Darren Rhodes: Government emergency list misses six key survival items

The UK government's official emergency guidelines recommend households stockpile 3 litres of bottled drinking water per person per day, a figure a veteran emergency trainer says is a starting point rather than a finish line. Darren Rhodes, 55, who has spent 20 years training local authorities on emergency procedures, argues the current checklist overlooks specific needs that arise when standard infrastructure fails. Rhodes is the founder and lead editor of UK Prepper Hub in Cambridgeshire and recently published a book titled Prepared Not Panicked.

The Be Ready campaign launched earlier this year. It urges Britons to prepare for up to 72 hours without power or internet. The government advice lists tinned food, hygiene products, a torch, a battery-powered or wind-up radio, and a first aid kit. Rhodes acknowledges the document is useful but notes it is written for a typical household. He points out that very few households fit that description, creating gaps in preparation for families with specific medical or logistical needs.

Rhodes identifies six items missing from the official list that he believes are essential for a genuine emergency. His first recommendation is a portable toilet. While the government suggests hand sanitiser and wet wipes, it does not address what happens if the mains water fails and the toilet cannot be flushed. Rhodes advises using a camping cassette toilet or, as a cheaper alternative, a bucket, bin bags, and cat litter.

He also recommends a method to boil water, such as a basic camping stove and gas canisters. The government's food list consists largely of items that do not require cooking, but Rhodes argues heating water becomes necessary after days of consuming cold tinned food. He stresses the importance of ventilation when using these stoves indoors. To manage the risk of using alternative heat sources like generators and heaters during a power cut, Rhodes insists on a battery-operated carbon monoxide alarm. He notes the gas is odourless and colourless, making it impossible to detect without a specific sensor.

Lighting and communication are the next gaps. Rhodes distinguishes between a torch, which lights a single spot, and a lantern, which illuminates a whole room for tasks like cooking and reading. He suggests having both. For communication, he notes that while a radio provides information, it does not allow two-way contact. He recommends a pair of licence-free walkie-talkies to maintain contact with neighbours or relatives if mobile networks fail. Finally, he suggests water purification tablets, which weigh almost nothing and last for years, as a backup for longer water supply disruptions.

Rhodes advises against buying all supplies at once, a strategy he says leads to expensive errors. He suggests adding two or three extra items to regular supermarket shops until a three-day supply is built. He also warns against untested equipment, noting that a torch with flat batteries is useless during a power cut. He recommends keeping phone numbers, key documents, and maps on paper, alongside cash, to reduce reliance on technology that may fail. He cautions against spending heavily on specialist gear or using candles, which pose a fire risk.

The goal of this preparation, according to Rhodes, is to turn a power cut or burst main into an inconvenience rather than a crisis. He states that if a household is ready, they do not need to join the queues. The government has not yet responded to Rhodes' specific additions to the Be Ready list.