Let’s face it, Britain is defenceless. Subsequent profligate governments have wasted and spent billions on useless projects and socialist utopian dreams that are nothing more than pouring literally trillions of taxpayer pounds into cash blackholes. The current Labour government and previous Conservative and Blair/Brown years spent billions on socialist schemes that amounted to nothing for the country or its defence capabilities. With Russia breathing down our necks and the endless Strait of Hormuz imbroglio, we cannot count on anything anymore, let alone our so-called “leaders”. The only person you can count on is you, and this is why you are the best defence to governments who do not care anymore or are too incompetent and stupid to do anything. Prepping has acquired an unfortunate reputation for involving underground bunkers, camouflage clothing and enough baked beans to survive until the next century. In reality, sensible preparedness is much less dramatic. It is about creating enough resilience that your household can continue functioning when normal services stop working. Here at the Squib we want to help our readers realise that what is coming will not be pleasant, but it will be manageable if you prepare correctly.
There are easy steps you can do to prepare and build up your prepping supply.
The first objective should be a 72-hour emergency supply, eventually expanding towards a three-month reserve. Begin with water. A useful minimum planning figure for drinking and basic household needs is around 2 to 3 litres per person per day, with additional water required for cooking and hygiene. For longer disruptions, water storage quickly becomes impractical, so having a means of treating additional water becomes important.
Building the Food Reserve
Food should be inexpensive, nutritious and capable of remaining edible for months or years. Rice, pasta, oats, flour, couscous, dried beans, lentils and cereals provide the foundations. Add tinned vegetables, fruit, tomatoes, soup, baked beans, fish and meat.
A three-month reserve for one adult might contain roughly 10 to 15 kg of rice and pasta combined, 5 to 10 kg of oats and cereals, several kilograms of pulses, 30 to 50 tins of assorted foods and cooking oil, supplemented with flour, sauces, stock cubes, dried fruit, biscuits and other familiar foods.
Do not build a bunker consisting entirely of carbohydrates. Nutrition matters. Include sources of protein, fats, vitamins and minerals, and rotate older supplies into normal household cooking. Buy what you actually eat.
Cooking and Power
A camping stove and an appropriate supply of fuel provide an alternative cooking method during a power failure. Store fuel safely and according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
For electricity, begin with several rechargeable power banks, LED torches, lanterns and spare batteries. A larger portable power station can eventually provide enough electricity for phones, radios, lights and other small devices. Solar panels can supplement this during prolonged outages.
A small battery, wind-up or solar radio is particularly useful because emergency information may remain available even when broadband and mobile networks fail.
Water and Sanitation
Water storage containers should be food-safe and clearly labelled. Water purification tablets or an appropriate filtration system can provide additional resilience, although different purification methods have different limitations.
For sanitation, keep several weeks of toilet paper, soap, disinfectant, rubbish bags, washing products and personal hygiene supplies. During a prolonged disruption, sanitation can become a greater problem than food.
Medical and Protective Equipment
A substantial first-aid kit should contain dressings, bandages, antiseptic products, gloves, plasters, scissors, basic pain relief and other appropriate household supplies.
Useful protective equipment includes work gloves, safety goggles, sturdy boots and properly certified respirators. Respirators can provide protection against dust and smoke in appropriate circumstances, but no single mask protects against every chemical or biological hazard. Filters also have specific limitations and replacement requirements.
Communications and Navigation
Keep a written list of important telephone numbers and addresses. Have battery-powered or rechargeable radios and, where appropriate, two-way radios. Paper maps and compasses remain surprisingly useful when phones cannot connect to the network.
Establish a simple family communication plan. Everyone should know where to meet if communications fail and which routes can be used to leave the area.
Home Security
Preparedness begins with prevention. Good locks, reinforced doors, exterior lighting, alarms and cameras can make a substantial difference.
In Britain, high-calibre firearms are essentially banned for civilian defence, but the criminals have them in great supply. This is why civilians are rendered defenceless in the UK, and even if you do manage to defend yourself against an attacker with some kind of a weapon, British law is so skewed and degraded that the attacker of your family, if injured, means that you will go to prison and not him. In a time of societal breakdown, there will be no law. The looters and the gangs will have the upperhand, and the authorities will abandon civilians. Swords, crossbows, and other weapons can save you and your family’s lives. When anarchy comes, it will not be pretty because there will be those who have not prepared, are hungry, violent and have no morality or pity left.
A Sensible Three-Month Budget
There is no requirement to purchase everything simultaneously. A household could build its reserve progressively.
Month One: £100 to £200 for basic food, water containers, torches, batteries, first-aid supplies and hygiene products.
Month Two: £150 to £300 for additional food, cooking equipment, power banks, radios, water treatment and protective equipment.
Month Three: £200 to £500 for deeper food reserves, additional power capacity, storage containers and other household-specific requirements.
The exact figure will vary considerably according to household size and what equipment you already possess. Buying gradually and rotating supplies is generally more sensible than spending thousands of pounds in one afternoon.
The Most Important Preparation
Equipment is useful, but skills are priceless. Learn first aid, basic navigation, emergency cooking, water treatment, food storage, fire safety and how to isolate your home’s electricity, water and gas.
Practise using your equipment before you need it. Find out how long your power station actually runs your fridge. Cook a meal using the camping stove. Test your torches. Check your stored water. Rotate your food.
The objective is not to become a hermit living beneath the garden shed. It is to make your household resilient.
Do not divulge to others outside your household your plans or your prepping larder. In a time of national/global emergency, secrecy can save you and your family’s lives.
A three-month supply of food, water, power, medical equipment and basic household necessities can transform an emergency from a catastrophe into an inconvenience.
When the lights go out and the supermarkets have been emptied and the mobile phone displays “No Service”, preparedness means the British prepper can simply light the stove, make a cup of tea and calmly work out what happens next.
