onto as much as they can to feed themselves so exports of the stuff a heck of alot of our food is made of will fall, pushing up prices. Time to stock up on flour and bread flour/yeast and get kneading I reckon. All that is without any petrol increases or power cost increases both of which are likely and will also push up food prices. I believe a food store at this point is an investment against the higher food costs which seem pretty inevitable.

Other than that from a disaster perspective there are alot of volcanos sat in Iceland overdue to blow, any of these would effect air imports as well as possibly affecting weather patterns and a few bad summers with low food production on the run would be really bad news for food costs-the gov obviously believe this sort of food supply issue is possible as they do print and have stores of ration books should they be needed.

Realistically of the major things the "preppers" US style worry about, the only 2 I can see having a chance of really happening are some kind of financial colaspe-but not on the scale they see, more like the wall street crash or another black monday (is that the right day of the week lol), or a solar flare causing geomagnetic storms that wipe out communications and electricity for a period. If localised hopefully would only be hours, but if a big event that hit the whole of the UK and took down overhead wires areas could easily be out for days or even weeks. I assume cities being repowered would be the priority and us in more rural areas or small towns would be lower on the list. Have a read about solar flares-not on alarmist sites, but proper scientific research like NASA. Flares can and do happen and although a world wide large hit like the carrington event of the 1850's is unlikely smaller flares do cause issues.

I see this as the difference between people who plan for the future and have insurance and those who just live for today and let tommorow look after itself. Nothing wrong in either position, its your choice, but I would rather been insured and nothing happen than be unprepared and left homeless and penniless. All the stuff I have will and is used even if a major event never turns up.

Ali x

jackieb

rosieben wrote: »

Hardly scaremongering when it was in the telegraph last week

When someone says that a country is ready to press the red button then yes, I consider that as scaremongering. Especially when the poster herself said that it was a scaremongers alert!

Popperwell

The other thing I cannot control and worry about is being single as I get older, losing my independence and ending in a home but though I can try to do all I can to avoid that if it is going to happen I cannot stop that happening.

And if it is going to happen it's not good spoiling the years I hopefully have that may be ok and if it doesn't I have wasted time doing so. Equally, I go go before that happens. It's all unknown and I am sure as more of us live longer and are alone this will happen more as we don't have family to share the responsibilites of care.

So even if we try to survive all that may be thrown our way we may still be thrown a curved ball...

ALIBOBSY

Just pondering what items I might like to add to a wishlist of items to be prepared. Already have solar lights-used in the garden as decoration, but the top "lamp" section easily detatches to become lights around the house-much safer than candles in kids rooms/toilet in powercuts at night. Also have wind up torches so for same reason, but do have tealights and candles as well. Also in laws bought us a pressie off their hols in cornwall which is a big rechareable lamp/latern/torch. We regularly charge it up and it gives around 12 hrs bright light-so plenty to get organised for short term cuts-obviously no good for longer times. We also have camping equipment-blow up beds/sleeping bags and such already. Plus plenty of blankets and fleeces.

Have been thinking of a wind up radio for the kitchen as its cheaper than plug ins or batteries and would have a secondary use in emergencies so thats on the list, plus may get a few more wind up lights if they are going cheap anywhere.
Also need to restock first aid kit as kids got hold of it and decided to play DR's lol. Why do toddlers think plasters are stickers?
Will consider about medicines and stock up as well.

I had a thought about learning the medcinal uses of the plants we grow or are wild around us. I already have a eucolyptus tree and I know the crushed leaves inhaled are good for chest and breathing problems-including my asthma, but hope this is an area we don't have to go into and things never get that bad.

Wondered about a solar shower and water in general. We have a water butt, but thats it. Thinking about purification tablets and some bottled stuff just in case. We did have a brita filter jug, but didn't like the taste or the cost of the filters so it got stuck in the garage-not sure if OH chucked it out so will have to check. As we live in a soft water area filtering tap water just seemed to give it a carbonish tinge lol.
Does anyone know if you had to use say water from a stream or water butt do you boil then filter or filter than boil?

Ali x

D&DD

Afternoon all just a quickie from me and no I haven't just got up
Thanks very much for posting the link MrsLDS will have a proper read later I've seen mentions of that on other sites I read.

Ali thankyou for your posts they were very interesting and I agree some of the Doomsday prepper stuff does make your hair stand on end I'm now waiting for them to show how to fashion a nice tin foil hat so that sorts out that problem for me lol

Which reminds me I'm sure I have an icon somewhere of just that...

Have a great day all will be back later to catch up XX

valk_scot

Popperwell wrote: »

The other thing I cannot control and worry about is being single as I get older, losing my independence and ending in a home but though I can try to do all I can to avoid that if it is going to happen I cannot stop that happening.

And if it is going to happen it's not good spoiling the years I hopefully have that may be ok and if it doesn't I have wasted time doing so. Equally, I go go before that happens. It's all unknown and I am sure as more of us live longer and are alone this will happen more as we don't have family to share the responsibilites of care.

So even if we try to survive all that may be thrown our way we may still be thrown a curved ball...

My SIL...my late SIL....was the meanest woman on the planet despite having an excellent well paid job and her OH being frankly rather wealthy. (We are the very poor relations, lol.) She grudged every penny spent on anything but what she considered essential, nit picked every bill in the fear she might be asked to pay a penny more than she had to, was constantly asking me to take care of my nephew for free and wouldn't pass on even an outgrown pair of wellies to our kids, she'd demand money for them. She saved furiously for her retirement and was full of big plans but wouldn't dream of taking a day off to go to her son's Nativity play or Sports Day. It was one reason her OH left....then she developed bowel cancer and four months later she died. She was 47. When we cleared her house she had some lovely things she'd bought still in their boxes, wonderful kitchen equipment she'd never used and everything she'd bought for the house, herself or her son back to Year Dot was still there too. But she never enjoyed any of it, she was too busy looking ahead to look around iyswim. Poor woman.

mrs_lds

Sorry guys I read a little too much, will focus on local shores when I post. Apologise to everyone for being an alarmist.
Enjoy a pleasant Sunday xx

maryb

That's the difference between preparing out of fear and preparing out of love. Those of us who prep out of an instinctive feeling that we want to keep our families safe are much less likely to fall into the trap of leading a pinched, small life - well, that's what I feel, anyway

rosieben

mrs_lds wrote: »

Sorry guys I read a little too much, will focus on local shores when I post. Apologise to everyone for being an alarmist.
Enjoy a pleasant Sunday xx

no need to apologise for repeating something that's been reported in the guardian and the telegraph and various other papers

Byatt

You didn't alarm me Mrs lds, I was grateful for the heads up, as I tend not to "hear" things...my friend in America often tells me what's happening here...

me: what riots? :cool::o

I realised that your post wasn't so much literal as being what could happen. Plus as someone else said the "exercises" by various countries are a show of strength as well as being already there if something kicks off...the countries on the exercise will have much more info (intel) then they let on to us mere plebs.