People will be advised to store bottled water, tinned food and battery or wind-up radios at home to prepare for war or other emergencies as part of the UK government’s biggest public awareness campaign for decades.
The new campaign, to be rolled out nationwide later this autumn, will offer advice to households on stockpiling and how to stay in contact with the authorities in the event a conflict or blackout cuts off water and food supplies and telecommunications.
While there is no new or imminent threat to Britain from war, the ongoing grey zone activity by Russia – including cyber attacks and surveillance of undersea cables – the biggest El Nino weather event for centuries and the risk of an AI-linked accidental power cut have all raised concerns that the British public should be better prepared.
The advice to stock up on bottled water, non-perishable food and first aid supplies is not new and is already listed on the government’s Prepare website.
But a poll of more than 10,000 people for the Cabinet Office published last month revealed that just 14 per cent had visited the site.
Water, batteries and radios
Battery-powered or wind-up radios would be essential to listen for official broadcasts from the police, government or other authorities if an attack or disaster took out mains power, phone networks and the internet.
The advice on how much bottled water to store is flexible, but people are advised they would need 2.5 to 3 litres of drinking water per person per day, while 10 litres per day would cover cooking and basic hygiene.
The campaign is expected to include a targeting of younger people on social media such as TikTok and Instagram. The government’s Prepare website is also being refreshed.
Ministers are under pressure to go further and reissue a physical booklet to every household, similar to the Protect and Survive handbook last distributed during the Cold War in the 1980s and those given out to homes in Nordic countries.
The government is also preparing to publish later this year the first new version of the “war book” in more than 20 years.
The war book is a blueprint for all Whitehall departments on how to transition the country from peacetime to a war footing, to be used in the event of a “break-glass crisis”.
However this will not be made available to the wider public.
And next year the government will carry out the biggest emergency planning exercise since the end of the Cold War.
Local resilience forums, which consist of councils, emergency services, utility companies and voluntary groups, are responsible for drawing up plans to respond to disasters in their area.
Hotels and conference centres would be requisitioned
But it has emerged that the government would requisition hotels, conference centres and other large venues to use for mass evacuations of people from their homes in the event of war on the homeland or other major disaster.
The venues would be used to shelter people from missile or drone attacks, a nationwide blackout or natural disaster if arrangements by local resilience forums become overwhelmed.
The details were revealed in a letter from Jonathan Martin, director of project delivery and major events at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to the chair of the Lords Resilience Committee, published this month.
The letter also reveals that the Cabinet Office does not hold a central list of evacuation venues “because incidents vary, and facilities must suit the incident’s location, considering factors like seasonal impacts”.
Instead, “responders within Local Resilience Forums are responsible for developing emergency plans, including arrangements for emergency shelter,” it says.
“They are best placed to identify suitable response spaces, drawing on their detailed understanding of local needs, risks, geography, and established relationships with owners of civic and community assets.
“At the national level, the Cabinet Office has arrangements to secure nationwide facilities if local arrangements become overwhelmed. These could include hotels, conference centres, or other suitable venues.”
A government spokesperson said: “National security is the first duty of government, which is why we are delivering the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War and investing in the capabilities needed to keep the British people safe.”
Suggested emergency stockpile list
Battery or wind-up torch – torches are safer than candles.
Portable power bank for charging your mobile phone.
Battery or wind-up radio to get updates during a power cut – a car radio can be used, however in severe weather it might be safer to stay inside.
Spare batteries for torches and radio and a backup battery for any medical equipment you rely on.
A first aid kit (or some first aid items) including items such as waterproof plasters, bandages, a thermometer, antiseptic, eyewash solution, sterile dressings and gloves, medical tape for dressings, and tweezers.
Hand sanitiser and wet wipes for hygiene purposes when the water is off.
Bottled water – there is no standard figure for this as emergencies can vary in duration and people use different amounts. A minimum of 2.5-3 litres of drinking water per person per day is recommended by the World Health Organisation for survival. 10 litres per person per day will make you more comfortable by also providing for basic cooking and hygiene needs. Additional water might be needed to make up baby formula, for medical devices and for pets.
Non-perishable food that doesn’t need cooking, such as ready-to-eat tinned meat, fruit or vegetables (and a tin opener). As with water, how much you need will vary based on your own circumstances. Don’t forget food for pets.
Baby supplies such as nappies and baby formula – ready made or ‘ready-to-feed’ formula is best as you may not be able to boil water or sterilise bottles.
Rather than buying all the items at once, you could just add to your emergency kit when you are able and build it up over time.
Source: the government’s Prepare website
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