Everything Brits ought to stockpile now to outlive Super El Nino – see full listing
Experts have revealed the different food items and kit we should be storing as the deadly weather event ramps up – with wetter and stormier conditions expected this winter
People are being told to be wary of letting their stores run empty(Image: Getty Images)
As we prepare to enter a Super El Nino phase, Brits have been urged not to waste time and to start stockpiling food now. Experts say having emergency supplies to make meals is a wise move as we could even see some shortages soon.
Dame Angela Eagle, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) told The Guardian: “If you’ve got a store of a bit of food that can keep you going for a while before the emergency services can get to you, you’re going to be a lot better off than if you haven’t.”
It’s been advised that households should keep two weeks’ worth of non-perishable foods and water stored at home. Professor Elizabeth Robinson, an environmental economist at the London School of Economics, said that things that will keep for a while and fill you up more should be kept.
People are being advised to be proactive(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
This includes grains, tinned food, UHT or powdered milk and water. Prof Robinson added: “You should definitely get items that you can combine to make a tasty and nutritious meal, so maybe tins of beans or pulses, fish or meat, vegetables, some tinned fruits. And UHT or powdered milk. And of course water.”
Super El Nino is a naturally occurring climate cycle that shifts between hot El Niño years and cool La Niña years once every two to seven years
As we enter the next El Niño phase, the powerful winds that normally blow hot water across the Pacific towards Australia will weaken and cause them to collect near the coast of South America.
As this spreads out, it is expected to cause major chaos to our weather patterns around the globe. For the UK, that is likely to mean ferocious storms and plunging temperatures heading our way from October
To prepare for this extreme weather, Defra is urging Brits to stockpile food. On the government website, a ‘household emergency plan‘ reveals a list of nine ’emergency supplies’.
Brits are advised to stock up. (Image: Laurence Berger via Getty Images)
According to the government, you’ll need a battery or wind-up torch, a portable power bank, a battery or wind-up radio, and spare batteries.
The full list is:
- Battery or wind–up torch
- Portable power bank
- Battery or wind–up radio
- Spare batteries
- First aid kit
- Wet wipes and hand sanitiser
- Bottled water
- Non–perishable food that does not require cooking and tin opener
- Baby supplies
- Gas–powered generator
- Natural gas or liquid propane
- Chainsaw
- Toilet paper
- N95 face mask
Professor Robinson said: “In general, it definitely makes sense for those households that can afford it to have a week or two of non-perishable foods and water stored at home, in case of any food emergency, whether due to a pandemic, conflict, or weather shock such as could be caused by the growing El Niño.
“But the government cannot abdicate responsibility for ensuring that the country as a whole is resilient to shocks that affect access to food.’
