What emergency supplies do you need? | All media content | DW | 23.08.2016

We use cookies to improve our service for you. You can find more information in our data protection declaration.

More info OK
  1. Inhalt
  2. Navigation
  3. Weitere Inhalte
  4. Metanavigation
  5. Suche
  6. Choose from 30 Languages

News

What emergency supplies do you need?

Germany's government is mulling a plan requiring citizens to stock up on food and supplies in case of a natural disaster or armed attack. So what should you have in your pantry? Here's our comprehensive checklist.

  • default

    Preparing for the worst

    The stockpile plan outlined in the government’s "Concept for Civil Defense" paper obligates Germans to store 10 days' worth of food and five days' worth of drinking water. The idea is for people to have enough supplies - including cash and medicine - on hand to get them through an emergency situation before government assistance kicks in.

  • default

    Ready for disaster

    The level of preparedness proposed in the paper hasn't been seen since the end of the Cold War. The strategy was originally commissioned by a parliamentary committee in 2012, but its release now comes amid a raft of new security measures and heightened terror concerns. Still, its contents aren't new - German authorities have long urged households to store two weeks' worth of emergency supplies.

  • default

    Enough to drink

    The Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance, for example, has published a checklist online with recommended supplies for a 14-day period. The most important thing on the list is water - 28 liters per person for a fortnight, or around two liters per day. People can survive a few weeks without food, but only four days without liquid.

  • default

    Stocking the pantry

    The Ministry of Food even has an online "calculator" to help you work out what kind of food - and how much - to stock up on. It recommends 4.9 kilograms of cereal-based products like rice, bread and noodles per person per fortnight. It also suggests 5.6kg of veggies, 3.7kg each of milk products and fruit and nuts, and 2.1kg of fish and meat. All food should be able to last without refrigeration.

  • default

    Hygiene is vital

    While food and water are key to survival, hygiene is also important for preventing disease. Washing hands, showering and brushing teeth aren't so easy if there's no running water or electricity. If water is scarce, collect what is available in big containers or basins. And be sure to have enough soap, detergent, toothpaste, wet wipes, rubbish bags, hand sanitizer and toilet paper on hand.

  • Hausapotheke

    Fully stocked medicine cabinet

    The government also advises keeping a medicine cabinet stocked with supplies in case it's not possible to get to a hospital. That means, among other things, a first aid kit, the necessary personal prescription drugs, cold medicine, painkillers, anti-diarrhea and nausea medicine, electrolytes, a thermometer and disinfectant.

  • Taschenlampe

    When the lights go out

    Power outages usually only last a few hours, but in emergency situations they could last days. That can mean no lights, no cell phones and no heating. To prepare for that eventuality, it's a good idea to have a supply of flashlights and candles handy, along with matches and batteries. If you have a fireplace, make sure you also have plenty of briquettes and wood.

  • default

    Radio warning

    Battery-powered radios can be a useful way to get information if the power network is down, according to the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance. In some cases these devices might be the only way to receive life-saving warnings in an emergency. Again, keep a supply of batteries and replace them regularly.

  • default

    Stash of cash

    A wad of cash is another important part of any household's emergency supplies. There may not be time to rush to a bank, and ATMs won't work if the power is out.

  • Wanderausrüstung

    Emergency bag

    The idea of stocking up on supplies suggests being trapped at home, but sometimes emergencies force you to leave. That's why it's wise to have a bag already packed. According to government advice, it should contain: first aid materials, meals for two days, key personal documents, a water bottle, sleeping bag, protective clothing, plus many of the other items mentioned earlier in this checklist.


  • default

    Preparing for the worst

    The stockpile plan outlined in the government’s "Concept for Civil Defense" paper obligates Germans to store 10 days' worth of food and five days' worth of drinking water. The idea is for people to have enough supplies - including cash and medicine - on hand to get them through an emergency situation before government assistance kicks in.

  • default

    Ready for disaster

    The level of preparedness proposed in the paper hasn't been seen since the end of the Cold War. The strategy was originally commissioned by a parliamentary committee in 2012, but its release now comes amid a raft of new security measures and heightened terror concerns. Still, its contents aren't new - German authorities have long urged households to store two weeks' worth of emergency supplies.

  • default

    Enough to drink

    The Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance, for example, has published a checklist online with recommended supplies for a 14-day period. The most important thing on the list is water - 28 liters per person for a fortnight, or around two liters per day. People can survive a few weeks without food, but only four days without liquid.

  • default

    Stocking the pantry

    The Ministry of Food even has an online "calculator" to help you work out what kind of food - and how much - to stock up on. It recommends 4.9 kilograms of cereal-based products like rice, bread and noodles per person per fortnight. It also suggests 5.6kg of veggies, 3.7kg each of milk products and fruit and nuts, and 2.1kg of fish and meat. All food should be able to last without refrigeration.

  • default

    Hygiene is vital

    While food and water are key to survival, hygiene is also important for preventing disease. Washing hands, showering and brushing teeth aren't so easy if there's no running water or electricity. If water is scarce, collect what is available in big containers or basins. And be sure to have enough soap, detergent, toothpaste, wet wipes, rubbish bags, hand sanitizer and toilet paper on hand.

  • Hausapotheke

    Fully stocked medicine cabinet

    The government also advises keeping a medicine cabinet stocked with supplies in case it's not possible to get to a hospital. That means, among other things, a first aid kit, the necessary personal prescription drugs, cold medicine, painkillers, anti-diarrhea and nausea medicine, electrolytes, a thermometer and disinfectant.

  • Taschenlampe

    When the lights go out

    Power outages usually only last a few hours, but in emergency situations they could last days. That can mean no lights, no cell phones and no heating. To prepare for that eventuality, it's a good idea to have a supply of flashlights and candles handy, along with matches and batteries. If you have a fireplace, make sure you also have plenty of briquettes and wood.

  • default

    Radio warning

    Battery-powered radios can be a useful way to get information if the power network is down, according to the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance. In some cases these devices might be the only way to receive life-saving warnings in an emergency. Again, keep a supply of batteries and replace them regularly.

  • default

    Stash of cash

    A wad of cash is another important part of any household's emergency supplies. There may not be time to rush to a bank, and ATMs won't work if the power is out.

  • Wanderausrüstung

    Emergency bag

    The idea of stocking up on supplies suggests being trapped at home, but sometimes emergencies force you to leave. That's why it's wise to have a bag already packed. According to government advice, it should contain: first aid materials, meals for two days, key personal documents, a water bottle, sleeping bag, protective clothing, plus many of the other items mentioned earlier in this checklist.


More in the Media Center

Trockenheit und Dürre in Deutschland

Germany's farmers seek emergency drought aid 22.08.2018

Drought affects large part of the globe 22.08.2018

Manure emergency in Northern Germany 09.02.2018

Galerie - Kloster Corvey

The Weserbergland Region - from Höxter to Hamlin 03.10.2018

Read also

Symbolbild Polizei-Einsatz

Germany: Two dead as police respond to Kirchheim domestic incident 19.10.2018

Police have issued further information on an incident in the western state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Officers were responding to a case of domestic violence and killed a suspect who was threatening a family member.

Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz Köln

German intelligence foiled 2016 Islamic State terror attack 18.10.2018

Intelligence officials in Germany thwarted a 2016 attack that was planned by the "Islamic State" militant group. A couple who traveled to Syria was said to be trying to send teams of militants back to Germany.

Deutsche Soldaten beim Aufziehen der Hakenkreuz-Flagge auf der Akropolis

Nazis' stolen 'loan' from Greek bank: Will Germany pay it back? 10.10.2018

Greece owes Germany billions of euros. Or is it the other way around? More than seven decades after the end of WWII, Athens and Berlin are still at odds over costs incurred during the Nazi occupation of Greece.

Berlin PK Merkel Seeehofer Nahles Neu

Merkel's conservatives, Social Democrats slump as Greens surge 11.10.2018

A combined low of 41 percent has emerged in a survey for Chancellor Angela Merkel's government. Her conservatives and coalition Social Democrats polled 26 and 15 percent respectively. Up to second place are the Greens.