Good afternoon
Where to start... Im freaking out!
Im completely unprepared for what is happening now and what I think is going to happen.
I have just moved to a new area on my own (F39) Northeast UK from London, I currently live on the 5th floor in the city centre.
Im completely on my own and not quite sure what to do, as much as I have watched on youtube and documentaries im not sure how much or if I will be safe in my location and if not where to go!
I have managed to collect a few thinks like freeze-dried food, candles, fire lighting equipment, waterproof stuff, multi-tools etc. This lockdown happened so quickly that I didn't get a chance to collect anything else.
Does anyone have any advice on what I should be doing? or can offer any help?
Thanks in advance
Hi Everyone :)
Re: Hi Everyone :)
One of the best preperations you can make is becoming diverse and adaptive. Look online for books on cooking, build up your skills creating "interesting" meals with what you have to hand. When you shop buy what is available and try to youtube meals with those ingredience. For the last few weeks we have eaten lots of polenta for example, when the shelves were empty, no one touched the polenta.
At least you are not in London...
Prepping takes time, usually you should store what you eat and eat what you store, but at the moment get what you can.
Look into dehyrating, its fun and builds up stores quickly
And Welcome
At least you are not in London...
Prepping takes time, usually you should store what you eat and eat what you store, but at the moment get what you can.
Look into dehyrating, its fun and builds up stores quickly
And Welcome
Re: Hi Everyone :)
Thank you very much for replying and for the advice 
Where I live they are boarding up the shops ect as if this is going to be here for a long time or that they know something that I do not. Is it just me or does anyone feel like something is coming?
Where I live they are boarding up the shops ect as if this is going to be here for a long time or that they know something that I do not. Is it just me or does anyone feel like something is coming?
Re: Hi Everyone :)
Welcome to the forum. Good for you for taking steps. I've got some ideas of what you might do:
- are there any local facebook groups or exercise groups? Not to attend in person, obviously, but to share online.
- follow a local paper, the local news, anything, even a church even if you're not religious (I'm not, but the church is strong in my nearest village, so ....)
- presumably you'll still need to shop once a week or something? Make a concerted effort to check from your windows (I'm hoping you have a fairly good view from the 5th floor) of when the busiest/ quietest times are.
- seriously, check through the forum here - people are very generous in sharing their expertise.
- use google earth or open source maps to scope out your neighbourhood. Ordinary carp still happens, after all: a fire, a traffic accident involving a chemical spill, a riot, a terrorist attack, your building being flooded when the roof leaks. If you had to leave, in a hurry, where would you go? What would you do? Think about what transport you have (I'm on foot - I've been thinking about a folding bike, and I'm bleeping well going to get one, when this is over). (Its going to be over, to some degree).
- following the above - google "grey man" - especially for women, its a good idea to not stand out, just fade into the background and not be a target. Don't do bright and shiny, do "normal" grey/dark blue/black. Sorry! I'm a fan of barbie pink in summer, but not right now, even down here in SE England.
- as cpb125 says, skills are really, really important. Add fitness to the list: not so much that you need to eat an extra 1000 calories a day, obviously, but strenght/ endurance. Look at pilates - you can certainly do that at home, there's loads on youtube. Core strength.
Good luck! You'll be fine, I understand your supplies aren't as high as you'd like them to be, but you've had the lightbulb moment, so to speak, just keep going.
- are there any local facebook groups or exercise groups? Not to attend in person, obviously, but to share online.
- follow a local paper, the local news, anything, even a church even if you're not religious (I'm not, but the church is strong in my nearest village, so ....)
- presumably you'll still need to shop once a week or something? Make a concerted effort to check from your windows (I'm hoping you have a fairly good view from the 5th floor) of when the busiest/ quietest times are.
- seriously, check through the forum here - people are very generous in sharing their expertise.
- use google earth or open source maps to scope out your neighbourhood. Ordinary carp still happens, after all: a fire, a traffic accident involving a chemical spill, a riot, a terrorist attack, your building being flooded when the roof leaks. If you had to leave, in a hurry, where would you go? What would you do? Think about what transport you have (I'm on foot - I've been thinking about a folding bike, and I'm bleeping well going to get one, when this is over). (Its going to be over, to some degree).
- following the above - google "grey man" - especially for women, its a good idea to not stand out, just fade into the background and not be a target. Don't do bright and shiny, do "normal" grey/dark blue/black. Sorry! I'm a fan of barbie pink in summer, but not right now, even down here in SE England.
- as cpb125 says, skills are really, really important. Add fitness to the list: not so much that you need to eat an extra 1000 calories a day, obviously, but strenght/ endurance. Look at pilates - you can certainly do that at home, there's loads on youtube. Core strength.
Good luck! You'll be fine, I understand your supplies aren't as high as you'd like them to be, but you've had the lightbulb moment, so to speak, just keep going.
Re: Hi Everyone :)
Thank you very much for your brilliant advice.
I wasn't too fussed about food as I have been storing protein bars and meal supplements with a range of multivitamins and green powder that can be just added to water, along with ready to eat things.
I have also managed to get some camaflarge army outwear ect.
It was more keeping myself safe and where to go, like in whar direction as I do not drive and have not been outside the city centre.
Thanks
I wasn't too fussed about food as I have been storing protein bars and meal supplements with a range of multivitamins and green powder that can be just added to water, along with ready to eat things.
I have also managed to get some camaflarge army outwear ect.
It was more keeping myself safe and where to go, like in whar direction as I do not drive and have not been outside the city centre.
Thanks
Re: Hi Everyone :)
Just seen this. I lived in London during the riots of the 1980s, and I understand that fear and foreboding - I was in a ground floor flat and amongst other things, I walked round the building to see how I could jump out of the bedroom window and run to the back and get away.
If shopkeepers are boarding up, maybe they're fearing riots? Definitely avoid crowds, don't stare, don't demand politeness of people. What's the atmosphere like locally? What are your police tweeting?
Maybe look at "bug out bags" on here - when you need to leave in a hurry, and what you need to take with you, to kickstart your life again.
And breathe. Right now, you're safe.
Re: Hi Everyone :)
Thats good!
Think about the blending in/grey man thing. You'd stand out a mile in Sussex, where I live now, but maybe round you it would be ok?I have also managed to get some camaflarge army outwear ect.
I can't help with the actual direction, but check out google maps, seriously, at all magnifications - and think about where you're going *to* - to a train station where you can get a train south (sorry, not even sure if the trains are running?) To the beach? Just had a thought - check out the Resilience Plan for Newcastle, it should be online.It was more keeping myself safe and where to go, like in whar direction as I do not drive and have not been outside the city centre.
Thanks
This one doesn't look much good, though it might be https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/ ... cy_plan_46
This one might help, once you get digging in:
https://www.northumberland.gov.uk/About ... Group.aspx
Gotta go, hope this helps.
Re: Hi Everyone :)
@ Arzosah
That sounds very scary, I have never experienced anything like this before or even a riot.
The bug out bag has been done and a list made for the items I do not have but might need, hopefully, I won't need them anytime soon.
This current climate has all the inheritance for a complete breakdown of the way we now live!
I could have lived with just the virus but with the financial/fiat currency stuff looming and things actually closing down and what I can personally see is quite scary!
The staying indoors bit I can handle but if I have to leave home then that the bit that is the unknown.... I wouldn't even know what direction to walk in. I have never even been camping lol.
Maybe im overthinking it, but im sure it is better to be safe than sorry.
That sounds very scary, I have never experienced anything like this before or even a riot.
The bug out bag has been done and a list made for the items I do not have but might need, hopefully, I won't need them anytime soon.
This current climate has all the inheritance for a complete breakdown of the way we now live!
I could have lived with just the virus but with the financial/fiat currency stuff looming and things actually closing down and what I can personally see is quite scary!
The staying indoors bit I can handle but if I have to leave home then that the bit that is the unknown.... I wouldn't even know what direction to walk in. I have never even been camping lol.
Maybe im overthinking it, but im sure it is better to be safe than sorry.
Re: Hi Everyone :)
I would recommend reading this book
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Escape-The-W ... SwU2BeSSAA
It is all about blending in, sometimes you need to be the sheep to blend into a pack.
For bug out routes you can also check your local OS map, look for a route out that lead to water and woodland, if your in a city, let us know and we could have a look and give some rough advice as you live in the middle but do not give away your address ever! Also I would not recommend bugging out unless you are driven out, you would most likely still be safer at home with you kit than bugged out with only basics.
https://osmaps.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/
While your building up your kit, remember to think about comms, your local amataur radio community would love to have someone else to talk to on air. Seriously do not underestimate how much value there is in talking to others when the worlds going mad. Essex Ham have put the foundation course onto youtube and onto their website and DX commander on youtube explains lots.
There will not be any courses or exams for a few months but get in touch with them and they can explain how you can listen in locally.
There is lots to prepping, try not to do it all at once
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Escape-The-W ... SwU2BeSSAA
It is all about blending in, sometimes you need to be the sheep to blend into a pack.
For bug out routes you can also check your local OS map, look for a route out that lead to water and woodland, if your in a city, let us know and we could have a look and give some rough advice as you live in the middle but do not give away your address ever! Also I would not recommend bugging out unless you are driven out, you would most likely still be safer at home with you kit than bugged out with only basics.
https://osmaps.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/
While your building up your kit, remember to think about comms, your local amataur radio community would love to have someone else to talk to on air. Seriously do not underestimate how much value there is in talking to others when the worlds going mad. Essex Ham have put the foundation course onto youtube and onto their website and DX commander on youtube explains lots.
There will not be any courses or exams for a few months but get in touch with them and they can explain how you can listen in locally.
There is lots to prepping, try not to do it all at once
Re: Hi Everyone :)
I didn't mean to scare you, sorry - and it sounds like what you can see from your windows is pretty bad too, sometimes. Just remember, just because you're preparing, doesn't mean its going to happen, it really doesn't. For instance, yes, during the Brixton riots in the 1980s, the shopkeepers near me, in NW London, boarded up their shops: but nothing happened, nothing at all, and they took the boards down a week later. Preparation, thats all.
cbp is spot on when he says not to bug out till you're driven out - since you've only just moved and don't know anyone, your target to but out to might be a hotel - in fact we don't call "bug out bags" by that name on here, we often call them "hotel bags". Because you might end up at a hotel for a little while. Think of the terrorist attack at the Manchester Arena - it was very serious, and the hotels round about opened up their lobbies to all the teenagers and twenties and their parents and friends trying to find one another. Think of half a million people right now volunteering to help in the face of the coronavirus pandemic: a lot of people are good, and want to help. Check people out, by all means, but don't discount them.
By the way, I've enrolled on the Essex ham radio course its a good skill! Apparently, you can take the exam online when you're ready, and the practical is being waived right now.
cbp is spot on when he says not to bug out till you're driven out - since you've only just moved and don't know anyone, your target to but out to might be a hotel - in fact we don't call "bug out bags" by that name on here, we often call them "hotel bags". Because you might end up at a hotel for a little while. Think of the terrorist attack at the Manchester Arena - it was very serious, and the hotels round about opened up their lobbies to all the teenagers and twenties and their parents and friends trying to find one another. Think of half a million people right now volunteering to help in the face of the coronavirus pandemic: a lot of people are good, and want to help. Check people out, by all means, but don't discount them.
By the way, I've enrolled on the Essex ham radio course
its a good skill! Apparently, you can take the exam online when you're ready, and the practical is being waived right now.