In the United Kingdom, the government launched its Be Ready campaign on October 22, asking households to prepare to manage for up to three days without electricity, water, phone services or internet access. The advice includes keeping a modest supply of bottled water and non-perishable food, alongside essential medication and basic emergency equipment.
The campaign is the first stage of a three-year effort to improve household preparedness. Although much of the underlying advice has existed since 2024, the government is now giving it greater public visibility through a nationwide campaign involving more than 500 charities, businesses and other organizations.
Belgium issued a fresh appeal earlier in the month. On October 1, its National Crisis Center published a practical guide called Prepared Together, explaining how households can prepare for emergencies, assemble an emergency kit, find reliable information and decide what to do if they need to shelter at home or evacuate.
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The Belgian guidance recommends keeping supplies that can help people remain self-sufficient for at least 72 hours. These include drinking water, long-lasting food, essential medicines, a first-aid kit, a flashlight, batteries and a battery-powered or wind-up radio. The authorities also advise households to keep some cash in case electronic payments or cash withdrawals become unavailable.
In France, the prefectures of Normandy and Seine-Maritime issued a regional appeal on October 27, urging residents to prepare a 72-hour emergency kit. The recommended supplies include drinking water, non-perishable food and medicines. The announcement was regional rather than a new nationwide directive.
These announcements reflect a growing emphasis on preparing households for disruptions that could affect several essential services at once.
A wider range of threats
The risks behind the recommendations include threats other than natural disasters. European governments are increasingly factoring in the possibility of cyberattacks, sabotage, armed conflict and other threats to critical infrastructure, alongside floods, storms, wildfires and other extreme-weather events.
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The European Commission set out this approach in its Preparedness Union Strategy, presented in March 2025. The strategy calls for a whole-of-society approach to crisis preparedness and recommends that citizens be able to meet their basic needs independently for at least 72 hours.
The document identifies a range of risks facing Europe, including geopolitical tensions, conflict, cyber and hybrid threats, climate-related disasters and disruptions to critical infrastructure. Its central argument is that governments, businesses and citizens all have a role in preparing for emergencies.
Energy and telecommunications systems are among the infrastructure on which modern households depend. A serious power outage, for example, can affect heating, water distribution, mobile networks, internet access, transport and electronic payment systems. Even when the initial incident is limited to one service, its effects can spread to other parts of daily life.
Cyberattacks pose another risk. An attack on an energy provider, telecommunications operator or public service could interrupt access to systems that people rely on, even without physical damage to infrastructure. Governments are therefore looking at how households could cope if several services became temporarily unavailable.
Extreme weather remains another major concern. Flooding, storms and wildfires can force evacuations, close roads, interrupt deliveries and leave communities without electricity or running water. In such situations, emergency services may need time to reach affected areas and restore normal operations.
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Why the focus on 72 hours?
The repeated recommendation to prepare for three days is not arbitrary. The first hours and days after a major emergency can be difficult for authorities as they assess the damage, coordinate rescue operations and restore essential services.
Having basic supplies at home can give households time to manage while emergency services concentrate on people facing immediate danger or requiring urgent assistance.
Belgium’s National Crisis Center says emergency services cannot always reach everyone at the same time. Its guidance therefore encourages people to prepare individually and with their families and neighbors, helping reduce pressure on emergency responders.
The British Red Cross has made a similar point in explaining the UK’s latest campaign. It says preparation is not about expecting the worst, but about helping people cope if severe weather, flooding, power cuts or transport and communications problems disrupt daily life for several days.
The UK guidance recommends around 2.5 to 3 liters of drinking water per person per day, as well as enough food that does not require electricity or gas to prepare. Households are also encouraged to consider medicines, first-aid supplies, a flashlight, a radio, batteries, phone chargers and the needs of children, older relatives and pets.
A shift toward shared responsibility
The growing emphasis on household preparedness also reflects a change in how governments approach civil protection. Rather than relying entirely on public authorities to respond once an emergency begins, officials want communities to have the means to cope during the initial disruption.
Norway, for example, has for several years advised households to maintain supplies that would allow them to manage independently for a week. Its government says stronger self-preparedness can reduce the demand for emergency assistance and allow authorities to direct limited resources toward people who need them most.
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The European Commission’s strategy similarly treats preparedness as a shared responsibility involving public institutions, companies, local communities and individuals. It also encourages cooperation between neighbors and greater public awareness of reliable information during emergencies.
For households, the advice is generally to build supplies gradually rather than rush to buy large quantities. Belgium’s crisis center says an emergency kit does not need to be expensive and recommends using and replacing stored food and other items before they expire.
The recent campaigns are therefore not instructions to panic-buy or predictions that a crisis is imminent. They reflect governments’ concern that disruptions to infrastructure, extreme weather and security threats could leave communities without essential services, sometimes for days. Authorities want households to be better prepared before that happens.
