UK urges households to stock 3 days of supplies for floods, cyberattacks, and outages

The U.K. government is urging households to keep enough basic supplies on hand to get through three days without normal services.

Officials warn that a growing mix of risks, including floods, wildfires, cyberattacks, and terrorism-related disruption, could affect daily life.

Here's what to know

On Oct. 22, Defense Secretary Wes Streeting said the government was launching a "national resilience conversation" to encourage households to stock nonperishable food, bottled water, first-aid supplies, a torch, sleeping bags, and an FM radio.

Streeting said families and businesses need to think more seriously about how they would manage if outages affected mains water, sewage systems, phones, or the internet, according to BBC News. He pointed to both natural disasters and hostile cyber activity, saying incidents like the critical flaw in the PHP programming language will happen "more and more."

That warning followed a real disruption in the U.K., where 32 government services went offline while officials addressed potential cybersecurity issues linked to the PHP flaw.

More background

The new push comes as U.K. officials warn that several different threats can collide in everyday life. Streeting pointed to this summer's wildfires and the flooding expected this winter, while also describing the danger of "increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks" targeting businesses and supply chains.

For households, those risks are not theoretical. Streeting said a cyberattack could hit local shops and card payment systems, leaving people unable to buy essentials even if store shelves are still full. The government has also warned that outages could interrupt water service, sewage, internet access, and phone connectivity.

Other senior officials have raised similar concerns. In September, Environment Secretary Dame Angela Eagle said the strongest El Niño event in a generation developing over the Pacific Ocean would bring "more extreme storms in this country."

Separately, the National Audit Office reported that Britain's food supply chain is vulnerable to plant or human disease outbreaks, cyberattacks, and extreme weather.

What can be done?

The "Be Ready" list includes shelf-stable food, bottled water, sleeping bags, a torch, and first-aid items, along with an FM radio and a written note of the frequencies for local or national stations carrying news updates.

Streeting said the goal is practical, not theatrical. When asked whether the campaign amounted to scaremongering, he noted the government wants "people to be alert but not alarmed." He added that the supplies "might help you through some power cuts, or might also help you through if... your local shop's subject to a cyberattack and your card isn't working at the till."

At the national level, Security Minister Dan Jarvis MP said stronger household preparedness would allow emergency services to focus on people who need extra support during a crisis and could "improve our resilience as a nation." Jarvis added that similar readiness campaigns are already a normal part of daily life in France, Ireland, and the Netherlands.

Streeting said the risks now come from multiple sources. "It's not just from foreign states engaged in espionage or sabotage; it's also organized criminals," he noted.

Where can I learn more?

The following stories elaborate on what that kind of preparation looks like.

• As hurricane season intensifies, households are keeping emergency power-outage supplies ready for days alone.

• Homeowners are trading ultimate storm-preparation tips to protect food, water, and backup power.

• Veteran preppers say you don't need thousands to stay safe during extreme weather.

• In England, agencies warn that 8 million homes face mounting flood risks.

• In Washington state, crews faced tens of thousands without power after a catastrophic storm.

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