For the first time since the Cold War, the German government is advising citizens to stockpile food and water for use in a national emergency.

The German Interior Minister believes that the country must be prepared to deal with various crises, such as pandemics, climate change, or the threat of war. She points out, however, that the country must make improvements in terms of civil protection.

In an interview with the German newspaper ‘Handelsblatt’, Nancy Faeser advises citizens to take precautions to be able to face situations, such as cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure. “If the power is low for a long period of time or if it affects daily life in some way, then it makes perfect sense to have an emergency supply at home,” says the minister.

“We have to make our country crisis-proof,” said Faeser this Wednesday, as part of the swearing-in of the new head of the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance.

On its website, the organization presents various advice to the population, so that they can be prepared for crisis scenarios, explaining that “disasters are part of life” and that “in the event of a large-scale disaster, rescue teams cannot be everywhere”.

Among the advice given, the German Civil Protection says that citizens should have food and drink at home for 10 days, with 14 liters of water per person, stressing that water will be more important than food. A person can survive without food for three weeks, but can only go four days without liquids, explains the organism.

In the online portal, no specific reference is made to the conflict in Ukraine, but Civil Protection has a tab entitled “How should I proceed in the event of war?”, suggesting that the population is prepared for “emergency situations”, which “ often come when least expected.

Source: With Agencies