The European Union issued a stark new advisory on Wednesday, advising people to stockpile 72 hours’ worth of supplies in case of “threats and crises.”
It’s part of a wide-ranging strategy designed to “enhance Europe’s capability to prevent and respond to emerging threats,” the statement said.
While the EU did not specifically mention the war in Ukraine, it comes amid growing concerns over Russian aggression.
“We face an increasing number of external security challenges and a growing number of hybrid attacks in our common European space,” said Kaja Kallas, the EU’s representative for foreign affairs and security.
The EU’s strategy involves disaster preparation at the level of international and military cooperation, and for essential services such as hospitals, schools, and telecommunications.
Its most eye-catching advice — at least for the EU’s 450 million people — is for everyone to have an emergency stockpile of supplies.
Stockpile what?
Unlike well-prepared American families in the path of hurricanes, Europeans have not typically made it a priority to draw up plans for emergencies, said Lucy Easthope, a leading advisor in emergency planning and disaster recovery.
Seventy-two hours of supplies has long been the standard advice issued by authorities in many countries, she told Business Insider. “The problem with the messaging today is it’s not really fit for anything other than probably a short weather or power-based outage.”
The EU’s preparedness and crisis management commissioner, Hadja Lahbib, said it’s up to each member state to define what to stockpile “according to their geographical and geostrategic positions.”
Ilan Kelman, a professor of disaster and health at University College London, outlined some basic advice to BI — like keeping plenty of bottled water on hand.
“That’s for drinking, it’s also for hand washing, for toilets and other hygiene needs,” he said.
About a gallon of water per person a day is needed just for drinking, according to Swrajit Sarkar, a specialist in emergency nutrition at City St George’s, University of London.
He said that ideally, all five main food groups should be covered across non-perishable items including nuts, lentils, dried fruits, and canned beans.
For dairy alternatives, Sarkar recommended powdered or ultra-heat-treated milk — and for cheese lovers, he said that waxed cheeses, like Babybel or Gouda, have a very long shelf life.
Granola or protein bars keep well, make good snacks and deliver energy, too, Sarkar said. He also suggests dark chocolate, as studies prove it’s a mood booster.
Kelman said basic grain staples such as rice or pasta store well, but aren’t easy to cook if there’s no electricity.
Meats or fish should be smoked or otherwise preserved — and he advised keeping plenty of starches such as bread and crackers.
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Non-food items
Kelman said people should try to ensure they have a radio — either battery-powered or wind-up.
Outgoing communication is “a lot more challenging” unless people want to invest in walkie-talkies or shortwave outgoing radios, he said.
Hygiene items such as sanitary pads, soap, and nappies, as well as first aid kits and essential medicine, are also a must, Kelman added.
And light — and power — are important. “I have a power bank for my phone,” Easthope said. “I have a solar-powered light, solar-powered torches, chargeable torches.”
For safety reasons, she recommended avoiding candles or indoor portable cookers if at all possible.
Easthope also recommended having essential documents, like passports and insurance papers, on hand.
What’s often forgotten is morale. “It’s very, very important to keep the mind busy,” she said. Coloring books, knitting, and board games — any entertainment that doesn’t use electricity — are a godsend for people in a heightened state of anxiety.
72 hours as the bare minimum
Kelman advised stocking up for at least two weeks: “If we do end up in a regional or even full-scale military conflict, then there is not a chance that 72 hours of supplies is going to last anyone.”
Anything that takes out the power grid — such as a missile strike, or a solar flare — could take weeks to fix, he added.
Yet even asking people to have three days of extra food in reserve may be beyond the continent’s least well-off, Kelman said.
He added: “The tragedy is that many people cannot afford to put enough food on the table every day, so making demands that they should have 72 hours — or two weeks — of supplies is untenable in today’s economic environment.”
