Council advises families to stock 'hurricane survival kit'

A council has advised families to stock a "hurricane" survival kit usually needed only in foreign countries prone to natural disasters. The kits, which cost £100, have to be bought by residents themselves and are being recommended in case of hurricanes or floods. Items on the survival list suggested by Birmingham City Council include a sleeping bag, camping stove, first aid box and wellington boots

Spare batteries, candles, a battery-powered radio, rubber gloves, waterproof clothing, long-life food and bottled water are all listed as other "essential" items. Survival experts branded the idea ridiculous and said they would be only appropriate for foreign countries prone to natural disasters. Lawrence Clark, 39, who was trained by Ray Mears for five years, said the measures were totally over the top.



He said: "These measures seem very extreme for a city, you need this kind of kit if you lived in a country prone to natural disasters. People shouldn't have to spend £100 on equipment that they don't need. I have no idea why they are recommending hurricane lamps, which are very old-fashioned. They're basically just a candle protected by a glass case, and I think it's unrealistic to expect people to fork out for them. It seems like an over-reaction to encourage people in the middle of England to buy expensive things like this. People are becoming more concerned about natural disasters, but telling people to buy this kind of kit is just going too far."

The Preparing For Emergencies leaflet has been issued by Birmingham City Council, and the Birmingham Resilience Team. The kit is designed to help people survive for three days, in case of rioting, hurricanes or floods. But Birmingham rarely suffers any kind of natural disaster. There were minor floods last year and a tornado that hit the city in 2005 caused some damage to property.