Newbie from Leicester - would welcome advice.

[Sixxdog_UK]

Hi Everyone.

I'm a total newbie to this and I hope I've not left it too late.

I'm prepping for a Pandemic , hoping I'm wrong but can't hurt to plan can it?
Obviously the hot topic is Ebola at the moment , and this is what had prompted me to act.

I plan to batten down the hatches and sit it out in lockdown mode for up to 3 months.

It's early stages but so far I've addressed :-

Water storage 1000 Ltr IBC tank.
Food - tinned food including some that does not need cooking.
Gas - 47ltr propane cylinder and stove.
Face masks / N95 and p100 types.

Need advice on what else I should get.
I don't plan on leaving the house if we go into lockdown so unsure if a full disposable suit is required.

What are the chances of power and water services continuing in the case of a Large Scale UK outbreak?

So many questions , so much to do , so little time?

I'm married with 3 kids at home , my wife thinks I'm a bit nuts but is humouring me at the moment.

Sorry for the rambling post , I've got so much going round in my head I doubt I'm making any sense or making wise decisions.

Regards.

Alex (Sixx)

[hobo]

Hi Alex,

You've recognised a threat and made a start on your preps. Good job!
Don't hurry! It's probably not going to happen tomorrow - or next week, or next month.
Make a pot of tea and have a good read through the forum.
I know you'll have lots of questions - as I did when I started prepping - feel free to ask anything!

Some things to think about to start you off (and it's stupid o'clock in the morning, so my brain is sluggish), would be heating and lighting. How would you keep warm if utilities fail? Do you have some lanterns/torches?

3 months' worth is a lot of food. Start by storing a few days, then a few more. Choose a wide variety of food that you normally like to eat. Remember to include treats. Remember vitamins. Where will you store this food? Can you grow any of it on windowsills or your backyard/garden? Can you safely cook it indoors?

How much water do you and your family use in a day? Add that up for 3 months. Why 3 months?

Boredom....if you're bugging in, what will you and your family do? What about exercise? Home schooling resources? Fun?

How will you pay your bills? That means financial preps!

Don't try and think about it all at once. Break it down into manageable chunks. Read around the subjects.

I'm sure I've missed lots but I'm sure other forum members will be along to chip in soon.

Fear of pandemic is what started me prepping. Through circumstances and experience, I've found out that it's more likely that loss of job or a personal health crisis is more likely than a pandemic. So that's what I prep for now, although of my preps would cover a range of threats.

Getting your OH on board is important. Mine thought I was bonkers for years - that is until we had 2 real SHTF incidents in the space of 3 months - both personal health things which meant neither of us could work for quite a while.

Now we work together on prepping. How might you get your OH on board? Do you live somewhere prone to flooding or power cuts? Find a starting point to get your OH into the idea if you can.

Sorry it's been a bit of a ramble! Hope some of it helps.

Hobo

[tigs]

welcome to the forum

[Sixxdog_UK]

Hi Hobo,

Many thanks for the welcome and your great advice , much of which I hadn't even considered.
Just off shopping will have a good think through tonight and make some lists.

Thanks for your help , it's nice to know I'm not losing the plot , but making sensible precautionary measures.

Alex

[Sixxdog_UK]

Thanks tigs will check out those links.

Alex

[grenfell]

Need advice on what else I should get.

Hello and welcome to the forum and to answer your question , bleach , bleach , bleach ! Thin stuff for treating water and the thick stuff for disinfecting , never have too much bleach. Oh and read up the various threads concerning Ebola and the like.

[Sixxdog_UK]

Hi Grenfell

Many thanks just been shopping , just been shopping , 7 bottles of thin bleach.
24 5ltr bottles of water , enough good for 2 months.

Anti-Bac . Face masks , and a multitude of stuff I probably don't need , the chap at the check out look a bit curious , I just told him I was prepping for the Zombie Apocalypse.

Feels good to be a little more prepaired.

Will top up soon and more when funds allow.

I think I'm good to bug in for 8 weeks.
I will make it longer as I prep more.

Always open to more suggestions.

Crossbow is next in my list!

Is there a area coordinator for Leicester what area number are we?

Thanks guys , it's nice to know in not losing the plot.

Alex aka Sixxdog_UK

[izzy_mack]

Welcome, take a deep breath and don,t worry. I've been a member for over a year and I think I've got more to learn than when I started!

There are people here who will blow you away with the knowledge they have, you just have to ask, they are great at sharing.

Sounds like you've already been given good advice and are making a good start at your preps, good luck.

[Sixxdog_UK]

Thanks for the welcome izzy.

I'm just getting started but it felt good to get home today with candles food cleaning supplies lots and lots of water some medical stuff and loads of other stuff.

I know I'm probably missing loads of over doing it but how prepaired is 'too prepaired?' , can one even be too prepaired?

I think once I've created my safe haven , looking at ways to defend it are next on the list for sure.

Hope all of this turns out to be completely unnecessary but I figure plan for the worst but hope for the best.

Thanks again every one for a warm and informative welcome.

Sixx

[Roadkill]

another new leicester newbie here and have joined for the same reasons as yourself. Just building together my ebola kit list now. One thing i'm going to look at is storing bottles of water from the shop just need to see how much of a use by date they have.