If War is coming, why are we not better prepared?
Who else feels desperately let down? The headlines seem to tell us more than our own government and the messages we do receive from Parliament are far too subtle for most.
Government advice is to hold three days’ worth of food and water. Most people do this anyway – the weekly shop takes care of that. But what we should be told is in fact to stock up for a month. If War is declared, panic buying will follow, and supply chains will need to adapt.
Rationing and public order will be the next thing to organise, and we’ll need to ensure that looting and robbery/ burglary doesn’t happen. But it will feel like every man for himself to start with, until there is a sense of control over the situation.
In May 2024, the UK Government launched a ‘prepare’ website geared towards coping with emergencies such as power cuts and flooding, but we all know that this is simply a delicate way to help prepare citizens for War. People aren’t ready, but we need to be.
Slowly stocking up as you shop each week is a good idea – buying a few more things than you need and storing them in a cool, dark, dry place. Use a permanent marker to write the expiry date on the product so that you can easily see it and organise supplies so that you can rotate personal stock at home to ensure nothing goes off and food isn’t wasted. Go ‘shopping’ from your own supply store when preparing food at home, but also replace what you use when you next go grocery shopping so that you never run out of anything. This goes for freezer and dry/ tinned foods.
If you can, grow your own food at home – fruits, vegetables, and berries are relatively easy to do. You can also grow herbs for cooking and medicinal purposes. And, have some sort of water collection and filtration system in place. Take care of any odd jobs and fix up your home so there are no leaks or drafts. Treat damp/ mould issues immediately and consider keeping a stack of sandbags nearby in case of flooding.
If you can afford it, invest in some decent portable charging systems – solar powered. We rely on tech so much these days and we’ll need access to it, even in the breakdown of social and political structure. Collect physical [not digital] books on gardening and food production, first aid and medical procedures, and alternative ways to do things such as making your own anti-bac spray or body scrub.
You’ll also want to stock up on personal hygiene items – including travel sized products to put in your ‘go bag’.
What’s a Go-Bag I hear you ask?
Well, a go-bag is pretty much as it sounds – a bag that you grab when you need to ‘go’. It might be that you have one packed for any random emergency, such as a child being rushed to A&E or your best mate has broken down miles away and needs rescuing from the side of a road. The bag will contain things like, a change of clothes, food and drink, first aid kit, cash, personal care kit (toiletries/ toothbrush, etc). and perhaps a book, just in case you’re going to be sat around for a while. And don’t forget that portable charger!
Having a go-bag ready for your kids is important too – again change of clothes, but also consider toys, fidgets, nappies, wipes, bottle, medicines, blanket, water, and snacks you know they’ll eat.
You can go a step further with your bag, or even have a separate one for more serious situations, such as emergency shelter, fire-lighting kit, ration packs, water purification tablets, hunting knife, and small cook set. Imagine that you’ve got to leave your home, you don’t know when you’ll be back, and that you’ll need to source food and water on your travels.
A level up from this would contain a sleep system (tent or bivvy, sleeping bag, roll mat), microfiber towels, camping gas and stove, a decent cook set, utensils and cutlery – and the means to wash things up. Plus, soap bars for washing clothes, an axe, animal trap, saw, and additional tools and weapons.
Think, SAS survival and potential combat – fighting over food, fuel, land, property and resources. You may even need to defend your home, camp, family, or community. If the shit hit the fan right now, could you defend and protect, and ensure there was enough to eat and drink?
If WW3 was declared right now, would you feel confident that you could take care of yourself and loved ones? Would you be able to leave the house at a moment’s notice with everything you need? Would you have enough kit available to take care of the kids too?
As scary as it is to think about, we must.
If War is declared, there will be panic – all hell will break loose for a while. And where should you be? At home, with everything in place so that (a) you can avoid the craziness taking place in stores and in the streets, and (b) you are ready to leave at the drop of a hat.
Do not make the mistake of believing that the Government or its local agencies will take care of you or provide adequate food and water. You will have to take care of yourself.
So, are you ready?
