Government urges households to prepare for three-day emergencies

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 27 Oct, 12:38 · Archive

The Government has launched a Be Ready campaign encouraging households to stock up on supplies for potential three-day emergencies.

The Government has launched a Be Ready campaign encouraging households to prepare for three days of disruption caused by emergencies including severe weather, power cuts and problems affecting water, phones and the internet. The official guidance recommends gradually building up supplies including bottled water, non-perishable food, torches, spare batteries, warm clothing and charged power banks, stressing households need not buy everything at once.

Essex residents have reacted with mixed responses to the campaign. Following the advice, some shoppers were reportedly seen panic buying over the weekend, with reported queues and emptied shelves at a Colchester Asda. However, others dismissed the campaign as scaremongering, with one resident comparing it to the panic buying seen during the Covid-19 pandemic. Another resident said she was taking the guidance seriously and stocking up on supplies.

David Burton-Sampson, MP for Southend West and Leigh, has backed the campaign, saying it asks people to 'take simple and straightforward steps to be ready for everyday emergencies'. He added that eligible residents, including those of State Pension age and people with long-term medical conditions or disabilities, are encouraged to join the Priority Services Register for extra support during utility outages.

How it is being reported

• Southend MP backs campaign urging households to keep supplies for emergenciesA south Essex MP is urging households to prepare for emergencies by keeping essential supplies at homeEcho (Basildon) · 27 Oct, 12:00
• 'It’s an unstable world now' - Essex reacts to government ‘Be Ready’ adviceEssex residents react to the Government’s Be Ready campaign as households are urged to prepare for emergencies and stock up on essentials.Colchester Gazette · 27 Oct, 05:00

In this story: Government · Essex · David Burton-Sampson · Southend West and Leigh · Colchester

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem