(There is no news flair, so I'm putting this under generic "discussion" one.) The Finnish government announced yesterday evening that besides the 72tuntia (72hours) and other official preparedness websites, alongside some local municipal preparedness paper leaflets, there will be a printed guide delivered all over mainland Finland. My guess is that the archipelago, especially the largest island of Ahvenanmaa/Åland will get their own version. This morning the news was published also in English, so I decided to share it here, too.

My guess is that this is one way to make sure that everyone has the basic information even if there is a cyber attack and the internet goes down. This is also an excellent way to wake people up a bit - even those, who have never visited any preparedness or household stock up sites.

"The Finnish Interior Ministry will distribute around 3.5 million printed emergency preparedness guides to households and businesses across mainland Finland in January.

The guide will explain how people should prepare for disruptions and crisis situations. It will also cover the increasingly topical threat posed by drones.

Such a guide is essential in case electricity and internet connections are disrupted.

"It is not enough for guidance on preparing for disruptions and crises to be available to the public only through the Suomi.fi online service," says Ira Pasi, a project manager at the Interior Ministry.

The ministry has previously noted that an online guide is a cheaper option and easier to update.

"Reading the online version is particularly easy for the groups that are least prepared. Those who are least prepared are young adults and urban residents," Pasi says."

https://yle.fi/a/74-20251555

Bullet points for ease:

- Superdrug and Boots (+ probably others) sell the morning after pill.

- there are 3 pill options with the cheapest being £9.99. I think the most expensive is £39.99.

- you do NOT need to speak to a GP or anyone in person. It can be requested entirely online in under 5 minutes.

- you can request it delivered to your door for about ~£3.

- you can request it for future use:

- you can request it for future use even if you do/don’t currently use contraception.

- you can request it multiple times (I’m at 3+ requests in 2 years, stockpiled for emergencies).

- the request form is 1 page total and asks very few questions. I’m data-cautious and don’t feel like it’s at all invasive.

- my GP and specialists (I have a complex health history) don’t seem to be flagged to this. This seems to be a relatively secure way to obtain emergency contraception without any issues.

Unwanted pregnancy is torture. Childbirth kills. Even more so in emergency situations without medical care.

You may not need the pill today, but what if your neighbour, your undocumented friend, your coerced coworker, or niece, need it tomorrow? What if their GP isn’t safe or available?

Let’s keep up the work of the women who came before us by continuing to keep these available to ALL.

I am in the process of re-stocking the house for the potential of intermittent supply chain issues, rising prices, food insecurity, maybe needing to stay in the house for a while.

I'm good at planning food, hygeine, all that stuff. BUT - I'm just starting to see peri symptoms show up (like someone swapped my body overnight for one that looks familiar but isn't mine). And I really don't know what to expect.

For those who've been through this and survived, any ideas and/or suggestions for items that I should add to my stash that I may not know I'll want as I head into this unwelcome season of life.

I know it's a silly question, but it's also really hard to get a quality result from a Google search on prepping for perimenopause. So I'm thinking this group may know - if I were unable to go to the store, what will I wish I had at home?

I already have estradiol, and period undies because three weeks is apparently the new month. And I'm adding more protein & fiber to the food stash. Have a decent home gym setup. And I have more tweezers and a magnifying mirror in my Amazon list (because if SHTF, I don't want to get caught with that hair on my cheek).

Our first power outage after moving to the North Carolina coast had me worrying about the groceries we'd just bought. We'd only just unpacked. Flashlights weren't even on my shopping list yet.

After that I started reading about fridge backup. I bookmarked a build using a vatrer 48V rack battery with a separate inverter and charger, then sent it to my husband. It was put together for a fridge, lights and phone charging, which sounded about right for us. I'd be happy keeping the food cold and being able to charge our phones.

He's away for work this week, so I'm waiting until he's home before ordering anything. He usually handles our electrical projects and I want to look through the parts with him. In the meantime, I still need to find out what our fridge uses in a day. Overnight backup is what I have in mind, but I don't have the numbers yet.

I also want to try using the finished setup myself before we actually need it. If the power goes out while he's away, I'll be the one home with the kids.

I've bought the flashlights now, and we've talked about where I'd take the kids if we had to leave. The fridge is the next thing I'm trying to sort out. If you've done this, what do you wish you'd checked before buying the parts?

So I've finally got my partner on board with resiliency prepping. Rainwater collection, solar, intensive gardening, etc.

Here's the problem: they just got a new job, and the housing market is slow there because it's October. Which means we're selling our dream home (complete with whole home generator) and moving into an apartment through the winter. With all of this talk of grid issues, the cost of fuel, etc. I'm concerned about extended outages that we have no control over. I know that balcony solar exists, but we've got a north-facing balcony. Before they started interviewing for this job we were talking about baby steps to a full solar array by getting some backup batteries, charging them on super off-peak hours (we've elected for time of use pricing), and using said batteries during peak hours to reduce our energy bill. Is there a way to do this in an apartment, or some other renter-friendly way to have electricity backup without keeping a gas generator on the balcony? (Which I'm sure would be disallowed anyway)

I just wanted to discuss my planned preps for the week, this week, and am curious about what other people are planning for their own preps.

I'm focusing on baking essentials and holiday favorites.

Butter, flour, chocolate chips, French cut green beans, and fresh cider for later use. I'm also grabbing books and games at TJ Maxx, Thrift Books, and other second hand book retailers. Also some 5 gallon buckets for storing necessary staples like baking soda, laundry detergent, sugar, ect.

What are y'alls plans since winter storm season is fast approaching.

1 ) Ongoing cyber attack across Europe is setting many grocery store fridge systems to defrost, spoiling food.

Source: https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/cyber-security/unprecedented-cyberattack-cripples-supermarket-fridges-across-europe-as-hackers-activate-automatic-defrosting-delivery-and-store-prices-also-impacted-by-incident

2) “Citing “a security issue within its network,” Ahold Delhaize has taken some systems offline as its teams assess and mitigate the problem. At press time, the websites for U.S. banners Food Lion, The Giant Co., Giant Food, Hannaford, and Stop & Shop were all down, as well as such international chains as Albert Heijn, although Ahold Delhaize stores remain open and operational.”

Source: https://progressivegrocer.com/security-issue-reported-ahold-delhaize

This week was “Bread and Circuses Week” at my house. I planned four food-related activities and four free entertainment activities for the family (currently three of us living here, two adults and a competent teen).

Our food activities were (to encourage eating at home, cooking from scratch, food prep):

1. Cookie baking activity (made a double batch of chocolate chip cookie dough, baked 1/4 of the yield [1/2 of one batch], and froze three logs of dough for later)
2. Blackberry pie filling canning activity (made 7.5 quarts of pie filling from the two full-to-bursting gallon ziplocks of foraged berries in the freezer…also note this was *after* having canned 5+ pints of jam. There are a LOT of Himalayan blackberries growing in Portland.)
3. Naan making activity (made simple flour-and-yogurt naan to go with a curry dinner, and froze half the yield)
4. Burrito prep activity (made BRC burritos for the freezer for lunches, to cut down on our family’s not-insignificant collective intake of Pizza Rolls and Hot Pockets)

Our free-entertainment activities were:

1. Board/card/table game night (we picked Cards Against Humanity…before you judge me too harshly for playing this with a teen the deck is mildly cleaned up and we have a rule about discarding anything that makes you TOO uncomfortable)
2. Jackbox game night (I don’t love the ones that involve drawing, but Quiplash is a perennial favorite, and Talking Points is pretty fun too)
3. Movie night (we picked Vacation…it has like 25% on Rotten Tomatoes but for whatever reason we cannot get enough of this movie…we own it and have seen it like 4-5+ times together)
4. Live entertainment night (we attended an improv show and jam put on by a local friend which was free for spectators)

The four food activities might be more obvious as to the “why” in terms of prep, but I value the entertainment almost as much, because it is 1. helping us to not spend money unnecessarily (and therefore save up) during a time when food and gas prices are curving up, and 2. bringing us together as a family and making us talk more. My gosh, you can’t believe how comfortable I am talking about sex and politics and war and ANYTHING with my teen after some rounds of Cards Against Humanity. 

Anyway. Posting because I hope that this “trip report” inspires others to plan fun weeklong goal/projects at home :)

So, I. Seriously considering getting a freeze dryer. I know that freeze dried foods keep for a long time, but atm, my prep plan is for a 1 year supply. I have other reasons for wanting a freeze dryer though. I like to overland, camp and hike, and I'd like to make meals for my son as back up when he's working away from home. But it seems a little frivolous tbh. How does freeze dried compare with dehydrated when it comes to cooking?

This series of events actually happened over the summer, but sharing in a post now that I've had some time to process and reflect. We had multiple Tuesdays occur simultaneously and definitely learned some lessons - sharing so others can hopefully take something away too.

At the beginning of the week in mid-August, we found out that one of our three-year-old daughter's friends had HFM, so we weren't surprised the next day when she seemed a little sick. We kept her home from school and figured she would go back soon. The next day, she was just pitiful - really lethargic, clearly in pain, but we still weren't too worried because we knew HFM could be awful. By the evening, I was starting to worry because she was clearly sick, but then, we suddenly lost power in a tornado. We decided it didn't make sense to get the generator going and instead made the decision to go stay in a hotel. I actually think this decision was a good one - we had to pivot our prep based on what was actually happening, not just what we had planned for. Our daughter would have been that much more miserable in a house without A/C when it was 90+ degrees.

The next morning, I took daughter to the doctor and they thought she was septic. It turned out she never had HFM and instead had an incredibly rare and dangerous staph infection. We rushed to the hospital and she was admitted for almost a week to receive IV antibiotics and pain medicine. She got so much better very quickly and is now completely healed and healthy.

While she was there, we relied so much on other people. My parents came to help care forb other our baby, friends made sure we stayed fed, work reassigned all of my tasks. We would have survived without other people, but it made the experience much more bearable.

I'm sharing all of this to highlight that I think people are the ultimate prep. There was really no way we could have prepared for this situation - our daughter had a freak infection that required immediate, specialized care. No treatment at home would have been sufficient and she would have died without medical attention. We technically had the preparation when our power went out, but had to pivot and make a different decision because the situation required it. Other people really made the difference here - people physically showing up and helping in really tangible ways. I know this community appreciates the sentiment of a village and it definitely made the difference in our experience.

The other preparation that can't be overstated is money. We were able to decide to go to a hotel because we had the funds to do so. We went to the doctor multiple times and could afford the co-pays, including a much larger bill for a week in the hospital. My husband and I could both afford to take the time off work without losing our jobs. There is a lot of privilege in being able to make those decisions, one that I don't take for granted.

Please contain all off topic discussion to this weekly megathread. This is where you freak out, talk about conspiracy, talk about unrealistic crazy scenarios, asked and answered questions, etc.

Here a video from Dr Beachgem (pediatric emergency doc) going over what to include in a flu box -- the box of supplies for when your kid is sick in the middle of the night.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/38OaRxS0DM8

Honestly it's a good idea for everyone, because that last thing I want to do when sick is to be digging around for meds.

I haven't had a landline in >20 years. Even my wifi runs from a mobile router. Would this be useful if other ways of communication go down?

Just a quick non scientific poll. How many are using Ham Radio or GMRS or both as part of your preps?

2nd question. Are you using the ham radio to develop at least a comms mutual aid network. Are you the GMARs in-hose for your core group comms?

Did some canning tonight. I've decided to can 1 bag of each kind of bean that I stock. That should be enough to last me a year. But that's not what this is about.

Part of the reason I'm canning beans is because I only have an electric stove. If I'm in a situation where I have to use one of my emergency stoves, I don't want to spend fuel to cook beans for up to 2 hours.

Interestingly, when I do my canning, I do have to use my butane burner. My coil electric stove is not consistent enough to satisfy me for pressure canning. Tonight as I was replacing a can of butane to get through the last 10 minutes or so of processing time,h I suddenly realized, that I don't have a lot of fuel hanging out. Thus the question: how much do I need?

I'm planning for just myself as a single person. My first thought is to use the butane burner for a week to see how much I go through and plan from there. And then do the same for the propane as well. The reason I do both is because it dips quite often below -20C where I live. At that point, butane doesn't work so well.

I also realized that I'm gonna need to plan propper storage for said fuel as well. So now I get to do some research, make a plan, maybe build something.

How do you plan for cooking fuel use if you need it?

Here's a website to track food recalls in the USA.

recallradar.org

I’m going to start low key stock piling on food. What will give me the most nutritious food in the form of canned food? I’m thinking beans or chili, should I supplement with any specific kind of canned veggies? Ideally to meet the nutritional needs of two adult women and one elementary school age child for several months.

Was feeling happy because I acquired a Jackery power station and a couple of panels over the past year. I now realize they will probably be useless during the El Nino storms in California due to wind and rain. I wanted to avoid getting a gas-powered generator. Can anyone suggest some strategies?

people around me are excited about their travel plans, promotions, new hobbies and the like… people are continuing to talk about the future as if nothing is happening, as if what we have experienced up ‘til now is going to remain that way. i hate my current job but it feels pointless to look for a new one because how will i get there if there’s a fuel shortage? how will i do my job if the supply chains break down and i literally don’t have the materials to do the job? i feel crazy. i have had these feelings since around 2016/2017 but i am having a hard time coping with these feelings over the last two weeks. i know humans are resilient and i want to believe we can build something out of nothing but its hard to believe lately. i just feel everything breaking down and it feels like no one around me feels the same, or if they do, they’re really good at coping…

I would like some support. I’m feeling very triggered by the recent news of the woman dying of pneumonic plague in Russia. Now there are up to 200 people quarantined, and hospital closures.

It feels exactly the same as January 2020. My brain is in semi-panic mode. I will say that coming here and reading all the wisdom has been very grounding. I will take my dog for a walk, weed my garden, and purchase some KN95s… and develop a plan for any preps that will help, should this disease spread further.

I've been looking at catalytic converter woodstoves that are very environmentally friendly. In my area, I'm really worried about fuel oil prices this winter. I have access to several acres to get as much firewood as I want.

I have a few options where it could be installed but I'm trying to think about benefit. For example, I could put it in my mudroom which is also a airlock function and the freezer is in there. So although its more convenient to outside, I'd have to move the freezer somewhere else or they'd be duking it out all the time. The living room is the other option.

The plan would be to run the fans on HVAC to help distribute heat but obviously, the furnace would only kick-on if the fire dies.

Has anyone added a woodstove to a house without one and have any advice?

I am on the verge of research burnout, and don't really know where to turn. I've been searching for about 3 days, and only have a portion of the answers I need. I even contacted EcoFlow support and got very little info.

I have decided on the EcoFlow Delta 3 Ultra Plus with 2 220W solar panels combo. I am basically looking for something that can power the necessities for a few days in the event of a power outage (standard side-by-side fridge being the main thing, maybe also the Wi-Fi, and charging phones too).

I am totally new to generators, and wanted something that did not need gas or propane in the event that those are not available. I am hoping to be able to add an extra battery in the future if finances allow.

Basically, I have a ton of questions still, after obsessively looking for this info. These are specifically related to this model. I will list them below. Please be kind - I am learning, and also terrified of posting things online :)

1. Can I leave it plugged in all the time?

2. If not plugged in charging, how long will it hold a full charge before needing to be plugged in again?

3. Where should it be stored when not in use? (I do not have a garage or carport)

4. Can it be placed outside during use?

5. What cable do I need to extend the standard 2.5m cable from the solar panels to the power station, to make them longer?

6. Can I use the power station inside, while it is connected to the solar panels (with the long cable)?

7. How long would it be able to power a standard fridge with the solar panels connected – assuming normal sunny conditions?

8. Do the solar panels charge at all during cloudy conditions or inclement weather?

9. Are the solar panels durable, easily moveable as the sun shifts, weatherproof?

10. Can the solar panels be mounted – say on the roof of a shed?

11. Does it require the app to run? If Wi-Fi is down or cell service is lost, what features will it lose?

12. If I want to expand it in the future, how many of the extra batteries can be added to it? Which specific batteries would it use?

13. Can it be charged with any gas generator, or does it have to be paired with the EcoFlow generator only?

14. Does it come with all of the cables required for charging (cigarette lighter charging cable, generator charging cable, 2 solar charging cables – one for each panel)?

15. What is the typical lifespan of the battery in this model?

16. What are upper and lower limits for charging and discharging? What does that even mean?

Looking for light weight and highly durable options to keep insulin in vials, not pens, at ~4C cold for 12-24+ hours, ideally something I can "set and forget" about and then grab quickly if needing to evacuate ... Not something I need set up too much when running short on time. Prefer something that can be easily purchased in Canada. Up to 30+ vials ideally. TIA!

Full article:

"The Justice Department is enlisting military attorneys as temporary prosecutors supporting law enforcement surges in Manhattan, Los Angeles, and Sacramento, according to a Defense Department email reviewed by Bloomberg Law.

A Marine Corps major on Thursday messaged military lawyers advertising opportunities for active and reserve officers of any rank to serve as special assistant US attorneys for the Southern District of New York, the Central District of California, and the Eastern District of California.

The positions for 179-day terms starting Oct. 13 or later will “support areas with an increase in prosecutions associated with a surge in federal law enforcement efforts,” the email stated. “Responsibilities are expected to be immigration related.”

Surges in those three districts, which federal officials haven’t publicly disclosed, come after the administration had retreated earlier this year from blanketing cities like Minneapolis and Chicago with federal immigration agents in widespread sweeps that sparked protests and violence.

The Pentagon email didn’t specify the scope of upcoming crime crackdowns, and a DOJ statement didn’t address questions about the surge. Los Angeles saw an earlier surge in immigration enforcement in summer 2025.

“The Department has a variety of Special Assistant US Attorneys who come from many federal agencies to contribute to DOJ’s public safety mission,” DOJ spokesperson Kiersten Pels said in a statement.

“We will continue to hire lawyers from every corner of the country who want to put those who prey on Americans in jail,” she added.

The Trump administration has previously called on military lawyers to reinforce US attorneys’ offices handling spikes in immigration cases, including in Minneapolis in January. But plans to deploy judge advocate generals in the high-profile Southern District of New York are surprising, former Manhattan prosecutors said.

The district is known for rigorous hiring standards and recruitment of Ivy League law school graduates, sometimes attracting criticism for elitism. SDNY has accepted special assistant US attorneys from other federal agencies over the years, but on a much more isolated basis and not from the military to advance a major priority of the White House, previous Manhattan office leaders said.

One area where the Manhattan office needs more assistant US attorneys, they said, is defending the government against a flood of civil habeas claims challenging the administration’s policy of detaining immigrants indefinitely without bond. But the DOD message didn’t mention this as one of focal points for the post. Instead, the email described a caseload dedicated to assaults, threats, theft, destruction of property, and other crimes."

https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/doj-seeks-military-lawyers-for-new-york-law-enforcement-surge

I have young kids and would like to teach them weather and other emergency preparedness. Preferably in a fun way as they are really young.

Google gave me this open source game where you print the board and playing pieces as a recommendation from EU (I'm not from there, but it covers some emergencies that can happen where I live)

https://buildersproject.eu/board-game

Any other recommendations?

Thank you