In the wake of the general ‘blackout’ in the Iberian Peninsula, it is pertinent to highlight the European Union’s (EU) own ‘request’ to create a survival kit .
Recently, the EU recommended that all European citizens be prepared to face crisis situations, such as natural disasters, cyber-attacks and others.
To begin with, it is essential that the survival kit is able to guarantee self-sufficiency for at least 72 hours, i.e. three days without any kind of external support and/or help.
How to make a survival kit?
The EU has not published a single, ‘mandatory’ list, and there are cases that may differ from country to country. In fact, the main objective is to increase the resilience of families and avoid situations of widespread panic.
So, to prepare your own survival kit, you should make sure you have some basic (and necessary) items to deal with a possible ‘blackout’ or other unexpected situation:
- Drinking water: at least six bottles per person
- Non-perishable food with a long shelf life: cannedfood , rice, pasta and energy bars
- Essential medicines and first aid kit
- Personal documentation: copies of ID card, health card, prescriptions and main emergency contacts
- Cash: to use in the event of technical failures in electronic systems, such as ATMs
- Flashlight and spare batteries
- Radio
- Warm clothing and thermal blankets
- Spare keys: both for home and personal vehicles
- Basic tools: such as a Swiss Army knife
- Powerbanks
- Whistle: to make yourself heard in case of rescue
When to ‘activate’ the kit?
Following the blackout on April 28th, the situation was resolved a few hours later. But the truth is that the lack of electricity and communications may well be probable scenarios.
There are also other possible situations, which we’ll list below:
- Natural disasters, such as fires, storms or floods
- Armed conflicts (wars) or family threats
- Pandemics and publichealth emergencies
- Cyber-attacks
In short, the survival kit recommended by the EU serves as a basis for a preventive and non-alarmist response so that you feel safer and more autonomous during the first hours of an unusual event.