In August, refrigeration systems at six US military bases malfunctioned at the same time, spoiling food and emptying shelves.
Then in October, thousands of freezers were cranked up to 55°C in supermarkets in France. Once again, spoiling food and emptying shelves.
That same month, the UK government told Brits to ‘Be Ready’ by stockpiling essentials, hand-cranked radios and solar-powered flashlights.
On Monday, countless grocery stores in Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Sweden reported the same issues.
And today, British cyber officials warned that the UK is now seeing ‘vulnerable technology’ being ‘exploited’.
Is it the end of the world? Probably not, doomsday preppers, or people planning for the worst, tell .
But these suspected cyberattacks are why prepping is essential.
What should I be stockpiling?
When we hear the word ‘prepper’, it’s easy to think of armed crusaders hunkered down in bunkers awaiting the end of the world.
But Dan Goss, who runs the Start Prepping blog, is just a dad with a beard living in Liverpool.
He tells that the government’s list of what to stash away would cover the basics for three days.
‘But I would recommend that you go further, using that government guide as a baseline,’ Dan says.
He recommends:
- Three days’ worth of food, ‘working your way up to three months’ with canned fruit and fed, freeze-dried meat, precooked rice, pâte jars and other foods that can be eaten cold and without cooking
- Bottled water
- A battery pack
- A copy of Just In Case by Kathy Harrison
- Passport, birth certificate, marriage certificate and other important documents stored inside a waterproof bag
- A fire safe or a fireproof document box to stash your papers and a backup hard drive
- A hard drive big enough to store backups of your important digital information, photos and backups of your phone
- A battery-powered or hand-crank radio
- A torch
- Battery lanterns or candles
- A first aid kit and manuals on what to do in a crisis
- A ‘go bag’, a tough backpack with a waist belt and shoulder straps
- Weather-resistant clothing, including walking shoes
- A compass and a map
- A tent.
Some people are panic buying – can you stockpile sensibly?
Days after the government’s ‘Be Ready’ campaign was announced, shoppers were spotted ‘panic buying’ at an Asda in Colchester, Essex.
The sight might easily bring to mind the coronavirus pandemic, when hordes of people grabbed mountains of toilet rolls.
No need to do this, says Goss. Instead, steadily build up your cupboards with each weekly shop, which will save you remortgaging your house to buy a year’s worth of loo roll.
‘People should seek to cover their bases first – focus on affordable, easy wins first, with foods that don’t require cooking like long-life crackers, cereal bars, peanut butter, tinned fish, as well as bottled water,’ he adds.
‘On payday, you might want to treat yourself to a battery pack for your devices, and make sure you keep it charged, so it’s ready when you need it.’
Make sure your ‘unglamorous’ bits are up to date; think having a valid driving licence, going for regular dentist check-ups, ‘and all that other boringly normal stuff that you never see on The Last of Us’.
‘The last thing you want is for a nationwide blackout to hit when you’ve got a toothache you never got around to sorting out.’
Goss doubts people are panic buying. Rather, people are just buying the things their government has recommended they do – they’re not panicking.
So, is there actually a reason to panic right now?
It’s hard to say how many people are doomsday preppers in the UK. But the Reddit forum, r/UKPreppers, has seen its membership balloon from just 300 users in 2020 to more than 153,000 today.
Users are discussing how freezer hacks and cyber warnings today show the need to prep.
For Goss, the Be Ready campaign comes at a time when incidents are ‘becoming acute and unignorable’.
‘We’re headed into a winter that’s predicted to be unusually severe due to El Niño, cyberattacks are wracking Europe, the Iran and Ukraine wars continue to cause chaos in global markets,’ he says.
‘Now really does seem to be as good a time as any to put a few tins in the cupboard.’
Dr Sarita Robinson, a survival psychologist at Lancaster University, also known as ‘Dr Survival’, says while it’s better to prep than not, it doesn’t mean there will be an Armageddon next Tuesday.
‘We might see people feeling uncomfortable with some of the campaign messaging but that is because humans don’t like to think about danger or emergencies,’ Dr Robinson says.
‘However, once the prepping is done, you can stick it under the stairs and maybe just check best before dates every six months or so.’
She adds that sensible stockpiling involves buying one or two things each week – and don’t forget treats.
‘However, if you think you will eat all the chocolate biscuits, maybe get plain biscuits instead!’ Dr Robinson says.
Both Dr Robinson and Goss say the ‘Be Ready’ campaign is not the same as the doomsday prepping movement, which teaches its members how to survive the breakdown of civilisation.
‘All the Be Ready campaign is saying is that you should make sure you can look after yourself and your household for 72 hours,’ says Dr Robinson.
‘This is quite a long way from Doomsday prepping – it’s more like prepping for a rainy day.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
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