The UK Cabinet Office launched the first stage of its Be Ready campaign on Oct. 22, while early reports of customer activity at specialist suppliers offer no measure of nationwide demand.
Jack Brown, co-owner of Sgt Prepper Shop, told The Guardian that orders on the campaign’s opening day matched what the store normally handles in a month. Dan Goss of Start Prepping UK told the newspaper that visits to the company’s website had risen 700% after news of the campaign surfaced in August. The report gave no starting traffic figure or precise dates for the comparison.
The Guardian reported no indication of widespread panic buying, but the accounts it cited concern two specialist businesses and cannot establish national purchasing patterns.
The government’s advice addresses interruptions to everyday services, including power, water, phone and internet access. Severe weather is one possible cause. The checklist calls for 3 liters of bottled drinking water per person each day, plus extra for cooking and washing. It also includes nonperishable food, a flashlight and spare batteries, an FM radio, a charged power bank, cash, copies of important documents, first-aid supplies and essential medication. Households are advised to check existing supplies, fill gaps gradually during regular shopping and review what they have every six months.
The Cabinet Office says household readiness may ease demands on emergency services, leaving responders more capacity to assist people who need greater support. Eligible households can join the free Priority Services Register so utility providers know who may need help during an outage. The government describes many preparation steps as free or low-cost but gives no estimate of total household spending.
The Cabinet Office says resilience advice has been available since May 2024. Be Ready refreshes the presentation of the earlier Prepare site, while retaining much of its guidance.
A Cabinet Office survey of 10,791 UK adults, conducted from Feb. 27 to May 11, found that 13% felt their household was “largely or totally prepared” for an emergency or disaster; 50% said it was “slightly” or “not at all prepared.” The survey also found that 84% considered it “very or somewhat important” for the government to provide information on household preparedness. Fieldwork ended before the campaign began, so the findings do not measure its effect.
The Cabinet Office plans to promote the advice through social media and radio advertising in the coming weeks and months, with particular attention to families with young children and older people.
