Government launches stockpile campaign

The UK government launched a campaign on Thursday advising people to set aside three days' worth of stores to deal with emergencies including war, online attacks and natural disasters.

Lawrence Barratt builds gradual reserves

Lawrence Barratt from Hythe in Hampshire is adding tinned beans, soups, chilli con carne, dried noodles, pot noodles and rice to his weekly shop, along with bottled water for two people for three days.

“I'm adding a few extra tinned foods and dried foods to each weekly shop to build up a stockpile over time.”

Barratt adds backup power and first aid

Barratt is also putting aside a first aid kit, a battery-powered FM radio, a torch and a portable power bank to charge phones, run the TV and power a small fan heater.

Marco Camurri prepares for multiple scenarios

Marco Camurri from Greenwich in London is collecting pasta, passata, stock cubes, tinned foods, bottled water, medicines and toilet paper. He cited memories of Covid and has relatives in continental Europe he could flee to.

“We remember Covid.”

Camurri stockpiles fuel and fire supplies

Camurri has wood set aside in his back garden for boiling water on the barbecue, power banks, USB rechargeable flashlights, matches and lighters.He keeps his car fuel tank over fifty percent, about three hundred miles.

Barratt recalls 2020 shortages as motivation

Barratt began stockpiling about a fortnight ago after noticing government advice online and remembering how pasta, loo roll and tinned goods disappeared from shops during the first lockdown in 2020.

“I'd be completely unprepared for anything. So I thought I'd better get started.”

Camurri started months ago over El Niño

Camurri began preparing several months ago when news about supply chain disruptions caused by El Niño appeared in the news.

Jack Davenport cites multiple threats

Jack Davenport from North Shields on the River Tyne cited El Niño as motivation for stockpiling but said it was hard to judge the size of multiple threats including climate disasters, Russian shadow threats, AI…

Deirdre O'Sullivan dismisses advice as theatre

Deirdre O'Sullivan from Leicester said the guidance is inadequate and looks like something Yes Minister would come up with.She argued three days of supplies would not address real emergencies like contaminated water or food shortages.

“The guidance looks like something Yes Minister would come up with to demonstrate that they have a policy in place, even if that policy is clearly totally useless.”