To stockpile 72 hours of supplies

[seriouslessness]

..in case of disaster or attack. A new preparedness strategy inspired by Nordic countries and Germany, who already do this.

Is this something you already do, or will do?

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/26/stockpile-supplies-72-hours-disasters-attack-eu-tells-citizens

I live on the US Gulf Coast, where a disaster emergency kit is a requirement for every household due to frequent hurricanes and flooding. Here are the FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) recommendations:

To assemble your kit: store items in airtight plastic bags and put your entire disaster supplies kit in one or two easy-to-carry containers such as plastic bins or a duffel bag.
A basic emergency supply kit could include the following recommended items:
Water (one gallon per person per day for several days, for drinking and sanitation)
Food (at least a several-day supply of non-perishable food)
Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert
Flashlight
First aid kit
Extra batteries
Whistle (to signal for help)
Dust mask (to help filter contaminated air)
Plastic sheeting, scissors and duct tape (to shelter in place)
Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties (for personal sanitation)
Wrench or pliers (to turn off utilities)
Manual can opener (for food)
Local maps
Cell phone with chargers and a backup battery

Additional Emergency Supplies:
Consider adding the following items to your emergency supply kit based on your individual needs:
Soap, hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes to disinfect surfaces
Prescription medications. About half of all Americans take a prescription medicine every day. An emergency can make it difficult for them to refill their prescription or to find an open pharmacy. Organize and protect your prescriptions, over-the-counter drugs, and vitamins to prepare for an emergency.
Non-prescription medications such as pain relievers, anti-diarrhea medication, antacids or laxatives
Prescription eyeglasses and contact lens solution
Infant formula, bottles, diapers, wipes and diaper rash cream
Pet food and extra water for your pet
Cash or traveler's checks
Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records saved electronically or in a waterproof, portable container
Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person
Complete change of clothing appropriate for your climate and sturdy shoes
Fire extinguisher
Matches in a waterproof container
Feminine supplies and personal hygiene items
Mess kits, paper cups, plates, paper towels and plastic utensils
Paper and pencil
Books, games, puzzles or other activities for children

Maintaining Your Kit
After assembling your kit remember to maintain it so it’s ready when needed:
Keep canned food in a cool, dry place.
Store boxed food in tightly closed plastic or metal containers.
Replace expired items as needed.
Re-think your needs every year and update your kit as your family’s needs change.

Kit Storage Locations
Since you do not know where you will be when an emergency occurs, prepare supplies for home, work and cars.
Home: Keep this kit in a designated place and have it ready in case you have to leave your home quickly. Make sure all family members know where the kit is kept.
Work: Be prepared to shelter at work for at least 24 hours. Your work kit should include food, water and other necessities like medicines, as well as comfortable walking shoes, stored in a “grab and go” case.
Car: In case you are stranded, keep a kit of emergency supplies in your car.

I was in Spain during lockdown. I couldn't legally leave the house for ten weeks. (Husband was allowed to shop as he was the hire car driver). I cannot tell you how much morale improved the day the first booze consignment from Amazon arrived! 🤣🥳🫢

Everyone keeps saying water 🤔 I can’t imagine a scenario where the taps ran dry. I’ve never bought bottled

We live in an area prone to flooding - there is plenty of water but i sure as sh!t wouldnt be drinking it, even out the tap
We always have a 24 bottle slab of water on hand

We got flooded in a couple weeks ago and one of the messages is fill baths and anything you can with fresh water
Cos water quality will drop or be cut off for a period of time

If you are intrigued you could always read this thread, and there are quite a few likely scenarios explained in a common sense way. Not necessarily disasters.

Everyone keeps saying water 🤔 I can’t imagine a scenario where the taps ran dry. I’ve never bought bottled

How does water get to your house?

The water is then transported to a water treatment plant where it's filtered and treated to remove impurities and ensure it's safe for drinking and use.

After treatment, the water is stored in reservoirs or tanks and then pumped through a network of underground pipes called water mains.

So if the water treatment plant is no longer operational and the water pumps no longer have electricity

Here are some possible reasons - flooding, high winds taking down power lines, fire, mechanical faults or lack of maintenance, supply chain distribution due to wars or terrorism or canals being blocked by an accident elsewhere in the world, overwhelmed system pressures due to lack of critical staff - think pandemic, civil unrest preventing access, computer failure or malfunction possibly due to malicious intervention, lack of robust contingency planning by authorities

Other places also have to consider things like earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes...

What do you think might happen?

Think about how quickly Heathrow descended into meltdown with one fire!

Btw as part of good civil contingency planning it is prudent for the public to be asked to store critical things themselves for 72 hours. It's far from scaremongering. It's the opposite.

If half the population do so, law and order is less likely to break down immediately. This allows authorities to focus on fixing/implementing contingency planning rather than having to use human and other resources policing.

A breakdown in law and order makes it harder to manage contingency plans.

For example, this is the difference between people making an orderly queue for food and water and taking their allocated ration and it turning into a fight and free for all where the most aggressive take large quantities for themselves leaving the most vulnerable without.

Also it means the government doesn't have to store and distribute as much, because it's already in the system - this means it costs less and is with the people who need it more efficiently. This can include communities being self sufficient for a period even is there are individuals in that community who don't have means. In an extreme situation where it takes time / or there is difficulty in access of mobility, the local community can be the safety net.

We should not be afraid of conversations like this. They are healthy.

It's the period beyond 72 years that gets scary. For a reason.

Where I live we are expected not just to help ourselves, but also other people around us who will need help. It’s quite clear that it’s not something we are just encouraged to do, it’s expected. And for longer than 72 hours. So that our government can do more important things.

Like you say, it’s the opposite of scaremongering. I’m so glad this thread has been mostly sensible.

If there is a disaster that means you need to use stored food/water, what makes you think things will be any better after 72 hours?

That's the question - trust is a major factor in this.

It's also why I crack a certain amount of jokes about the whole subject. Because honestly we have to live in that hope because beyond the 72 hours things start to get messy.

We are a lot less resilient as a society than we were in 1939 because we have longer supply chains, more people in more densely crowded cities, less practical skills and knowledge of how to 'make do' and a much greater dependency on electricity and technology.

With that in mind, I also think people can do a lot in terms of thinking about life skills which are fun to learn and might be useful in a crisis. This really 'back to basics' type of thinking has practical benefits.

I think in terms of more progressive thinking it's a useful reminder of how we could improve society going into an age where disasters are going to be more common to decrease our vulnerability to these types of challenges.

Do you know how to grow food - even if it's just a bit? Can you think about your energy usage and water in a better way so that there's less demand on networks? Etc etc.

If we just take for granted that the lights stay on and the food will always be available for home delivery we lose touch with reality and make ourselves more vulnerable.

Obviously not if a nuclear holocaust, but for more likely things like a localised power failure or a gas supply failure, or widespread local flooding, around 3 days is the timescale for the authorities to mobilise aid/ repairs etc.

When storm Desmond caused power failure throughout our city on the Saturday, it was Tuesday before mobile diesel generators were deployed throughout the city and outlying areas and Tuesday before the council brought in hot food takeaway trailers parked around the city giving out hot food. It was Monday before the council arranged Lorries parked up handing out bottled water.

So 3 days was about right for people left to fend for themselves before support kicked in.

In another city where weve relatives, they suffered horrendous flooding throughout parts of the city - their own house wasn’t flooded, but they lost power and other utilities and couldn’t leave their house because the roads around them were flooded. Same there, 3 days before the authorities started rolling out aid, bottled water, etc.

Councils, utility firms etc are very slow to swing into action and you’re pretty much on your own at first. For genuine emergencies, the emergency services swing into action and rescue you, and there are usually churches or charities looking after those whose homes aren’t habitable, but people who still have a home and aren’t vulnerable are pretty much left to fend for themselves for the first few days.

Then you need a pantry/larder or you put tins of food all over your little bedsit, which would make you look quite insane.

We’re all fucked if there is another world war. Most people are just out for themselves and can’t function without just eat and deliveroo. This thread has made me that to learn how to grow some of my own food though.

But most people have a tank of water that supplies their taps.

You might want to check that.

https://www.dwi.gov.uk/consumers/learn-more-about-your-water/water-storage-tanks-and-cisterns/

Things do actually tend to tick along well enough through all sorts of instability. Low level disruption to utilities and supply chains is pretty normal in lots of the world for all sorts of reasons - weather, war, corruption, poverty. Think of it less as "disaster" prep, more as "disruption" prep.
If shit really hits the fan, we're all fucked anyway. If things just go a bit tits up, some bottled water means one less thing to worry about.

We live in quite an isolated rural area so you always have one eye on having enough supplies to tide you over for a week.

In mainland Europe my family has been without water and electricity and even phone internet connection for 4/5 consecutive days on multiple occasions in the last few years.
All down to natural disasters rather than war.

@LaurieFairyCake
"Everyone keeps saying water 🤔 I can’t imagine a scenario where the taps ran dry. I’ve never bought bottled."

@LaurieFairyCake
"Everyone keeps saying water 🤔 I can’t imagine a scenario where the taps ran dry. I’ve never bought bottled."
Sorry, I meant to say that my DM was without water (her area) for at least 24 hours - south east London in the 1990s. Can't remember the reason tho.

People talking about a fully stocked freezer, it's not going to be of much use if the grid goes down. Unless you plan on beating the enemy to death with a frozen leg of lamb in the first 24 hours.

Some people like to have a full freezer in case of things like unemployment, illnesses or even pandemics or generally not being able to leave your house for a while.

True but not necessarily a safeguard in the apocalypse, which I thought was the context. Better to have preserved foods that need minimal preparation and provide maximum calories and nutrition.

It wasn’t the context of the article. But if you are going to pick either full freezer or cupboard then it’s better to have what you describe.

Sorry but anyone needing fabric softener in the zombie apocalypse is going to die😀

Just to add, I make my own wholemeal soda bread with added flax and chia seeds. I can tell you now a loaf of that will keep OK for nearly a week. I know this as I have been eating last Sunday's bake off all week! Ok it might go a bit crumbly after a few days and the crust can go hard, but I just cut that off!

I normally would make two big loaves and cut each into three and freeze the portions, but I couldn't find room in the freezer for the last batch, so just ate it as it was. It was fine. So I'd have bread for more than 72 hours. Do I win the prize 😊