European governments urge households to prepare 72-hour emergency supplies - Big Tech and the digital economy

The United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands have recently renewed guidance encouraging families to keep water, food and other essentials at home. The recommendations are intended to help households remain self-sufficient during disruptions affecting electricity, water or communications.

Several European governments are increasing efforts to encourage households to maintain enough food, water and other essential supplies to manage at least 72 hours of an emergency. The guidance refers to risks including extreme weather, cyberattacks and failures affecting critical infrastructure.

The campaigns are designed to give citizens a degree of independence during prolonged interruptions to essential services. Governments also say that better household preparation can reduce immediate pressure on emergency services and allow available resources to focus on more vulnerable people.

In the United Kingdom, new guidance published on 22 October under the Be Ready campaign advises families to keep bottled water and non-perishable food for three days. The initiative is scheduled to run for three years and covers situations such as storms, floods and interruptions to essential services.

French civil protection authorities recommend an emergency kit for 72 hours. Their list includes water, food, medicines, torches, a battery-powered radio, important documents and cash. Belgium’s National Crisis Centre presented a practical guide on 1 October to help citizens create a family plan and assemble an emergency kit as part of a national awareness campaign.

Luxembourg published its “My Guide to 72 Hours of Self-Sufficiency” on 9 October. The guide is intended to help households meet their basic needs during the first three days of an emergency, including natural disasters, extended power cuts and cyberattacks that disrupt essential services. Distribution of around 300,000 copies began on 14 October.

In the Netherlands, the “Denk Vooruit” campaign similarly encourages residents to prepare supplies for 72 hours, particularly in case of interruptions to energy, water or communications. Ireland has also promoted household-preparedness campaigns, advising citizens to keep essential goods available and know how to respond when public services are disrupted.

Some countries recommend preparing for longer periods. Norway advises households to be able to cope with a week of disruption, including keeping approximately 20 litres of water per person. Its guidance also highlights food, medicines and alternatives for heating and communication. In Japan, recommendations generally call for supplies lasting at least three days, preferably extending to a week.

The European initiatives are consistent with the European Union’s Preparedness Strategy, presented by the European Commission in March 2025. The strategy encourages Member States to strengthen their response capabilities and supports the ability of populations to remain self-sufficient for at least 72 hours while addressing natural, technological, health and security risks.

The recent publicity does not indicate that governments are anticipating a specific conflict or disaster. Many of the recommendations were already in place and are now being reinforced, updated or distributed more widely to improve household preparedness and community resilience.

Sources: Pplware.