Courses in crisis are being cancelled: But what should be on the shopping list if you want to be prepared?

It's important not to go overboard, even if you want to be prepared for the worst, experts warn.

It's not about filling your cellar, but just having a little more of what you already have at home if you want to prepare for a potential crisis, an expert says. (Photo: © Mads Joakim Rimer Rasmussen, Berlingske)

By Julie Würtz ( [email protected] ) 39 min. ago

Should we fill our cabinets with extra cans of tomatoes, batteries, and water? And is it really necessary to have a hand-cranked radio?

At the Civil Defense League, they report a large influx of people wanting to join their courses, where you learn how to handle a potential crisis.

> We can sense a curiosity. There are really many who go around saying that we can't just sit back and relax, people are concerned. But it's not that, we sense a curiosity for being able to do something ourselves, says director of the Civil Defense League Carsten Iversen.

Defense spokesman and former major, Kristian Phil Lorenzen, also believes it's important to prepare for a crisis at home.

- We must ensure that our society is robust and prepare ourselves for the "worst case," without going overboard. We can each contribute in our own way. That can be, for example, by having water and canned goods, so we don't become a major burden if something serious happens, says the spokesman in P1 Debate ( https://www.dr.dk/lyd/p1/p1-debat/p1-debat-2024/p1-debat-prepper-du-til-krig-11162401092 ).

--------------------------------------------

Prepare for the supermarket being closed

--------------------------------------------

It's not rocket science to have a smaller emergency kit at home, if society suddenly shuts down for several days, according to a leader at the Defense Academy's Center for Social Security Rasmus Dahlberg.

- If a crisis hits, your home will be like a tent in the forest, he says.

Carsten Iversen also emphasizes that it's not about filling your cellar with canned food, but rather being prepared for the fact that you might not be able to go shopping for the next few days.

- The vast majority of what we tell people they should have, they already have at home. I, for example, have five packages of spaghetti. When I've used one package, I just go down and buy a new one, so I always have five packages lying around, he says.

In addition, you should have between three to five liters of water per person per day stored, he advises.

------------------------------------------------------

The Civil Defense League's list for surviving three days

------------------------------------------------------

The Civil Defense League gives their recommendation for what you should always have at home so you and your family can survive for three days:

* Water. Calculate three to five liters of water per person per day

* Non-perishable food, bread, rice (preferably food that doesn't require heating)

* Medicine

* Stearin candles/lighter

* Flashlights

* Batteries/power bank

* Battery-operated radio

* Warm clothing

* Sleeping bag/blanket

* First aid kit

* Disinfectant hand spray/wet wipes

* Cash

Source: Civil Defense League

Rasmus Dahlberg also points out that it's important to have alternative energy sources if the power grid suddenly fails or if the power plant runs out of power.

- It can be a large power bank. Small gasoline and diesel generators have also become popular. But in reality, you get quite far with a gas grill standing on the balcony or terrace, he says.

---------------------------------------------------

Be robust and help your neighbor

---------------------------------------------------

It's important to be able to take care of yourself if the payment system goes down or if the power goes out, Carsten Iversen believes.

In such a situation, it's not just about being able to handle the crisis in your own home, but also about how best to help those around you.

- One thing is that you have enough food for yourself, but we have a large group in Denmark that can't survive for 72 hours. Who will help them? Therefore, we must also be able to take care of ourselves, so that authorities have the resources to help those who can't help themselves. It's about the big community we're a part of, he says.

> It's about being robust, so it's not you who stands in desperation and rips things off the shelves in Netto

> and Rasmus Dahlberg, leader of the Defense Academy's Center for Social Security

An argument that Rasmus Dahlberg fully agrees with.

- It's about being robust, so it's not you who stands in desperation and rips things off the shelves in Netto. And if you have a little extra on hand, you can also help your neighbor, he says.

If you want to best prepare yourself for a crisis, it's about making it a habit to keep your supplies stocked. And it's not a problem if you're used to shopping daily at døgn-Netto and on Wolt, and have nothing in storage, Rasmus Dahlberg says.

- It particularly affects those who are used to shopping daily at døgn-Netto and on Wolt, and who have nothing in storage. In Jutland, it's just how it is, because people are used to having a little extra on hand, he says.

---------------------

Don't go overboard

---------------------

Carsten Iversen also explains that, while it's a good idea to be prepared, it doesn't necessarily mean you need to empty your cellar and fill it with cans and pasta jars.

- You should just expect that you might not be able to go shopping for three days. After the three days, the authorities' preparedness is in place, says the director of the Civil Defense League.

So, won't you end up wasting food if the crisis doesn't come?

- You shouldn't buy so much that you end up wasting food. It's just a matter of having a rolling inventory, where you use what's getting old and replace it with something new, he says.

Warning: This article was translated by a Large Language Model, in case of doubt, you can always visit the original source.