Hello - London light-weight prepper

[Londonpreppy]

Riots don’t really worry me. I lived in London during the 2011 riots. Honestly you wouldn’t even have known it was happening if it weren’t for the news. People were still getting the tube, going to work, coming home, going to restaurants and living their lives. The media had the rest of the country believing that London was on fire. It wasn't really like that, not for me anyway. The only way it impacted me was that a friend decided to not come that week to visit! understandably....haha


Terror attacks are a genuine real threat for me. Every week the police are arresting someone who is a planning an attack on London. Attacks most likely are, explosives, drive-by shootings, chemical bomb. I’m more worried about a chemical bomb, there’s nothing you can do, particularly if you were on the underground. It doesn’t matter if you have a face mask or not, sometimes this stuff kills you not from being inhaled but by landing on your skin.

There was a poll they discovered by ISIS supporters who were voting on ‘where they’d next like to see attacked’ – of course, it was London with almost unanimous support.

Terrorists are saying, when they come to London it will be widespread devastation on a scale we haven’t seen before. I believe Paris and Brussels are practice runs. I think it's already been coordinated, it's already planned, these terrorists are just waiting for the call to mobilize so-to-speak. Could be a random date, could coincide with Wimbledon tennis, could be a football event, but it's going to happen.

We’re having terrorist attack drills in work, emergency evacuation plans have changed (we used to congregate, companies don’t do that anymore because then everyone is a sitting duck, now we’re being told to disperse far and wide). Our security doors and alert systems are being tested not for fire but for terrorists. Everyone is aware and yet that normaly bias hangs thick in the air, people get on the tube, read a book, take no notice of their surroundings.

The thing is, with a terrorist attack, it’s just about surviving that day. If you make it home, you’re ok. My tube goes through Victoria and Westminster every morning. I just spend a lot of time thinking about it, thinking about what my move would be, picturing it in my head, so that in some ways I'm mentally prepared for it, so that I don't just freeze, that I act and use common sense.

I have a swiss army knife! Glowsticks are a good idea and tools, I don't carry any tools!

I can walk 6 miles in 2 hours, I would be tired, but I also think adrenaline would be strong.

I will put a little list together of all my prepping items that I have. I have a couple of interesting ones (well I think anyway)

It's so nice to be able to talk about this without someone saying, 'yeah stop worrying it'll be fine!'

[pseudonym]

Hello and welcome to the Forum.

[nickdutch]

Welcome. I am also not an end of days kind of person. Having stored food seems like a good idea in case you cant get out for whatever reason, water purification is a goo idea as you never know when there may be an issue with too much chlorine or a bad parasite in the water.

Ethanol stove and camping gas stove for food and more importantly, tea......
plenty of torches and batteries and tea light candles in case of power outages.

BioEthanol fireplace for some heat when the boiler goes, watering can in the bathroom in case the shower dies on you.... basic first aid kit, things to kill germs, all the good food prep kit you can get so you can prepare whatever you can lay your hands upon, bikes for transport.... a few silver coins in case you need to trade

It all adds up. You cant prepare for everything, but you can make a start.

[Londonpreppy]

My prepping kit so far:

A waterBob holds 100 US gallons / think thats around 370 litres of water, ordered through American amazon and it cost £25 including delivery. Keeps water fresh for 12 weeks. It sits in your bath.

5 litre flat pack water carrier
Portable camping stove and 5 butane cannisters

Food: dried and tinned food. Approx a week worth maybe 2 wks depending on how we rationed. I havent paid much attention to the types of meals i could make so i need to plan this better. Meals would be alot of rice and beans....pasta and tuna! Its portable in a box ready to go.

I have lots of tea lights and a couple of spare packs of batteries (not enough)
Basic urban survival handbooks and first aid book
Water purification tablets

For work which i carry
A keyring torch
A keyring whistle
Lucozade tablets and a high energy protein bar
Swiss army knife
First aid kit - including i.v cannula, suture kit, scalpel, gloves, needle and syringes and other more basic items (bandages/plasters/antiseptic wipes)
A map of london / downloaded maps from google of route home.
Factor 50 sunscreen and cooling spray
Portable phone charger

I think that's everything! Its not alot but ive focused on the things i think are most urgent that you'd miss straight away.

[Deeps]

Welcome. I am also not an end of days kind of person. Having stored food seems like a good idea in case you cant get out for whatever reason, water purification is a goo idea as you never know when there may be an issue with too much chlorine or a bad parasite in the water.

Ethanol stove and camping gas stove for food and more importantly, tea......
plenty of torches and batteries and tea light candles in case of power outages.

BioEthanol fireplace for some heat when the boiler goes, watering can in the bathroom in case the shower dies on you.... basic first aid kit, things to kill germs, all the good food prep kit you can get so you can prepare whatever you can lay your hands upon, bikes for transport.... a few silver coins in case you need to trade

It all adds up. You cant prepare for everything, but you can make a start.

I've got one of these....

https://www.metals4u.co.uk/tools/garden ... AtBe8P8HAQ

I got it for cleaning dogs after walks but it will also double up as a shower in emergencies. A bit off topic, apologies and welcome Londonpreppy, there's been loads of good advice already, I hope you find plenty of info on here, I've found plenty of inspiration on the site.

[Jamesey1981]

Hi and welcome to the forum.
Couple of suggestions for your EDC, I would agree with others that a dust mask would be a good addition.
Also, I would say add a Buff, it's like a seamless Lycra tube that comes in various styles and patterns, and cost about 13 quid if you get them from eBay, they weigh nothing, take up very little space and can be used as a face mask, balaclava, scarf, hat, bandana or in various other ways. Will be useful not just in winter, but also in bright sunshine, walking six miles in the height of summer without some way of keeping the sun off your head will mean you have a very serious risk of heatstroke or sunstroke, and neither will help your chances, some have uv blocking or bug repellent capabilities too so pick the one you think will help you more.
I think you mentioned that you carry a drink, which is obviously a good idea. I would suggest looking into what you carry it in, my EDC water container is a Swiss army canteen with nesting cup, sure, you probably won't need the cup, although it does give you the ability to scoop water or boil it should you need to, and the cup doesn't weigh a lot anyway. The reason I like that one is that it's a completely different shape to what most people think of as a military canteen, it's more like a flattened ordinary bottle, so it not only fits in a bag better but it also doesn't attract as much attention, it's also pretty damn strong, so it's not going to break and lose you your water, or soak your other stuff.
One other thing, get down to poundland and get some of their emergency plastic ponchos, two for a quid and also weigh nothing, I have at least two vacuum sealed in every bag I own, they're pretty much single use as they're really flimsy, but you'll be glad of it on a summer day when it decides to hoof it down with rain and you don't have a waterproof jacket with you, and will also help to protect you from dust, it will be hanging in the air for a fair while if there was some kind of large explosion.

[Londonpreppy]

Sorry quick question - what does it mean when people have 'Area' and then a number in their signature and things?

I keep seeing things like Area 2, or Area 12 and Area coordinator and I don't know what it means

[pseudonym]

Sorry quick question - what does it mean when people have 'Area' and then a number in their signature and things?

I keep seeing things like Area 2, or Area 12 and Area coordinator and I don't know what it means

HTH:

viewtopic.php?f=23&t=1989

viewtopic.php?f=23&t=1990

It has taken a backseat for now.

[Alloneword]

Thanks All1 that's always been my biggest concern getting home. I'm walking distance to my home around 6 miles. I work in WC2

My other half and I have got a meet up plan to get home with a few different scenarios, such as if I couldn't get across the river. I'm first aid trained and have a portable kit on my desk Always have comfy shoes on me and I carry a rucksack to work - keeping my 'bug out bag items' essentially on me. I'm scared of being stuck on the tube in a disaster. I have a torch on my keyring, along with a safety whistle (incase I'm trapped) and a few first aid items - along with lucazade sweets and a protein bar and a drink, oh and a map! And a portable phone charger.

Good shout about the windup gadgets! Any you can recommend?

I'm not going to bother going down the line of things to do indoors, much better people on here who can help on that one, but given i have spent the last 35 years living in Camberwell/Elephant & Castle/Surrey Quays/Sydenham/Forest Hill/Brixton/Dulwich and working round the Covent Garden/Vauxhall/Victoria, not to mention whizzing round the west end as a bike courier for 5+ years i feel my knowledge is fairly good.

So if something was to happen and like you i thing terror attacks are going to happen again just like 7/7 but these guys are not stupid and i think they will learn from their mistakes and the next time it will be bigger for sure, so you have to look at every part of your trip and see where you are at risk, on a bus i think your fine to some degree, what i mean by fine is you have a way to get out depending on what type of bus you use some already come with built in "punch" kits these are just stuck on window and if you hit them the window shatters and you can jump out the Route C10 from Victoria train station is using them now, if that is not an option then but something called a "Centre punch" you tube will show you how it works, just push it a bit a bang goes the window and again jump out, this can also be used on an over ground train if need be, sure you may end up with broken legs but if it's that or a bullet i know what route i'd take, so i'm presuming that takes you up to your tube trip and this is the worst way to travel round London for sure, if you let a bomb off on a bus the blast will rip through the skin of the bus and go into the air, however on the tube there is nowhere for the blast to escape it will just run along the tube carriage and into the next carriage etc so the same blast in a tube will likely be more deadly then on a bus, also you have no real escape route on a tube as i'm sure your well aware of except maybe the very last carriage, the reason i say that is if you get hold of something called a "Budget Key" (cheap copy on ebay a tenner but original one is £25) this should allow you access to the drivers cockpit so to speak, plus it will allow you to open the front of the cab that will give you access to the live rails, yes i know live rails but if you do some digging on the web i'm sure you can find out what ones to avoid and as a last resort drop down, i know it sounds scary and i'd be the first to agree but at least you would have the option and right now you have no option, also a budget key would give you access to many doors on the tube station that you can lock from the inside if need be.

Another thing you need to think about is if something happened on the platform or ticket area as i'm sure your aware these can become worse than a tin of sardines, personally i would be ok (to some degree) being 6 foot plus and built like a brick sh1t house i would just be nasty and it's every man for himself, not a nice to to say i know but it's true, but if you are mid 5 foot and a med size girl i fear for you.

If you look at London in general i'd say most poss targets are north of the river unless you look at shopping centres then you have the likes of Croydon/Bromley/Lewisham but IMO nothing worth hitting south of the river with the South Circular, so in your shoes getting south of the river would be a very high priority, however if it was a London wide attack i fear they may shut all bridges very quick and that leaves you very few options indeed, one of them being the millennium bridge, you may be lucky and be able to use river bus if your quick enough, maybe Hungerford bridge and who know what the normal Thames tourist boat will do for you and others, last resort walk to Rotherhithe tunnel, you can walk through it but be warned it stinks so some kind of mask is a must, it does my throat in riding through it on a motorbike.

Trying to work out where you live, as you say riots should not be a problem unless you live above Argos or carphone warehouse

Are you on flexytime at work? Just wondering as you may be able to avoid rush hour to some degree.

Can i ask why you carry a swiss army knife, is it for protection or to use as tools?

All1

[Briggs 2.0]

Good post, cheers.