Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle

With governments asking us to stockpile, can we learn anything from disaster films?

New Yorkers flee a destructive tidal wave that washes taxis and people down the flooded street
Master of disaster … Roland Emmerich’s 2004 film The Day After Tomorrow. Photograph: 20th Century Fox/Allstar

As I was building pyramids of loo roll and tinned beans in response to the government’s Be Ready campaign, launched this week, I got to thinking about what other aspects of modern life might help us to get through an emergency. Specifically, our extensive back catalogue of disaster movies, TV series and the like. We’ve imagined catastrophes hitting the human race in so many ways, with so many different outcomes. Are there any useful tips we can take from our library of entertaining, effects-laden disaster films?

Which particular shows or movies should we watch, in the name of preparedness? Or are they all pure fantasy, and when the planet overheats or the comet strikes, we’ll be wishing we’d spent our evenings watching dry informational programmes about water purification instead? Annabel, Sheffield

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.