On Monday morning, Minister of Justice and Emergency Preparedness Emilie Enger Mehl received the Total Preparedness Commission’s report on her table. The commission has looked at the strengths and weaknesses of the current emergency preparedness systems, and has come up with proposals on how society’s collective resources should be organized to strengthen social security and preparedness. The commission’s chairman, former chief of defense Harald Sunde, says there is a deep seriousness that has characterized the commission’s work. He believes the time to prioritize preparedness is now. – We need a change of pace in our preparedness work. He says that we must strengthen the municipalities’ ability for holistic planning and crisis management, and that preparedness must be built from below. – We must all have our own emergency stocks, says Sunde. Today, leader of the Total Preparedness Commission, Harald Sunde presents their advice to the Norwegian authorities on what should be done with preparedness in the country. Photo: NTB People in the districts have full freezers Surveys going back to the 2000s showed, for example, that older people had a larger stock of food and other basic goods than younger people. Similarly, households in Finnmark and Troms had relatively large stocks of food and other basic goods compared to the rest of the country. Those who lived in the rural areas had larger stocks than those who lived in the cities. Ole Martin Larssen is a merchant and runs Ole’s colonial in Kjøllefjord in Lebesby municipality in Eastern Finnmark. He has the impression that people in his immediate area have large stores of food. – I think people in Nordkyn are aware that there may be periods of closed roads, power outages and other things that make it a good idea to have emergency stocks and basic goods, says Larssen. The merchant believes that it is natural that there is a difference between the districts and the cities when it comes to emergency stocks in private homes. – It’s probably not just finding space for a contingency warehouse in a 40 square meter apartment in Oslo or Tromsø. Ninanja, Andrea and Fredrik have been prepared for a crisis for a long time, and have food stocks and gas masks ready. Helene now realizes that she should take some action. The merchant says that emergency storage has become more relevant in the last year. – Especially in connection with the war starting in 2022, there were a lot of people who talked about this and many who were concerned about filling up their emergency stockpile. So it is a topic that is brought up to date when there is talk about it on the news. – It’s a good idea to keep that in mind The merchant himself has his own emergency stock. He says that it is something that he and all the others on the Nordkinnhalvøya have in the back of their minds. – But a major weakness or challenge with emergency storage is being able to roll over the goods that are there, says Larssen, who adds that after a holiday there are goods that have expired. – So even if I have a contingency stock, I may not be very good at remembering to replace those items. Must be able to take care of itself The Commission believes that the country needs a resilient and enduring population. This means that some people must prepare to be able to take care of themselves and their loved ones for a shorter or longer time. Sunde says they recommend that an independent supply and emergency organization be established following the model from Finland. He believes that the seriousness of Russia’s attack on Ukraine has not sunk in as deeply in Norway as in Finland and Sweden. Sunde was asked why self-preparedness is important. – If the crisis occurs, it is the weak in society who need the community’s resources first, says Sunde. – What must we have in the cellar? – We have to have food so we can get by for a few days and not least water. In the event of, for example, a nuclear incident, drinking water can be contaminated. That is why it is important that we have water in the cellar, says Sunde. Today, leader of the Total Preparedness Commission, Harald Sunde presents their advice to the Norwegian authorities on what should be done with preparedness in the country. Photo: William Jobling / news The threat picture has changed Justice and emergency preparedness minister Emilie Enger Mehl (Sp) says that when the government set up the Total Preparedness Commission they knew it would be necessary to prioritize security in Norway. – The last time this was seen in context was when the vulnerability committee presented its report in 2000. The threat picture has changed significantly since then. This report will become an important tool for developing preparedness that stands up to the future. – Just two months after the commission started its work, Russia attacked Ukraine. It formed a serious backdrop for the commission’s work, and makes it extra important, says Mehl. YS leader Hans-Erik Skjæggerud says that they are happy that there is finally a report that confirms what they have tried to say earlier. – The preparedness mindset in the country has been and is too poor. – We now expect the government to read this report carefully and follow up on the most important recommendations with sufficient resources and funds, concludes Skjæggerud. Minister of Justice and Emergency Preparedness Emilie Enger Mehl is pleased to receive the commission’s report today, and looks forward to familiarizing herself with the report. Photo: Bjarte Johannesen / news Outdated emergency preparedness plans The commission believes that the government must pay greater attention to the seriousness of the risk and threat picture, and that the advice on self-preparedness must be strengthened. – The advice should therefore be expanded to include mention of the upper crisis spectrum. This includes both the number of days the population must be able to fend for themselves in the event of a supply failure, and a clarification of which scenarios must be taken into account, says Sunde. Since 2002, the Directorate for Social Security and Preparedness (DSB) has carried out surveys about the municipalities’ work with social security. There it emerged that Kommune-Norge has out-of-date emergency plans. But it is not only the municipalities that are struggling. There are also deficiencies at regional level. Director of emergency preparedness in Troms and Finnmark, Ronny Schjelderup, can say that in Finnmark there are no evacuation plans for the civilian population should a war break out. – It is something we have been aware of for some time. Obviously, that’s not what we want, and we have to look at it and start making a plan. On consultation The Total Preparedness Commission’s report will shortly be sent for public consultation, just like the Defense Commission’s report. – A consultation round is important to ensure that everyone who wants it has the opportunity to provide input to the reports and to the authorities’ follow-up of them, says Mehl. The two reports are part of a broad knowledge base for the further work to further develop and strengthen social security, preparedness and national security in Norway.
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