Are you ready for three days without power and water? 10 things you need to know about your home emergency preparedness
The authorities have asked us to prepare our households for three days in the event of a crisis - experts have answered questions about home emergency preparedness.
Where do you start when preparing your home emergency supplies, and in what situations might it become necessary? Read the answers in this article.
6 minutes ago
Two years ago, the Danish Emergency Management Agency urged all Danes to establish a home emergency supply so that every household can manage on its own for three days during a major crisis.
However, only 39 percent of Danes have followed those recommendations.
But how do you best prepare – and how do you act most appropriately if Denmark is hit by a societal crisis?
DR's users asked a lot of good questions about this to Laila Reenberg, who is the director of the Danish Emergency Management Agency, and Rasmus Dahlberg, who is an associate professor in societal safety at Roskilde University.
Here are some of the many questions and answers that resulted:
Follow the authorities' recommendations for home emergency preparedness, says a disaster researcher. But also remember that we fundamentally live in a safe and secure society. (Photo: © Mads Claus Rasmussen, Ritzau Scanpix)
What is the most important thing an individual can do?
Rasmus Dahlberg:
The most important thing an individual can do is to stay calm and remember that even though crises and threats are being discussed, we live in a fundamentally safe and secure society where we take good care of each other. It can be easy to overlook that when everything is roaring and crashing in the media and from authorities.
And you can do something good for both yourself and others by reducing dependence on electricity, water, goods, the internet, etc., through a few simple measures: Have some water in stock, get an FM radio with batteries or a hand crank, avoid living hand-to-mouth and buy slightly larger quantities of food that can keep for a bit longer.
In short, follow the authorities' recommendations for home emergency preparedness - then we will get through crises with mutual help.
Start with something simple: Bring home a six-pack of two-liter bottles of spring water from the supermarket one day and put it in a cupboard, says a disaster researcher. Archive photo. (Photo: © Signe Goldmann, Ritzau Scanpix)
Is there a list of what to buy in case of a lockdown? So you could just tick it off and be sure you haven't forgotten anything.
Laila Reenberg:
You can find a list of the items the authorities recommend you have for three days at samsik.dk/forberedt.
Here you can also find a calculator that can help you figure out how much your household needs.
In 2024, the Danish Emergency Management Agency sent a letter to all Danes urging them to prepare a home emergency supply. Archive photo. (Photo: © Liselotte Sabroe, Ritzau Scanpix)
What things should I prioritize when preparing my household for a crisis? I am a student and don't quite know where to start.
Rasmus Dahlberg:
It is always important to base your preparations on your own specific resources and needs. If you are a student and live alone, for example, you may not need to prepare as much as someone responsible for children, pets, etc.
Think about how you can reduce your dependencies – that is, how you can make yourself a little less dependent on there being water from the tap, power in the socket, internet on your phone, and goods in the shops.
Start with something simple: Bring home a six-pack of two-liter bottles of spring water from the supermarket one day when it's on offer, and put it in a cupboard. That way, you won't worry if the water gets shut off for a couple of days at some point.
Talk to your neighbours about how you can best help each other, writes the Danish Emergency Management Agency. (Photo: © Asger Ladefoged, Berlingske/Ritzau Scanpix)
How can I best prepare to help my neighbours?
Laila Reenberg:
The fact that you want to help others deserves great recognition. My suggestion is that you talk to your neighbours about how you can best support each other and possibly divide tasks among yourselves.
You can find inspiration in the guide that the Danish Emergency Management Agency has prepared on local preparedness. See samsik.dk/lokalt-beredskab.
Water can last a long time if it is stored in approved containers, says a researcher. (Photo: © Mads Claus Rasmussen, Ritzau Scanpix)
How many litres of water should I have in stock? And how often should the bottles be replaced? And is it better to have several small bottles than one large one?
Rasmus Dahlberg:
The authorities recommend three litres of water per person per day for three days. That means 10-30 litres of water for most households, depending on how many people live together. Water can last an incredibly long time if it is stored in approved containers or bought as bottled water. If stored in a dark cellar or cupboard, you can replace water in containers, for example, every six months.
Whether it's large or small bottles, I don't think it makes much difference - other than you save some plastic with the large ones. I have typically kept two to three six-packs of two-litre spring water from the supermarket in storage. It is an easy and cheap way to reduce your dependence on water coming out of the tap.
Laila Reenberg from the Danish Emergency Management Agency gives examples of scenarios that mean you, for instance, cannot get around or buy the things you usually do. (Photo: © Sebastian Elias Uth, Ritzau Scanpix)
Can you give some examples of scenarios that could mean having to manage for three days?
Laila Reenberg:
Examples could be a serious power outage or a severe weather event, or a combination, which means that in larger or smaller areas you cannot get around or buy the things you usually do. Therefore, it is important to be ready to manage on your own.
DR is obliged to broadcast emergency messages from the authorities. One of the pieces of advice is therefore also to have an FM radio. (Photo: © Bo Amstrup, Ritzau Scanpix)
What do you do if power and the internet suddenly go down - where should you go in crisis situations?
Rasmus Dahlberg:
It depends of course on where you are and who you are - but you should definitely not panic! Take it easy and see how the situation develops.
This is where the FM radio with batteries or a hand crank is actually really good, because if you have been without power and internet for a few hours and are starting to feel uneasy, then you listen to DR P4 - a message from the authorities will certainly come at some point telling you what to do and what the timeframe is.
Many municipalities are also in the process of setting up various forms of safety points, so that citizens during a crisis situation can, for example, go to the town hall or the library and get information and help there to get in touch with the police, ambulance, and so on.
It can be a good idea to agree in advance on how to reach out to each other, says Laila Reenberg from the Danish Emergency Management Agency. (Photo: © Ida Marie Odgaard, Ritzau Scanpix)
Can you give some suggestions on how we as civilians can communicate with family and friends during a crisis where the usual channels like phone and internet are compromised?
Laila Reenberg:
Should a situation arise where you cannot communicate or get in touch with your close ones/relatives, it would be a good idea to have agreed on some simple precautions in advance. For example, where to meet, who takes care of family members needing extra help, and so on.
The authorities will also have to take care of citizens who cannot manage on their own.
Warm sweaters, thick blankets, and candles can help you keep warm, says a researcher. (Photo: © Ida Marie Odgaard, Ritzau Scanpix)
If the power goes out, does district heating also go out? What is the best advice for keeping warm if it is cold?
Rasmus Dahlberg:
If the power goes out, most other socially critical functions will sooner or later shut down, because almost everything runs on electricity, and emergency power is just emergency power - it cannot maintain capacity for long. So yes, we must assume that district heating will shut down if there is a widespread power outage.
Luckily, we live in a place where it rarely gets REALLY cold, so warm blankets, thick sweaters, and candles are the way to go. In that situation, it is of course nice if you still have a wood-burning stove, even if they are no longer as popular due to environmental and climate concerns.
A better preparedness culture doesn't happen overnight, according to Laila Reenberg. (Photo: © Thomas Traasdahl, Ritzau Scanpix)
What makes us talk so much about crisis prevention again now? It has been two years since the recommendations came out.
Laila Reenberg:
As the world is, we need to create a culture of preparedness in Denmark. It is not something that happens overnight. It is an ongoing process. Therefore, we run campaigns at regular intervals where we explain why it is so important that those of us who can, take responsibility and build up home emergency supplies. It is about getting as many people on board as possible.
Read many more of the questions you asked about home emergency preparedness and get the answers here.
Warning: This article was translated by a Large Language Model, in case of doubt, you can always visit the original source.