My hometown in Cumbria flooded. It was Jan 2005. Lost power at 5.30am so no lighting, heating, hot water, everything electric. Thank god for tea lights. Wish I'd known about creating a room within a room for the kids to sleep in, also that candles require a carbon monoxide detector. By 11am supermarkets had shut, no petrol stations, no cash machines available. Luckily we lived on a hill, friends/family weren't so lucky. By nightfall there was looting, so glad we had a battery operated radio. Motorway was cut off, couldn't get across the city to relatives. The fire/police stations were flooded as were council offices where emergency plans were stored. They had to send a diver in. Mobile phones, Internet, portable handsets gone in mins. Only thing that worked was an old plug in BT landline. It was very surreal how things changed in such a short space of time. This went on for days. People got sick during the cleanup due to contamination from sewers. You'd be surprised how life can change in a few hours.
Excellent video Alan. I would just add a few things based on my experience living most of my life in the USA "hurricane alley", and also as a Certified Wilderness EMT, a selection (not to be opened except in emergency) of OTC - Over the Counter medicines... Acetaminophen/Paracetamol, Aspirin, Ibuprofen - for various types of pain. Dyphenhydromine (Benedryl) - for allergies and SLEEP. Loperimide (for diarrhea). Honey - as an antiseptic for wounds, abrasions, cuts. Emetrol or Peppermint tea (for nausea). Famotidine or elsewhere NOT in the USA, Rantididine - for acid/indigestion . In an emergency/disaster you really can't depend on the Ambulance/EMS/Fire Service etc to get to you. After Hurricane Ida in 2021 there were so many huge pine trees down that the Fire Dept and National Guard were cutting downed trees that were blocking strrets and roads/highways...for weeks. Where I live no helicopters would have been able to land. And if you have pets, make sure you have food & water for them. If you are sheltering in place and there's a fair chance of no power, water pressure goes to zero, have a few liters of water to flush the toilet with.
@@p2snetwork And you keep on like you are... because if one or two... people who never heard of "prepping" or had the wrong idea of what it really IS, watches your videos and takes heed, then you may very well have saved a life or three...
I would always suggest to a “new” Prepper to “stock what you eat & eat what you stock”, not to bother with the 25year shelf life survival food, just get a bit extra in of what you like to eat and do watch the eat by dates to ensure it doesn’t go to waste.
Where possible that's great advice. Best before dates are just that though and are usually perfectly palatable after those dates. Not to be confused with Consume by dates. Thanks for watching and enjoy your day 👍
A Kelly Kettle also called or a Fire Kettle (Petromax), also known as a rocket kettle will boil water with a few dry sticks and twigs on the back step. Also pretty portable. Gas cartridges and a camping or countertop portable stove is a better option for a few days though…. Do buy a “Water Bob” if planning to store water in the bathtub. The bathtub plugs always leak after a few days or sooner. Test your plug, fill the bathtub and see how much water is in it after 24 hours. Great video as usual.
Talking to neighbours is always a good idea. We all have our strengths and weaknesses when it comes to resilience. Often a small community can supplement one another. For example one person might have more knowledge/equipment when it comes to cooking, another for medical, and another for lighting. Another good video I'm enjoying watching!
@@londonhodnet4079 I live in London as well :) It's a good idea to connect with neighbours and suss out who likes to support their neighbours and build up some rapport and discuss how you can help one another in difficult times.
Just thought of something to add into your list of contacts that you can write down. Jot down a couple of radio frequencies for your local radio station that you might use, unless you absolutely know which it is. Also when it comes to food, I've had to really think hard, and have struggled, because I have a pre-existing digestive issue so I have to follow a special diet. I've kinda got enough that I can make do, but it required some extra consideration. Could be an interesting future topic to explore :)
Great video Alan, I'm trying to put a non-prepper head on so as not to scare anyone 😅 I might have to come back to that.. I'd suggest rice/pasta/beans as good long lasting additions, and spices/herbs/seeds (chia and sesame to name a couple) for flavour and nutrition. Ive gone through a few of those wayfairer packs and would suggest having 2 for adults (especially if expending a lot of energy) or alternatively bulking up the portion with lentils/beans etc. Boiling in the bag is good (saves on washing dishes) but personally I'm not sure drinking the watter would be safe - although with the amount of microplastics we're all consuming/breathing in, it's probably not much of an issue. Last point - fasting is something people should consider, as if there is an issue longer than 3 days, being used to skipping meals will help the food last longer. Keep up the great work mate 🙏
Thanks Brian, that's some good advice. I'm always using the water from heating a rat pack up to make my coffee 😂😂 Standard practice with the squaddies. Good point about fasting. Many moons ago we did Pen Y Fan. I'd eaten a massive gut buster burger just before we set off and it almost killed me 😂. Then didn't eat anything except a bar of choc for the next two days until we returned to civilisation. (I was a civvy I hasten to add). It's surprising what the body can do without actually eating for a few days. Cheers for watching and enjoy your evening mate.
@@p2snetwork Thanks Alan, much appreciated. I'll take note on the boiling method if it's been done a lot - I'll have to try it sometime 😄 I'm a civilian but I grew up on camping and fell walking as my Dad loved it, so I know what you mean when it comes to having a big meal before a walk - it can be a whole lot of pain 🤣 thank you for your service/courage/bravery for your time in the military too - you chaps are all legends 🙏 have a great evening too mate
@@brianowen564 whilst I served yonks ago the Pen Y Fan giggle was as a middle aged civvy, amongst some younger serving and ex squaddies. It was an experience 😂😂😂 take care mate.
@@p2snetwork yeah it gets tougher as the years go by 🤣 my last walk was Moel Hebog, and for some reason I decided to "test" myself with a bit of additional weight in my backpack - that was a bad day 😅 all the best mate
For an AA battery torch, the Nitecore MH2A also has a Rechargeable Lithium battery via a USB Micro port and can also used with standard Alkaline AA cells. Cost is around £40.
Hi Alan, great video, I think you've pretty much covered it. The only things I could add are the old favourite, a bit of cash if you do have to leave and amongst the misc/possibles section some cordage/string/bootlaces. Oh and Pepperami as snacks/add to meals as they last a long time. Cheers.
Lidl do packs of mini salamis for £1.50 (80g spicy salamis) and £2 for 100g. Also they are pretty cheap for kabanosi. At over 500 cal for 100g with lots of fat and protein they are a good snack for on the go (they take up very little space and weight in a bag and you can eat them on the move), or for some preps too but they do have a limited shelf life.
@@deeps2761 Yeah I was just adding to your pepperami suggestion. Those are good as they are individually packed. Either way it's a good high energy food. You can even chop it up and add it to other dishes, even instant noodles in a pinch.
@@simonh6371 I've been adding it to pasta etc for years, call it 'council house chorizo'. 🤣 Not so mad on it in noodles for some reason but that's a personal prejudice. In a similar vein to the preserved meat Baby Bel's last a few days out of the fridge too.
Army style mess tins. BSB Stove and fuel, cleaning cloth and two lighters in the mess tins. Small flask with cup for brewing and keeping warm. per person in their backpack. plus the rest job done.
@@brashachilles9725 you can also get universal plugs in a good DIY shop and they are much bigger and so fit every plughole, i am not sure if they will fit over the existing plug, but if you got a thinner existing plug that would give you a better seal than just a plug, I am aware of Bath Bobs but they cost in time to order and outlay, so for the ordinary emergency that might be a better option as a short term emergency.
Going down the rat pack route, from my experience would suggest long handled spoon/s; enables you to get into the corners/bottom, and is less messy than standard sized cutlery/spork.
Bulk buy Freeze dried food can be slightly cheaper than the Wayfarer meals. I was able to purchase Summit to Eat (European Freeze Dry) that worked out at around the equivalent of £3.90 compared with the Calorific value of the Wayfarer meals at around 450 Kcal per meal. The Summit to Eat Freeze Dried food will also work out to be around 1/3 the weight of the Wayfarer meals if needed to be relocated. BBE for the Freeze dried meals was around late 2030.
They're good but you need to have enough water, a lot of the mains need 350 ml to reconstitute. However, if you can mix and match then it's a winner. Cheers for watching and enjoy your afternoon 👍
Thank you Alan. As someone already commented. I have gut issues and intolerant to gluten and dead carbs such as cereals grains etc. Suggestions for non bulky snacks would be welcome in another video. I think I’ve got some ideas such as nuts, dark chocolate and sugar free werthers vacuum packed. Jumbo oats (not grown inpesticides) I’ve decanted into bags with powdered milk, but it’s meals I’m not sure of as they all seem to have either rice,pasta, potatoes, in the ration packs. Any suggestions there would be great. 😊
I'm no dietician but this company does gluten free camp meals. Have a look, they may be suitable?? I have no connection to the company and am just offering a suggestion. expeditionfoods.com/products/one-day-food-pack-e-gluten-free#:~:text=Expedition%20Foods'%20One%20Day%20Food,to%20go%20for%20the%20day!
Awww thanks for replying Alan. Breakfast (as in breaking my fast) is different every day, anytime between 11am to 4pm mainly 1 ish. I eat when I’m hungry and not by the clock as we’ve been trained to do all our lives. We tend to have our main meal then of meat, fish, chicken or eggs with a portion of veg as in broccoli, green beens, cauliflower, cabbage etc. if we have another meal it can be berries and yogurt or cream, or something light as in soup, cheese, chorizo or chicken wings. Today’s menu consisted of bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, black pudding and chopped tomatoes and for our second meal it was raspberries and few nuts ,double cream and a square of dark chocolate. 😋
This company looks good on quick review, I’ll check it out further. Thank you again for your channel and your help. ( just for your info, a small bowl of basmati rice is equivalent to 11 spoons of sugar). 🤗🥰
One item overlooked is location. If in the NW highland of scotland what is deemed prepping is normal to the inhanbitants, when the nearesr basic shop is mles away. Very different to an inhabitant of a high rise in London, who may feel mobility for bugging out dictates actions taken.
Excellent video mate 👍🏼 Just wanted to let you know I've done up to 3 rat packs in 1 heat bag quite a few times and it's always worked out. I guess as long as you can fit them in then you're good to go
Living in central London, would we be evacuated, is it war? Another medical emergency? Fire? Don’t know many who would leave their houses/flats for flooding? The electricity would be big? Would need cooking facilities, lighting. The violence is a big problem already and nothing has happened, the Banhams/police alarm might be a waste? Just having a thought thanks for all the advice
I just discovered my small Ecoflow River solar generator and solar panel will just run a a single portable induction cooking hob. Still have the gas cartridges etc…. but nice to add another option that is renewable for £45.00. 😊
Don’t forget that many of us have a USB plug in the car that can be used to recharge a phone, flashlight, radio etc…. You may have never noticed or forgotten you have one. Not a good idea to use it as your primary recharge, don’t want a dead battery during an event but it’s there for you in a pinch. Do buy a powerbank from Anker for charging but have a look around your car and charge your phone with it on your way to work next week. Simple thing that costs no money, never let your petrol tank get under half. 3/4 even better, just need to change your refueling habits.
My hometown in Cumbria flooded. It was Jan 2005. Lost power at 5.30am so no lighting, heating, hot water, everything electric. Thank god for tea lights. Wish I'd known about creating a room within a room for the kids to sleep in, also that candles require a carbon monoxide detector. By 11am supermarkets had shut, no petrol stations, no cash machines available. Luckily we lived on a hill, friends/family weren't so lucky. By nightfall there was looting, so glad we had a battery operated radio. Motorway was cut off, couldn't get across the city to relatives. The fire/police stations were flooded as were council offices where emergency plans were stored. They had to send a diver in. Mobile phones, Internet, portable handsets gone in mins. Only thing that worked was an old plug in BT landline. It was very surreal how things changed in such a short space of time. This went on for days. People got sick during the cleanup due to contamination from sewers. You'd be surprised how life can change in a few hours.
Absolutely, it can all go wrong very quickly. Glad you and yours got through it with minimal loss.
Take care 👍
Excellent video Alan. I would just add a few things based on my experience living most of my life in the USA "hurricane alley", and also as a Certified Wilderness EMT, a selection (not to be opened except in emergency) of OTC - Over the Counter medicines... Acetaminophen/Paracetamol, Aspirin, Ibuprofen - for various types of pain. Dyphenhydromine (Benedryl) - for allergies and SLEEP. Loperimide (for diarrhea). Honey - as an antiseptic for wounds, abrasions, cuts. Emetrol or Peppermint tea (for nausea). Famotidine or elsewhere NOT in the USA, Rantididine - for acid/indigestion . In an emergency/disaster you really can't depend on the Ambulance/EMS/Fire Service etc to get to you. After Hurricane Ida in 2021 there were so many huge pine trees down that the Fire Dept and National Guard were cutting downed trees that were blocking strrets and roads/highways...for weeks. Where I live no helicopters would have been able to land. And if you have pets, make sure you have food & water for them. If you are sheltering in place and there's a fair chance of no power, water pressure goes to zero, have a few liters of water to flush the toilet with.
Thank you for your input mate. You are spot on 👍
Enjoy your day and stay safe.
@@p2snetwork And you keep on like you are... because if one or two... people who never heard of "prepping" or had the wrong idea of what it really IS, watches your videos and takes heed, then you may very well have saved a life or three...
Great to see informative tips from a uk based prepper
Thanks Claire, enjoy your day 👍
I would always suggest to a “new” Prepper to “stock what you eat & eat what you stock”, not to bother with the 25year shelf life survival food, just get a bit extra in of what you like to eat and do watch the eat by dates to ensure it doesn’t go to waste.
Where possible that's great advice. Best before dates are just that though and are usually perfectly palatable after those dates. Not to be confused with Consume by dates.
Thanks for watching and enjoy your day 👍
Thanks Alan. You have convinced me of the value of a head torch.
You're welcome Linda, enjoy your day 😊
A Kelly Kettle also called or a Fire Kettle (Petromax), also known as a rocket kettle will boil water with a few dry sticks and twigs on the back step. Also pretty portable. Gas cartridges and a camping or countertop portable stove is a better option for a few days though…. Do buy a “Water Bob” if planning to store water in the bathtub. The bathtub plugs always leak after a few days or sooner. Test your plug, fill the bathtub and see how much water is in it after 24 hours. Great video as usual.
Cheers mate and some good suggestions. Enjoy your evening 👍
Talking to neighbours is always a good idea. We all have our strengths and weaknesses when it comes to resilience. Often a small community can supplement one another. For example one person might have more knowledge/equipment when it comes to cooking, another for medical, and another for lighting. Another good video I'm enjoying watching!
Absolutely, community can make the difference between survival or failure.
Thank you for watching and enjoy your evening 👍
I live in central London, my neighbours would pick us off and that is just Kensington
@@londonhodnet4079 then maybe consider having a plan to go somewhere safer if there's drama?
Cheers for watching 👍
@@londonhodnet4079 I live in London as well :) It's a good idea to connect with neighbours and suss out who likes to support their neighbours and build up some rapport and discuss how you can help one another in difficult times.
Just thought of something to add into your list of contacts that you can write down. Jot down a couple of radio frequencies for your local radio station that you might use, unless you absolutely know which it is.
Also when it comes to food, I've had to really think hard, and have struggled, because I have a pre-existing digestive issue so I have to follow a special diet. I've kinda got enough that I can make do, but it required some extra consideration. Could be an interesting future topic to explore :)
Good idea 👍. Thanks for watching, it's appreciated.
Great video Alan, I'm trying to put a non-prepper head on so as not to scare anyone 😅 I might have to come back to that.. I'd suggest rice/pasta/beans as good long lasting additions, and spices/herbs/seeds (chia and sesame to name a couple) for flavour and nutrition. Ive gone through a few of those wayfairer packs and would suggest having 2 for adults (especially if expending a lot of energy) or alternatively bulking up the portion with lentils/beans etc. Boiling in the bag is good (saves on washing dishes) but personally I'm not sure drinking the watter would be safe - although with the amount of microplastics we're all consuming/breathing in, it's probably not much of an issue. Last point - fasting is something people should consider, as if there is an issue longer than 3 days, being used to skipping meals will help the food last longer. Keep up the great work mate 🙏
Thanks Brian, that's some good advice.
I'm always using the water from heating a rat pack up to make my coffee 😂😂
Standard practice with the squaddies.
Good point about fasting. Many moons ago we did Pen Y Fan. I'd eaten a massive gut buster burger just before we set off and it almost killed me 😂. Then didn't eat anything except a bar of choc for the next two days until we returned to civilisation. (I was a civvy I hasten to add).
It's surprising what the body can do without actually eating for a few days.
Cheers for watching and enjoy your evening mate.
@@p2snetwork Thanks Alan, much appreciated. I'll take note on the boiling method if it's been done a lot - I'll have to try it sometime 😄 I'm a civilian but I grew up on camping and fell walking as my Dad loved it, so I know what you mean when it comes to having a big meal before a walk - it can be a whole lot of pain 🤣 thank you for your service/courage/bravery for your time in the military too - you chaps are all legends 🙏 have a great evening too mate
@@brianowen564 whilst I served yonks ago the Pen Y Fan giggle was as a middle aged civvy, amongst some younger serving and ex squaddies. It was an experience 😂😂😂 take care mate.
@@p2snetwork yeah it gets tougher as the years go by 🤣 my last walk was Moel Hebog, and for some reason I decided to "test" myself with a bit of additional weight in my backpack - that was a bad day 😅 all the best mate
For an AA battery torch, the Nitecore MH2A also has a Rechargeable Lithium battery via a USB Micro port and can also used with standard Alkaline AA cells. Cost is around £40.
Didn't know that, cheers mate. Enjoy your evening 👍
Hi Alan, great video, I think you've pretty much covered it. The only things I could add are the old favourite, a bit of cash if you do have to leave and amongst the misc/possibles section some cordage/string/bootlaces. Oh and Pepperami as snacks/add to meals as they last a long time. Cheers.
Good points cheers mate 👍
Lidl do packs of mini salamis for £1.50 (80g spicy salamis) and £2 for 100g. Also they are pretty cheap for kabanosi. At over 500 cal for 100g with lots of fat and protein they are a good snack for on the go (they take up very little space and weight in a bag and you can eat them on the move), or for some preps too but they do have a limited shelf life.
@@simonh6371 I like a lot of the preserved meats, chorizo etc but was keeping it simple. I am open to suggestions for others to try though, cheers. 😁
@@deeps2761 Yeah I was just adding to your pepperami suggestion. Those are good as they are individually packed. Either way it's a good high energy food. You can even chop it up and add it to other dishes, even instant noodles in a pinch.
@@simonh6371 I've been adding it to pasta etc for years, call it 'council house chorizo'. 🤣 Not so mad on it in noodles for some reason but that's a personal prejudice. In a similar vein to the preserved meat Baby Bel's last a few days out of the fridge too.
I like the pot noodles in a bag idea. Never thought of that one.
Cheers for watching, enjoy your evening 👍
Lanters great on stairs area. Use solar lights from the garden of stuck. Great video. Tx
Good suggestion and thanks for watching 👍
Army style mess tins. BSB Stove and fuel, cleaning cloth and two lighters in the mess tins. Small flask with cup for brewing and keeping warm. per person in their backpack. plus the rest job done.
Thanks for your input, it's appreciated 👍
Don't forget to fill up the bathtub for hygiene and flushing. To save the bottled or good stuff.
Absolutely, cheers Carol, enjoy your day 👍
I never had a bathtub where the pug didn’t leak a bit. Always a good idea to get a “water bob”, it’s a big plastic bathtub liner.
@@brashachilles9725 you can also get universal plugs in a good DIY shop and they are much bigger and so fit every plughole, i am not sure if they will fit over the existing plug, but if you got a thinner existing plug that would give you a better seal than just a plug, I am aware of Bath Bobs but they cost in time to order and outlay, so for the ordinary emergency that might be a better option as a short term emergency.
What make you think that the sewage system will be working of there is no water supply?
@@khankrum1 Sooner or later it won’t, depends on the local infrastructure I guess. Heavy duty plastic bags and a camping toilet.
Going down the rat pack route, from my experience would suggest long handled spoon/s; enables you to get into the corners/bottom, and is less messy than standard sized cutlery/spork.
Or rip them open along the long side (so not so deep) and use a regular sized spoon 😜
Bulk buy Freeze dried food can be slightly cheaper than the Wayfarer meals. I was able to purchase Summit to Eat (European Freeze Dry) that worked out at around the equivalent of £3.90 compared with the Calorific value of the Wayfarer meals at around 450 Kcal per meal.
The Summit to Eat Freeze Dried food will also work out to be around 1/3 the weight of the Wayfarer meals if needed to be relocated. BBE for the Freeze dried meals was around late 2030.
They're good but you need to have enough water, a lot of the mains need 350 ml to reconstitute. However, if you can mix and match then it's a winner.
Cheers for watching and enjoy your afternoon 👍
As all British telephone landlines are supposedly going digital I’m not sure there will be any access to telephone communication. Heather
Very sad, phasing out this year. Thanks for watching and enjoy your evening 👍
Thank you Alan. As someone already commented. I have gut issues and intolerant to gluten and dead carbs such as cereals grains etc. Suggestions for non bulky snacks would be welcome in another video. I think I’ve got some ideas such as nuts, dark chocolate and sugar free werthers vacuum packed. Jumbo oats (not grown inpesticides) I’ve decanted into bags with powdered milk, but it’s meals I’m not sure of as they all seem to have either rice,pasta, potatoes, in the ration packs. Any suggestions there would be great. 😊
Hi Josephine, thanks for watching. Can I ask what you would normally eat for breakfast and dinner?
I'm no dietician but this company does gluten free camp meals. Have a look, they may be suitable??
I have no connection to the company and am just offering a suggestion.
expeditionfoods.com/products/one-day-food-pack-e-gluten-free#:~:text=Expedition%20Foods'%20One%20Day%20Food,to%20go%20for%20the%20day!
Awww thanks for replying Alan. Breakfast (as in breaking my fast) is different every day, anytime between 11am to 4pm mainly 1 ish.
I eat when I’m hungry and not by the clock as we’ve been trained to do all our lives. We tend to have our main meal then of meat, fish, chicken or eggs with a portion of veg as in broccoli, green beens, cauliflower, cabbage etc. if we have another meal it can be berries and yogurt or cream, or something light as in soup, cheese, chorizo or chicken wings. Today’s menu consisted of bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, black pudding and chopped tomatoes and for our second meal it was raspberries and few nuts ,double cream and a square of dark chocolate. 😋
This company looks good on quick review, I’ll check it out further. Thank you again for your channel and your help. ( just for your info, a small bowl of basmati rice is equivalent to 11 spoons of sugar). 🤗🥰
@@josephinetedds418 you're welcome and I didn't know that.
Have a great evening 👍
One item overlooked is location. If in the NW highland of scotland what is deemed prepping is normal to the inhanbitants, when the nearesr basic shop is mles away. Very different to an inhabitant of a high rise in London, who may feel mobility for bugging out dictates actions taken.
Absolutely, location is key but for many you only have the cards to play with that you're dealt with. Cheers for watching and enjoy your day 👍
Excellent video mate 👍🏼 Just wanted to let you know I've done up to 3 rat packs in 1 heat bag quite a few times and it's always worked out. I guess as long as you can fit them in then you're good to go
That's amazing info to know. I've never thought of doing that.
Thanks ever so much for watching and enjoy your evening 👍
Living in central London, would we be evacuated, is it war? Another medical emergency? Fire? Don’t know many who would leave their houses/flats for flooding? The electricity would be big? Would need cooking facilities, lighting. The violence is a big problem already and nothing has happened, the Banhams/police alarm might be a waste? Just having a thought thanks for all the advice
You're welcome 👍
My Jackery is my go to for powering up my fone, fan, ipad etc. I have a solar panel to use with it
Good stuff, it well serve you well.
Thanks for watching 👍
I just discovered my small Ecoflow River solar generator and solar panel will just run a a single portable induction cooking hob. Still have the gas cartridges etc…. but nice to add another option that is renewable for £45.00. 😊
@@brashachilles9725 sounds like a result. Well done 👍
Don’t forget that many of us have a USB plug in the car that can be used to recharge a phone, flashlight, radio etc…. You may have never noticed or forgotten you have one. Not a good idea to use it as your primary recharge, don’t want a dead battery during an event but it’s there for you in a pinch. Do buy a powerbank from Anker for charging but have a look around your car and charge your phone with it on your way to work next week. Simple thing that costs no money, never let your petrol tank get under half. 3/4 even better, just need to change your refueling habits.
👍