Stockpile 72 hours of supplies in case of disaster or attack, EU tells citizens

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Preparedness scope (72 hours vs longer)

  • Many argue 72 hours is a bare minimum; 1–2 weeks (or more) of supplies is seen as more realistic, especially in places where natural disasters can disrupt services for weeks.
  • 72 hours is framed by some as a planning window for emergency services, not a “full-scale war” or “nuclear” scenario.
  • Others note that for basic survival over 72 hours, food is almost optional; water, temperature control, and medication matter more.

Water storage and rotation

  • Water is seen as the hardest part: bulky, easy to forget, and with perceived expiration issues.
  • Suggested strategies: bottled water with calendar reminders for rotation; large jugs or water coolers used daily; using home water heaters or bathtubs as backup (with caveats about potability and bacteria like legionella).
  • Examples range from minimal bottled water to tens of thousands of liters in household tanks (with pumps/filters) in some regions.

Food stockpiling and everyday use

  • Many recommend integrating “prep” into normal cooking: canned goods, beans/chickpeas, rice/pasta, instant noodles, oatmeal, freeze‑dried camping food, with the “two is one, one is none” approach.
  • Strong advice to only stock what you actually eat to avoid waste.
  • Big contrast is drawn between:
    • US‑style infrequent car trips to huge stores, pantries/freezers with weeks or months of food.
    • European and some Asian urban settings where people shop daily, have tiny kitchens, and often can’t store 72 hours of supplies easily.

Weapons, tools, and disaster behavior

  • One camp recommends simple defensive weapons (bat, tire iron, tomahawk/axe) for personal protection and rescue tasks (breaking out of cars, buildings, etc.).
  • Others argue violent crime is rare immediately after disasters; evidence and books are cited that people are usually altruistic and cooperative, not predatory.
  • Some insist weapons are for defense against desperate neighbors when supplies run out, though others call this fear irrational or comic‑book‑like.
  • There is some local color about improvised weapons (e.g., Molotov cocktails) in national defense scenarios.

Adequacy, heating, and special cases

  • Commenters worry more about water and heating/cooling than calories, especially if power or gas fail in extreme weather.
  • Pets are raised as a forgotten dependency; some say most pet owners already keep weeks of food anyway.

Neighbors and social dynamics

  • One worry: being prepared when neighbors are not.
  • Others emphasize mutual aid: examples from sieges and disasters where those with stockpiles shared, and claims that people become more generous when they feel part of a community.
  • The aphorism “civilization is only three meals deep” is invoked to highlight both the risk and the importance of social cohesion.

Trade goods and value in crises

  • Some propose cigarettes, coffee, long‑life foods, and medicine as barter items.
  • Others argue for cash and small‑denomination gold to enable relocation, countered by the view that you “can’t eat gold” and that consumables may be more valuable in truly local, prison‑like conditions.

Existing guidelines and national context

  • Several countries already recommend or practice this: Finland (explicit 72‑hour guidance), Norway (one week), Switzerland and Denmark (formal prep lists), plus North American sites like ready.gov.
  • Pandemic toilet‑paper shortages are cited as evidence many households lack even a week of basics and misunderstand how supply chains buffer spikes in demand.