As climate risks grow, should Australians preparing for disaster call themselves preppers?
Preparedness moves closer to home
Governments in several countries are urging households to prepare for periods when everyday services may be interrupted. The UK’s Be Ready campaign highlights severe weather and cyber attacks, while the UK defence secretary has also warned of possible attacks on infrastructure by Russia or other hostile powers.
Australian preparedness advice has mainly focused on natural hazards, including fires, floods and extreme weather. As climate risks accelerate, parents and carers in areas hit by severe disasters have described wanting to prepare after evacuating in potentially fatal circumstances.
What households are advised
Australian recommendations vary somewhat by state, but generally encourage households to keep 72 hours’ worth of supplies. These include shelf-stable food, clean water, essential medicines, a first-aid kit, torches, batteries and communication devices.
Some guidance also recommends setting aside passports, birth certificates and property deeds, as well as cash, fuel and bedding for a possible evacuation. Families may need child-specific supplies such as nappies, formula and spare clothes, while companion animals also require evacuation and care plans.
Infrastructure and unequal protection
Preparedness can be complicated by reliance on services that need electricity. Traditional copper landlines may continue working during local power outages because they draw power through the telephone network, while many mobile phones, laptops and mobile towers depend on mains electricity.
Interest in household resilience is visible in survival products, electric cars and solar batteries. Nearly a third of new cars bought in Australia in July were electric, and the Clean Energy Council reported that rooftop battery installations quadrupled in the second half of last year compared with the same period a year earlier.
A label many avoid
The word “prepper” can carry associations with sovereign citizens and conspiracy theorists, but the article describes a less ideological form of preparation in Australia. Climate change, rather than international conflict, super viruses or AI, is identified as the main motivation.
Some people may simply see their actions as following official advice, while others have less confidence that government assistance will be available in a crisis. Preparing at home can bring costs, and solar batteries usually require home ownership, leaving wealthier households better placed to protect themselves.
Key points
- Some Australians are preparing after experiencing dangerous evacuations during severe climate disasters.
- Government guidance generally recommends keeping 72 hours of emergency supplies.
- Climate change is the main stated driver of Australian prepping, rather than conflict or technology fears.
- The cost of resilience measures, including solar batteries, means protection is not equally accessible.