Live in a 2nd floor flat, need advice/suggestions.

[Arzosah]

Decaff makes a really good point - declutter a bit, first. I'm in the middle of decluttering/organising my stuff, and even though I decluttered when I moved here 4 years ago, its amazing what creeps in, and how you can store stuff in a more compact way as well.

Water is often overlooked as a prep - even one 5 litre bottle will help if there's a burst water pipe, more is better of course, but thats a lot better than nothing. Plus some chlorine tablets - if the council puts a bowser up at the end of the street or wherever, it might be prudent not to assume its been stored the way *you* would store it.

You mentioned pandemic ... think about what you'd need for that. None of us who live in urban housing have the space to store 6 - 9 months of food, so you'll have to buy it *during* the pandemic, no way round it. So what system would you use to make sure the packaging is disinfected? I've seen a bucket of a weak bleach solution, situated by the door, recommended: lots of bleach could be a really good prep, locked well away from your 5 year old, of course. And disposable gloves.

If the electricity went off, could you prepare a hot meal? A single plate camping stove, run off those little butane cylinders, might be a good idea too. I have an even littler one, from when I used to go backpacking, and the replacement cylinders are £3 at Millets. If stove + cylinders feel too much right now, a few single use bbqs from a poundshop are better than nothing, but I don't think you can heat water on them.

[Yorkshire Andy]

Make sure you get a decent size first aid kit most of the smaller retail ones are only good for very minor cuts and grazes look for HSE approved kits as they generally well stocked

[Yorkshire Andy]

If your not bothered about a fancy box a refil kit is better value
http://m.screwfix.com/p/wallace-cameron ... tered=true

[Hamradioop]

1. do not be overwhelmed, the journey of a thousand preps starts with 1

2. The council guide refered to is a good starting point.
http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/portal/page?_p ... ema=PORTAL
another can be found here http://wiltshireandswindonprepared.org. ... ochure.pdf

3. make a plan and work your plan.

hope this helps.

[preppergb]

I found this on another forum , maybe useful?

Urban upgrades House or Apartment
Security is an issue for all preppers but probably more so for urban preppers with them living in such
close proximity to each other and in such high dense numbers. And also thanks to social engineering
by well-meaning do gooders over the years the chances are that if you live in a nice, quiet, law
abiding peaceful neighbourhood there is a good likelihood you’re also not far from a crime infested
chav and gang dominated area as well.
Domestic security is undeniably an issue for us all but the more urbanised an area is then normally
the higher the crime rates are as well.
Your URBAN house, flat, bedsit, apartment dwelling prepper by default needs to have his home set
up with a strong emphasis on safety and security, the three foot picket fence and windows secured
by a singly little latch is simply not going to cut the mustard. Even if you are in rented property you
are going to have to spend some money on upgrading your home.
Back gardens need secure fencing and hedging, and in most boroughs this can be up to 2 meters
high for fencing and 3 meters for hedging, a thorny hedge of blackthorn etc intermixed with
brambles is almost impenetrable. Fencing can be upgraded with carpet gripper rods tacked on the
inside edge to catch intruders fingers. In some places that have rear courtyards with walls you can fix
all sorts from broken glass set in concrete to stiff plastic spikes to deter intruders.
All rear entrance gates, doors etc MUST be
substantial with three or four well secured hinges and top quality locking systems.
The fronts of town houses with or without gardens is more difficult to secure but if gates and hedges
are available then common sense says make them as secure and difficult to bypass as possible, you
can also use domestic CCTV systems in a deterrent role as well as a detective role. But once again
your accessible doors and windows must be secured as much as possible. Double or treble glazed
windows perhaps consider losing the curtains and fitting ornate but very secure French window
shutters instead, at the very least affix self-adhesive clear laminating film to the glass and venetian
or similar types of blinds that will make lots of noise and delay intruders somewhat.
Front doors need to be of very solid construction and preferably fire resistant as well so UPVC doors
are NOT recommended, Laminated doors with two sheets of wood effect coated steel over a solid
wood inner core is a much better choice especially when backed up with three or four 100mm brass
and steel bearing hinges secured right through the door frame and into the brickwork with rawlbolts.
A heavy BS3621 5 lever door lock backed up by two or three throw bolts is required to keep the door
shut and safe. This applies equally to apartment residents who may also choose to fit a viewing piece
in the door. If you MUST have your letter box in the door have a fire proof metal mailbox mounted
on the inside of the door to prevent arson attacks.
Metal Keyhole covering escutcheons are recommended on the inside of doors to stop arsonists
squirting flammable liquids through keyholes.
Do not purchase or install doors with “kick out“ panels installed for allowing firefighters to easily
access your home as criminals know exactly what to look for.
If you live in a HIGH crime area you may wish to fit security bars to your windows and an outward
opening security grill door to your front doorway. DO NOT IMPEDE YOUR FIRE ESCAPES.
Multiple dry powder fire extinguishers are essential to deal with domestic fires or arson attacks and
the same devices are great for debilitating intruders with as the dry powder blinds and choke’s them
when sprayed into their faces.
Somehow and some way our urban preppers especially those in apartments who do not have the
luxury or gardens or rooftops to collect water from need to find a place to store lots of essential
clean water. Some preppers use WATER BEDS as water reserves, others store plastic water jerry cans
and others cleaned and recycled 3 litre coke bottles.
If you live in the second, third, fourth etc floors of a block you should consider a telescopic fire
escape ladder as a means of escape if you cannot use the doors in case of intruders or fire etc.
(Ideally you should never be the ground floor resident of a block anyway)

[Stasher]

Gosh

I could not live day to day life like that, I would feel a prisoner in my own home. The poster seems to be coming from a 'nothing is safe outside your front door' point of view. Clearly if you live in a dodgy area you need to take precautions, but CCTV? I would have thought that would make you a target as you 'obviously have something to hide/protect'

But hey, each to their own

[kizzie]

Gosh

I could not live day to day life like that, I would feel a prisoner in my own home. The poster seems to be coming from a 'nothing is safe outside your front door' point of view. Clearly if you live in a dodgy area you need to take precautions, but CCTV? I would have thought that would make you a target as you 'obviously have something to hide/protect'

But hey, each to their own

I'm only going to do what is necessary without me being a prisoner. Not worth living a life like that. I'm just going to try to act normal and as hungry and as scared as everyone else.

No way could I or would I live in a world like a SiFi film. Always always hated the darkness of those types of films.

[junmist]

Puzzles, colouring books, snap cards, and story books right that's the adults catered for. Now you need something for your 5 year old to do while stuck indoors

[Rearfang]

2nd floor flat should be ok in a flood at least

[kizzie]

Loo roll takes up a huge amount of space. You could unroll them, then vacuum pack them and you would save a lot of space.
I've cut up a huge amount of old sheets and other fabric and vacuumed packed it. Will use it for loo roll when the paper stuff runs out.