EU urges citizens to prep three-days’-worth of supplies

The European Union on Wednesday released new guidance for member states to encourage their residents to stockpile food and essential supplies in the event of an emergency. The recommendation is part of the union’s new Preparedness Union strategy developed in light of recent environmental disasters, cyberattacks, and geopolitical conflicts. Europe’s 450 million citizens should set aside food, water, flashlights, identification documents, medicine, and shortwave radios, said EU Preparedness and Crisis Management Commissioner Hadja Lahbib. The supplies should be easily accessible in case of a crisis. The recommendations were not intended to alarm citizens, she said, but to encourage members of the union to be prepared for increasingly complex threats.

What else is part of the new strategy? The plan includes 30 action items. Additionally, it calls for preparedness criteria to be established for essential services such as hospitals, schools, transportation systems, and telecommunications providers. EU officials also planned to establish an EU Crisis Hub and conduct regular preparedness exercises across the union uniting armed forces, security, healthcare workers, and first responders. The union would also cooperate with NATO and other international groups to strengthen the continent.

Dig deeper: Read Kim Henderson’s report in WORLD Magazine about the movement among American families to prepare for apocalyptic emergencies.