Why is the UK asking citizens to stock up on food and water? Cyber attacks, extreme weather among key concerns - Rationale

Months after Andy Burnham became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, his government recently launched the “Be Prepared” campaign, which calls on citizens across the country to prepare food, drinking water and other essentials at home for three days.

The advice, issued earlier this week, aims to help UK residents cope with emergencies that could disrupt everyday services, including electricity, water, telephones and the internet. It’s the first phase of a three-year campaign the Burnham Government has announced to help households across the country better prepare.

Read also | Great Britain in distress? PM Burnham urges citizens to store food, water and cash for 3 days

Why is the UK government asking citizens to stock up now?

The background of the campaign is the fear of cyber-attacks and extreme weather. Wes Streeting, the UK defense secretary, said the recommendation, which is very similar to guidance issued by the previous government led by Keir Starmer, was not triggered by any “special information” but rather by “national resilience”. But he later said Britain must be prepared for any threats of “state-sponsored terrorism” from Russia or other hostile powers targeting everyday infrastructure.

According to The Guardian, the latest advisory comes as 32 UK government websites have been taken offline as a precaution after a security flaw was discovered in PHP, a programming language used by millions of websites around the world. Britain’s National Cyber Security Center has sent 50,000 alerts to organizations affected by the bug.

Hackers linked to Iran have also been blamed for an August cyberattack that temporarily shut down a small UK power generator. The UK government said the wider energy grid was never at risk. But the incident suggests a growing threat to Britain’s infrastructure from hackers linked to Iran.

Read also | Apple and Google are warning users in more than 150 countries about targeted cyber attacks

The advice also comes around a month after the National Audit Office (NAO) warned that the UK food chain is at risk due to growing threats of cyber attacks and the climate crisis. It added that the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) had not done enough to improve supply chain resilience in recent years.

Extreme weather adds to concerns about preparedness

The Burnham Government launched the campaign ahead of the winter storm season after several severe storms in the past few years. In early January, Storm Goretti brought winds of almost 100mph, leaving tens of thousands of homes without power across the Midlands, south-west England and Wales.

According to an official release, the rationale offered by the Burnham government for asking people to be prepared for any unexpected event stems from recent weather disturbances, including storms last winter and bushfires the UK witnessed this summer.

The statement said: “With last winter’s storms and this summer’s bushfires showing how severe weather events can disrupt our daily lives and affect the services we rely on, from phone signals to water and the internet, the launch of the campaign brings the UK closer to European peers who are already running similar campaigns.”

Separately, there were also concerns that a possible “super El Niño” could make 2027 the hottest year on record. It could also disrupt weather patterns and put pressure on global food supplies and energy systems.

Read also | Strongest El Nino since 1950 on the horizon: How will it impact India?

What did the UK Prime Minister say about the ‘Be Ready’ campaign?

According to the BBC, Burnham said on Friday (local time) that unexpected events “are becoming more common” and that everyone should have “these supplies in the house to get you through those moments”. He added: “It’s not about panicking… It’s just about taking sensible precautions so that you have enough in the house to comfort you if a difficult situation arises.”

The official report further states that the UK government has worked with other countries to draw inspiration from their experiences and best practices. Elaborating further, she noted that the three-day preparedness advisory now at the heart of the UK campaign is also being used by other countries, including France, Ireland and the Netherlands.

What’s in the UK Emergency Preparedness Checklist?

According to the government’s “Be Prepared” checklist, citizens are advised not to do it all at once, but to gradually build their preparedness over time and pick up the next item when they can. The checklist includes:

1. Water: The government recommended keeping enough bottled water for three days, ideally three liters per person per day. This will be in addition to the water that will be needed for cooking and washing.

2. Food: Citizens are advised to stock up on three-day supplies of non-refrigeration or cooking foods, including canned meat, fish or vegetables, dried fruit and nuts. The checklist also states that they should choose foods that they would normally eat.

3. Hygiene: Hand sanitizers, wet wipes, other hygiene products and bathroom essentials.

4. Light and heat: Flashlight with spare batteries, blankets, sleeping bags and warm clothes.

5. Communication and information: Battery or wind-up FM radio and fully charged power bank.

6. Money and documents: Cash in a combination of coins and notes, payment cards and copies of identification and important documents, along with important phone numbers and information, including details of regular medications and doses.

7. Medicine and Health: Citizens were advised to prepare a first aid kit and stock it with basic medicines and medical supplies.

8. Children’s products: Store diapers, wipes and baby formula, preferably ready to feed, as you may not be able to boil water to safely prepare powdered formula.

9. Pet Products: Pet food and bottled water.