Europe Is Ready for Anything: How To Prepare Your 72 Hour Emergency Kit
Europe is ready for anything and EU positions preparedness as a moral imperative. Resilience has become a vital form of resistance and unity and we summarise how to prepare your 72 hour emergency kit.
There are four seasons in Europe and for thousands of years we have learned resilience. There are quiet lessons in the way nature moves from one season to another, cycle by cycle, each preparing for the next with grace and intention. It is this natural rhythm that EU Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu echoed in her most recent address, calling on Europe to embrace a new mindset of preparedness. Quoting both English and her native Romanian, she reminded us:
Fix your roof while the sun is still shining… Prepare your chariots in the winter and your sledge in the summer.
Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu
These are not just proverbs but the philosophical core of the EU’s evolving rescUE strategy to protect the continent, not only from crisis, but from complacency.
Our rescEU reinforces our capacities and provides teams of experts in emergencies. The EU will also work with Member States to make sure people have essential supplies for at least 72-hours in a crisis.
The idea of Four Seasons of Peace is a call for calm, deliberate self-awareness. Peace, in this framework, is not passive. It is something we cultivate continuously across all seasons, in anticipation of storms we can prepare for. Mînzatu’s call is clear: Preparedness is no longer a luxury but is a shared responsibility. Europe has a proactive, all-of-society, all-of-government approach.
From spring’s awareness into winter’s resilience and resourcefulness, the seasons of peace demand our awareness, forecasting, learning, planning and action. If crisis does arrive, it is not just the strength of our institutions that will carry us but the strength of our connection to one another.
Back to Basics: Ready For Anything
Europe is choosing not to wait for the sky to darken. Instead, it is choosing to act now, with foresight and solidarity. To ensure that peace is not the absence of conflict, but active preparedness.
Resilience is not about fear, but about dignity. It’s about protecting what matters most: our families, our communities, our fundamental freedom to live without constant anxiety.
When a crisis strikes—be it a natural disaster, cyberattack, blackout, or any unexpected emergency—the first 72 hours are critical. These three days often determine survival, safety, and the ability to respond with clarity and resilience. The European Union’s call for citizens to be equipped with a 72-hour essential supply isn’t just precaution but building the ability to stand firm, protect loved ones and support the community.
How to Prepare Your 72 Hour Emergency Kit.
Water- nine liters per person for 72 hours
For every person, you’ll need a minimum of three liters of water per day, for drinking, hygiene and cooking. Store it in sealed, clean containers in a cool, dark place and remember to rotate your supply every six months.
In case access to clean water is compromised, include water purification tablets or portable filters. Water is survival’s most basic currency, do not underestimate it.
Food
You’ll need food that doesn’t spoil, doesn’t require refrigeration and is simple to prepare. Think canned foods and jars, like beans and vegetables, dried staples like rice and pasta, energy bars, nuts and ready-to-eat meals.
Make sure your choices meet dietary needs for all household members, including infants or the elderly. Don’t forget a manual can opener, as power may be out. It’s not just about calories but keeping energy and morale up.
Health and Hygiene
In the absence of running water or functioning pharmacies, personal health becomes a priority. Ensure you have a first-aid kit with essentials—bandages, antiseptics, gloves, tweezers, and basic medications. If someone relies on daily prescriptions, store at least a three-day supply, safely labeled. Personal hygiene items like soap, toothbrushes, wipes, and sanitary products preserve not only physical health but a sense of normalcy in chaos.
Light and Power
Darkness can be disorienting and dangerous. Flashlights with spare batteries, solar-powered lights, or hand-crank lanterns restore visibility and reassurance. A solar charger or power bank keeps essential devices running. A battery-powered or hand-crank radio becomes your lifeline to real-time information when internet and mobile networks fail. In a world of digital dependence, even a short outage can feel paralyzing. Be ready to stay informed.
Shelter and Safety
Even if your home is structurally sound, comfort and protection are key. Store warm blankets, emergency thermal covers and waterproof clothing. Have extra clothing layers and walking shoes available for cold or wet weather.
Dust masks, gloves and basic tools offer added security in environments affected by fire, debris, or chemical exposure. If you’re forced to evacuate or stay put without utilities, these items offer crucial physical and emotional protection.
Communication and Documentation
Prepare by keeping printed copies of personal ID, medical records, insurance papers and emergency contacts in a waterproof folder. Have a notebook and pen on hand. Memorize key numbers in case phones are lost or drained.
- Copies of important documents in a waterproof pouch:
- ID/passport
- Insurance papers
- Emergency contact info
- Medical records
- Emergency numbers written down
Cash and Tools
In a digital economy, physical cash may seem obsolete—until card machines stop working. Keep a small supply of cash in mixed denominations. Include basic tools like a multi-tool knife, rope, duct tape, and scissors. In times of disruption, self-sufficiency buys time and flexibility.
Special Needs and Pets: Everyone Counts
In a crisis, no one should be left behind.
Tailor your kit to your household. If you have infants, stock formula and diapers. If someone has mobility or health challenges, pack what they need. Pets are family, too! Include food, water, leashes, and any medications they require.
Mindset: The Invisible Supply
Perhaps the most powerful resource in your kit is mindset. Readiness begins long before disaster arrives. Learn about the risks in your region. Know how to shut off utilities, where to seek shelter, and how to use the items in your kit. Run drills with your household. Practice calm, clear thinking under pressure. Awareness, not fear, builds resilience.
Once your 72-hour kit is assembled, store it in an easily accessible place—by the door, under the bed, or in your wardrobe. Ideally, each person in your home should have their own backpack with personalized supplies. When minutes matter, there should be no question about where to find what you need.
We Are Ready for Anything Together
This 72-hour emergency kit isn’t just about individual survival but about community resilience. When each household is ready, fewer resources are stretched thin and more people are available to help others. This is the heartbeat of the EU’s vision: aware citizens, trained and empowered, working together in solidarity.
Preparedness doesn’t mean expecting the worst. It means believing in your capacity—and your community’s—to face any challenge with strength and dignity. The first 72 hours are your chance to lead with calm, protect what matters, and defend the freedom to live without fear.
The 450 Million Reasons to Act
Europe is evolving. It’s investing in the EU Crisis Coordination Hub, expanding the Union Civil Protection Mechanism and reinforcing rescEU, its strategic reserve of everything from firefighting aircraft to stockpiles of medical supplies and protective gear. These aren’t abstract terms. They’re the helicopters flying into wildfire zones. The field hospitals that pop up after floods. The network that answers the call when a country can no longer cope alone.
Hadja Lahbib puts it simply: “450 million citizens. 450 million reasons to be better prepared.” The Preparedness Union isn’t just about institutions but about every single EU citizen. Your grandmother, your neighbor, your child’s school. It’s about making sure that if the lights go out, your family knows what to do. That if there’s a cyberattack on your local hospital, emergency plans are already in motion.
That means practical action: ensuring households have 72 hour essential supplies, training young people in crisis response through Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps, teaching risk awareness in education systems and critical thinking to protect against disinformation.
Societal Preparedness: The Heart of the rescEU
One of the most compelling parts of this new approach is its focus on societal preparedness. That’s not just about sirens and sandbags—it’s about education, community, and trust.
In an age where falsehoods can spread faster than wildfires, one of the most powerful tools Europe has is its people. People who know how to think critically, act quickly and support one another. People who aren’t just reacting to crisis but are ready for it.
We’ve Learned the Hard Way. Now We Move Forward.
The COVID-19 pandemic showed us that we are stronger together. The war in Ukraine reminded us that peace cannot be taken for granted. The cyberattacks on hospitals, the heatwaves, the floods, the rising misinformation, they are all lessons learned.
This new strategy is Europe’s answer. Not a panicked reaction, but a calm, collective plan. Real resilience isn’t built in the chaos. It’s built in the calm before it.
As Mînzatu reminds us, let’s fix the roof while the sun is still shining. Let’s prepare the sleigh in summer. Let’s be the generation that didn’t wait for the storm to teach us how to stand together. Now is the time. Not when crisis hits, but today. Being prepared isn’t just wise. It’s essential.
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