Preparedness: Basics

The following started as an article in Inderøyningen, our local newspaper, in their digital edition on 2025-05-02. It has been translated by Google. [Comments added by Brock are contained within square brackets]. It follows a major power blackout 2025-04-28, at 12:33 CEST across the Iberian Peninsula, as well as two 20 hour outages in Inderøy earlier in 2025. The municipal checklist encourages people to print out their checklist. Yes on paper. Internet access may not be available when your blackout, or other disaster, occurs.

Quick measures

Much of the emergency preparedness can be done with what you already have:

• Flashlights and headlamps with rechargeable batteries or reserves.
• Candles and tealights for simple emergency lighting.
• Power banks for mobile phones, fully charged and ready.
• Firewood or a kerosene stove for heating.
• Canned goods and dry goods that do not require electricity for cooking.
• Wool blankets to keep warm.

According to the Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection and Emergency Preparedness (DSB), these are simple, effective measures that take a short time to get an overview of.

[We have: lighting with rechargeable batteries; assorted candles; a power bank for mobile phones; firewood for heating and a stove that burns wood, admittedly blocked for normal heating, but accessable in an emergency; canned goods to be eaten with minimal cooking; wool blankets; 120 litres of potable water. In addition we have other (non-potable) water supplies that can be used for flushing toilets, should that be necessary].

Medium measures

• For many, it may also be appropriate to think a step further:
• A gas grill with a side burner allows cooking without electricity.
• Solar lamps that charge in daylight can work indoors.
• An emergency power generator can keep refrigerators and medical equipment running.
• The car, with a full tank and necessary emergency items, acts as extra security.

[Here our measures fail. We have no gas grill, solar lamps, power generator. However, most of the time, Buzz – our electric vehicle is charged to 80%, most evenings.]

Long-term measures

Over time, some people may also consider investments that provide more long-term robustness:

• Better insulation in the home, which retains heat longer.
• Solar panels on the roof provide access to basic electricity.
• An electric car with two-way charging could in the future become an emergency solution for the entire house. [Buzz, our EV has this. However, we have not tried it, or even investigated its use. Yet.]

For areas like Inderøy, where people often live outside densely populated areas, such measures could make a significant difference in the face of short-term crises.

Seven days minimum

According to the State Administrator, all households in Norway should be able to manage for at least seven days without electricity, water or outside help. Recommended emergency supplies include water, food, light sources, heat and necessary hygiene equipment.

The electricity crisis in Southern Europe shows how quickly everyday life can be turned upside down. But there are many steps that can be taken, already today.

Inderøy Municipality’s checklist for self-preparedness is useful to have. It is also recommended to have the paper version lying around, in case you lose your internet and telephone connection.

Checklist for your own preparedness

Clean drinking water stored in jugs or bottles.
Food that can withstand storage at room temperature.
Barbecue, stove or emergency kitchen.
Warm clothes, blankets, quilts and sleeping bags.
Matches and candles.
Firewood if you have a wood stove or fireplace.
A gas or paraffin stove intended for indoor use is an alternative to wood burning.
Agreement for overnight accommodation if you do not have alternative heating.
Flashlights or headlamps that run on batteries, crank or solar cells.
DAB radio that runs on batteries, crank or solar cells.
Medicines and first aid equipment.
Iodine tablets (applies to children and adults under 40 years of age, pregnant and breastfeeding women).
Hygiene items such as wet wipes, hand sanitizer, diapers, toilet paper and menstrual products.
Batteries and a charged battery bank.
Some cash and several payment cards.
Food and water for pets.
List on paper with important phone numbers such as emergency numbers, emergency room, veterinarian, family, friends and neighbors.

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While most Nordic countries have a strategic reserve of fuel that will last 90 days, Norway in its wisdom decided that 20 days was sufficient. My understanding is that this has been recently used up, so that there is no reserve available. Now, the politicians are debating what to do. It is a bit late. Norwegian politicians are incompetent when it comes to electrical energy. In that part of Norway where we live, there are ample supplies of hydro power to meet local needs. There is also the world’s largest wind-energy farm. Unfortunately, residents have had to pay the highest prices in Europe because the owners of these resources have been able to sell the electricity at what are referred to as market prices. I refer to this as political incompetence.

Conscription in Norway and Sweden

In Norway, both men and, since 2015, women are subject to a weak form of conscription. That is, conscripts have to be motivated to serve. Those selected have to serve for 19 months. In Sweden, universal male conscription system ended in 2010. The conscription system was re-activated in 2017. Since 2018 both women and men are conscripted on equal terms. The motivation behind reactivating conscription was the need for personnel, as volunteer numbers proved to be insufficient to maintain the armed forces.

The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency

I find that Sweden is light years ahead of Norway when it comes to civil defense and its military. The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency = Myndigheten för samhällsskydd och beredskap (MSB) is responsible for helping Swedish society prepare for major accidents, crises and the consequences of war. Its work is led by a Director General appointed by the Swedish Government. It employs approximately 1200 people. The brochure “In case of crisis or war” provides advice on how to prepare yourself and what you should do in the event of crisis or war. Here you can download a version in English.

Information is also available in the following languages: Af soomaali = Somalian, Arabic, Davvisámegiela = a northern Sami dialect, Farsi (Iranian), Finnish, Meänkieltä = a northern Finnish dialect, Polish, Romani (spoken by Roma or Gypsies, this last term is considered by some to be derogatory or an ethnic slur), Åarjelsaemien = a southern Sami dialect.

They introduce their work by stating: The state of the world has worsened drastically in recent years. War is being waged in our vicinity. Extreme weather events are becoming increasingly common. Terror threats, cyberattacks, and disinformation campaigns are being used to undermine and influence us. Sweden has even joined the defense alliance NATO. That is why MSB has produced the brochure “In case of crisis or war”. To resist these threats, we must stand united and take responsibility for our country. If we are attacked, everyone must help defend Sweden’s independence and our democracy. We build resilience every day – together. You are part of Sweden’s overall emergency preparedness.]