Kristoffer Ulvahaug (22), Camilla Bui (20) and Frida Saur Almberg (22) live in a collective in the center of Ålesund. They are all students and see the list of what they should have at home in case of crisis for the first time. – Nine liters of water per person, Camilla reads aloud and all three laugh. – I have a bottle of water in the room. And then we have lots of other drinks, says Frida and hints at beer and wine. The students agree that there is no room to store so much water in the tiny flat. – But the biggest reason why we don’t have it is that we haven’t heard about this until now, says Kristoffer. Your own emergency storage Photo: GAUTE GJØL DAHLE / DSB This is, according to the Directorate for Community Safety and Emergency Preparedness, an example of what you can have in your house to get by for three days: 9 liters of water per person Two packages of crisp bread per person One package of oatmeal per person Three cans of canned dinners or three bags of dry food per person Three cans of long shelf life cold cuts per person Some bags of dried fruit or nuts, biscuits and chocolate Medicines you depend on Wood, gas or kerosene stove for heating Grill or gas cooker Candles, flashlight with batteries, kerosene lamp Matches or lighter Warm clothes, blanket and sleeping bag First aid kit Battery-powered DAB radio Batteries, battery bank and mobile charger for the car Wet wipes and disinfectant Drying/toilet paper Some cash Extra fuel and wood/gas/kerosene/rubbing alcohol for heating and cooking Iodine tablets for pregnant women, nursing mothers and children under 18 (for use in nuclear incidents) Source: The brochure “You are e n part of Norway’s preparedness”, distributed by the Directorate for Social Security and Preparedness (DSB). The students have three out of six recommended packages of crackers. Kristoffer has three packets of oatmeal, so there is enough for everyone. In addition, they have, among other things, a box with corn, mushrooms, pasta and mackerel in tomato. Photo: Silje Thalberg / news More people store water A new survey carried out by Ipsos on behalf of the Directorate for Social Security and Emergency Preparedness shows that four out of ten people store drinking water in containers. Last year, a similar survey showed that three out of ten store drinking water. – We believe that the war in Ukraine and the tense security policy situation in Europe have made self-preparedness more relevant for even more people, says DSB’s director Elisabeth Aarsæther to NTB. Not as good a deal as older people But it may seem that many young people are not so concerned about it. DSB does not have figures that show that young people do not have emergency stocks, but other surveys give an indication of how the situation is. – There is, for example, a lower proportion among those between the ages of 18 and 29 who state that they have begged for incidents that happen at home, such as power cuts. The proportion who answer that they have drinking water, a flashlight and dry food in their home is consistently lower for the youngest between 18 and 29 years, compared to older age groups, says communications director Agnar Christensen at DSB. Christensen does not think it is surprising that students and other young people do not think as much about self-preparedness as older age groups. -Students often live in smaller dwellings in larger cities, and are often in a slightly different phase of life than those who settle down with children in somewhat larger dwellings. Purchasing emergency resources may be far down the list of financial priorities. – Motivation for self-preparedness seems to increase if you have family members to look after, says Agnar Christensen. Photo: Stian Olberg / DSB – You are part of the total defense On Monday, the prime minister announced that the defense is stepping up preparedness in Norway due to what he calls the most serious security policy situation in Europe in several decades. At the same time, each and every one of us is asked to think more about preparedness. At Rådhusplassen in Molde, many people were reminded of this when they were stopped in the street during the Self-Preparation Week. – I think it is incredibly important that each and every one of us has thought through the fact that we are part of our total defence. That everyone is invited to be able to cope, and have water, food and heat for the first three days if something unexpected happens, says Else-May Norderhus, state administrator in Møre og Romsdal. – Aren’t you afraid of scaring someone? – It’s not about scaring anything, but about us working together to make Norway safe. If we are prepared for unexpected events, we stand much stronger together. Do you have an emergency stockpile at home? Still want to buy iodine tablets In the collective in Ålesund, they were surprised by how many things the authorities encouraged them to have at home. – It seems so remote that something could happen, so I don’t think we feel that we actually need these things. I don’t think anyone I know my own age has everything on the list, says Frida – I’ve never thought about this, but it’s important, says Kristoffer. They can tick off the list for, among other things, candles, flashlights and extra batteries. The Sambuars think they will perhaps be more attentive to preparedness after this, but will still not create any preparedness stock in the collective. Photo: Silje Thalberg – We won’t be going to the store to buy iodine tablets anytime soon, says Camilla. But after some discussion, they agree that it is the one thing they will actually go to purchase. – I thought about buying iodine tablets once before, but then they were sold out everywhere, says Frida.
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Many young people do not care about having emergency stocks in case of crisis – news Møre og Romsdal – Local news, TV and radio
