Andy Burnham list advice tells households to keep three days of food, water and other essentials at home for a national emergency. The latest government campaign launched on Thursday, and the guidance is being framed around disruption that could hit essential services. On Friday, Andy Burnham said unexpected events seem to becoming more common.
He also said everyone should have “those supplies in the house to get you through those moments”. The recommended stock includes bottled water, non-perishable food, wet wipes, a torch and cash. People who need medication are being told to keep an extra supply.
Be Ready campaign guidance
The Be Ready campaign warns that severe weather and cyber attacks could disrupt essential services. The announcement also points to extreme weather events becoming more frequent because of man-made climate change, and to increasingly sophisticated cyber-attacks on businesses. Wes Streeting said the advice was not triggered by any “particular piece of intelligence” and is about improving “national resilience” more generally.
Professor Lucy Easthope said the aim of household preparation is to make it easier for emergency services to cope in the event of a national emergency. Her point sets out the practical side of the advice: the point is not panic buying, but keeping enough at home so response crews are not immediately pulled into basic supply gaps.
Bridgette Clamp in Cornwall
Bridgette Clamp, a Cornwall resident, said she had already stocked up on “lots of tinned goods” and “flour, yeast and everything to bake bread”. She said she later bought generators and water pumps following Storm Goretti earlier this year. Rob, who lives off-grid in north Wales, said he has stocked up on so many supplies he “wouldn't even notice” if a disaster struck, though he called the approach “a bit of scaremongering”.
The practical question for households is straightforward: if supplies need to last three days, the cupboard has to cover water, food and the items people may reach for when power, transport or services are disrupted. The government has not set out any deadline for a follow-up check, so the immediate step is to make the kit at home now rather than wait for a warning to arrive.
