Global concern over El Niño: Britain urges households to store food and water

British households are being urged to prepare for several days without electricity or running water as El Niño strengthens and could disrupt daily life and food prices.

Angela Eagle, Britain’s environment, food and rural affairs minister, told The Guardian that households should keep adequate stocks of food and water for an emergency. The advice focuses on the possibility that people could become trapped at home until rescue services can respond.

Elizabeth Robinson, an environmental economist at the London School of Economics, said households with the means should maintain supplies for up to two weeks. Suggested foods include rice, pasta and canned goods, preferably items that can be eaten without cooking if the power fails. The list includes canned beans and pulses, fish, meat, vegetables and fruit, along with long-life UHT milk and drinking water.

The UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has also prepared an emergency kit guide. It lists a flashlight with spare batteries, a portable power bank, a battery-powered radio, extra batteries, a first-aid kit, wet wipes, hand sanitizer, bottled water, long-life food that does not require cooking and a can opener. Households with babies or young children are advised to add diapers, powdered milk and other essential supplies.

Robinson warned that a stronger El Niño could affect food prices as well as safety and daily life. Britain relies heavily on imported fruit and vegetables, and extreme weather in producing regions such as Spain and North Africa could lead to shortages and higher prices. Rice, coffee, cocoa, tea and animal feed could also become more expensive.

El Niño is a natural climate phenomenon linked to changes in winds over the Pacific Ocean. These changes raise water temperatures and transfer large amounts of heat into the atmosphere.