Met Office urges Brits in 26 areas to prepare emergency kit for 18 hours – list

Met Office urges Brits in 26 areas to prepare emergency kit for 18 hours – list The Met Office has issued weather warnings for wind and rain ahead of the arrival of Storm Austen, with weather forecasters urging Brits to make preparations before the severe conditions The Met Office has urged people living in some parts of the UK to consider preparing an “emergency” kit ahead of the arrival of Storm Austen. Storm Austen is set to make landfall later today. The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warnings for wind in Wales and across England for Friday and Saturday, with an amber wind warning in place for the far south-west of England. The far south-west could see wind speeds reaching 80mph, while coastal areas covered by the yellow warnings may see gusts of 70mph. Heavy rain is expected to be a major hazard too. The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for rain covering parts of north-eastern, central and southern Scotland. It will be in place for 21 hours, from 6am on Friday until midnight, during which 80mm of rain may fall. The warning states flooding could cause damage to homes and businesses, as well as train and bus cancellations. Difficult driving conditions are on the cards, while power cuts are also a possibility. The Met Office urges people living under the yellow rain warning to consider preparing a “flood plan and an emergency flood kit”. It has published advice regarding what to include in an emergency kit. What to include in emergency flood kit - Insurance documents and list of contact numbers - Torch & spare batteries - First aid kit and any prescription medicines - Warm waterproof clothes and blankets - Bottled water and snacks - Battery or wind-up radio - Supplies for looking after your baby or pet The yellow rain warning also urges people to prepare for potential power cuts in advance. The Met Office says: “It's easy to do; consider gathering torches and batteries, a mobile phone power pack and other essential items.” Areas covered by Met Office rain warning in Scotland - Angus - Clackmannanshire - Dundee - Falkirk - Fife - Perth and Kinross - Stirling - Aberdeen - Aberdeenshire - Moray - East Ayrshire - East Dunbartonshire - East Renfrewshire - Glasgow - North Ayrshire - North Lanarkshire - Renfrewshire - South Ayrshire - South Lanarkshire - West Dunbartonshire - Dumfries and Galloway - East Lothian - Edinburgh - Midlothian Council - Scottish Borders - West Lothian Met Office forecast beyond Storm Austen Looking beyond Storm Austen, the Met Office says weather conditions are “expected to remain unsettled through the weekend and into next week”. The national weather agency has named a second storm, Storm Boelo, in new wind warnings for Saturday and Sunday. They cover Northern Ireland, Scotland and northern parts of England, where again gusts could reach up to 80mph. The warnings come into force at 6pm on Saturday and run until 9pm on Sunday.