Do you have a few extra tins of beans in the cupboard, or a full-on preppers’ kit in the cellar? While no one likes to think about worst-case scenarios, you can’t have failed to notice the growing noise around being sensibly, practically ready for floods, power cuts, cyber-attacks and other events. The government launched its Be Ready campaign in October with guidance on how to prepare for emergencies, including a list of suggested items to have at home.
To help you understand what to buy, and where to buy it from, we asked survival, medical and nutritional experts for their advice. It’s just a good idea to look after yourself and your family like this,” says Hannah Cloke, regius professor of meteorology and climate science at the University of Reading. And if you are in a position to do so, consider donating to a charity like Trussell to help support one of the almost one in 10 UK households already experiencing food insecurity.
From wind-up radios to water filters, here’s what the experts recommend adding to your list. Are you stocking up on essential items at home? What products have you found useful for past events such as power cuts or being without water?
Please let us know how you’re following government advice at [email protected]. Other basics include crepe or elastic roller bandages, sterile eye pads, blunt-ended scissors, tweezers, safety pins or clips, alcohol-free antiseptic wipes and gloves for if you’re helping someone else. Lifeventure makes good travel-sized first aid kits.” Will Duffin, an NHS GP working in urgent care who runs the Extreme Medic Instagram account, also stresses the importance of a good first aid kit.
So have some antiseptic, sterile gauze, basic dressings such as plasters and medical tape,” he says. As well as getting the gear, you need to have some idea of what to do with it, which is why Duffin recommends going on a basic first aid course. Organisations such as St John Ambulance and British Red Cross offer various options.
In case channels of communication go down, the government has advised buying a battery or wind-up radio, some of which also have a torch and a USB slot to charge your phone. The wind-up versions are great because in an emergency, you can use the power of your own arm to power the battery,” says Cloke. Immver wind-up radio with 10,000mAh battery and LED torch “If you haven’t already got some kind of woolly throw or blanket in the house, get one.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
