Brits have been warned to prepare for extreme weather events by stocking up on essential items as climate change triggers severe conditions around the globe. Climate analysts raised the alarm that El Niño could set off a chain reaction of extreme weather events which, coupled with climate change, could see more floods, wildfires and blustery winter storms in the UK.
Officials urge emergency preparations
British government officials have already urged people to stock up on supplies and have enough essential items to survive a period without clean water or power. At least 35,000 deaths were recorded across Europe during the multiple heatwaves that baked the continent and sent temperatures in Britain skyrocketing. The Environment Agency also issued dozens of flood alerts amid heavy downpours off the back of the back-to-back heatwaves.
Meteorologist Jim Dale, the author of 'Surviving Extreme Weather: The only guide you need to prepare for the dangerous effects of climate change', told The Mirror people needed to be aware of the risks around them and to prepare accordingly. "First thing is to know what your risks are," he said. "For example, if you are near a major river, flooding is obviously going to be one of your main risks...If you're in a flood situation, you want a life jacket, you want a whistle, you want a torch and a first aid kit."
Essential supplies for outages and heat
In the case of an energy outage due to the weather, Dale said food is one of the vital items that should be on hand. He added: "You need to have a store of tinned and packeted food. Things like rice, things like—and by the way, rice that's cooked, not rice that isn't cooked, because if you haven't got gas or electric, you ain't going to be cooking it. You've got to be in a situation where you can uh have instant food. So, it's essentially canned food, tinned food, that type of thing, packeted food. Peanut butter - something very high in in protein, in calories, etc. That's the sort of thing that you need to sustain yourself."
The meteorologist revealed extreme heat can be dangerous to people who are unprepared for it. He said it was important to be able to cool down quickly. "The best one I can think of for cooling somebody down very quickly, it's a bowl of water, put in the ice cubes in and put your fingers in it," Dale added. "Access to something that will cool you down very quickly as well as clean water to drink."
Wildfire risks and El Niño effects
Wildfires ripped through woodland and dry parts of the country over the summer during the heatwaves. Firefighters battled wildfires that spread across thousands of acres of countryside in England, Wales and Scotland. The catastrophic damage burned through the Cairngorms, the Suffolk coast and New Forest. Wildfires sparked evacuations, property damage and destroyed protected habitats, all while posing a risk to people caught in or near the giant fires.
Dale said people living close to wildfire zones should consider acquiring smoke masks. "Why would you need a smoke mask?" he added. "Because in a in a wild wildfire situation, more people die of smoke inhalation than they do of fire itself. They die before the the flames get them."
Forecasters have consistently warned of an unprecedented El Niño event as sea-surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific soar to record levels. The impact can influence weather patterns around the globe via interconnected atmospheric processes. Indirectly, El Niño can lead to increased rainfall, storms and influence temperatures. Despite occurring thousands of miles away in the Pacific, El Niño can influence weather patterns that have a knock-on effect that can be felt in Brits' wallets. "El Niño itself does not affect us directly," Dale said. "It's indirectly. So, by that I'm talking about shortage of certain foods."
Food shortages and government advice
A spate of bad weather in North Africa affected fruit and vegetable production in Morocco two years ago, which led to some household staples temporarily vanishing from supermarket shelves. Dale continued: "The shelves were of fruit and veg were virtually empty in Sainsbury's and Tesco and places like Lidl and all the rest of it for a couple or three weeks until it got revived. That kind of event does happen from time to time and El Niño is something that can set it off very easily. It can set off higher prices for thing like coffee, rice and corn."
The British Government's advice on how to prepare for emergencies includes: keeping informed about risks in your local area, learning basic first aid skills, making a plan (including writing down important phone numbers on paper and deciding on a meeting point), preparing your home (including knowing how to turn off your gas, electricity and water), talking to others (including sharing contact information with neighbours) and getting emergency supplies.
