Naturally, you’d want to be prepared if your country faced a cyber attack, war, or a paralysing national disaster. The Minister of Justice and Security reveals just HOW prepared the Dutch should be.
Every resident must now be capable of self-reliance for 72 hours as the EU advises increased resilience in case of emergencies.
An extra day of preparations
Previous advice informed Dutchies to stock up on enough food and water to survive two days.
Now, the Minister of Justice and Security, David van Weel, tells De Telegraaf they should aim for three.
The minister is happy to see the EU invest more in defence but thinks “the commitment to civil resilience must now increase at the same speed throughout Europe.”
Perhaps the Dutch are just extra prepared to stay indoors indefinitely after all that rain. 🌧
The government is getting ready
While the cabinet is more vocal about defence issues, it also focuses on five sectors to increase resilience: logistics, food and water, electricity, healthcare, and government.
And what are we regular folks focusing on? Buying an extra box of Stroopwafels for a very serious special occasion. 😬
New challenges ahead
The EU continues to support Ukraine in its defence against the Russian invasion. Now, van Weel warns that peace in Ukraine can also bring new challenges, especially cyber-attack risks.
He compares our current situation to the Cold War: “Back then, we knew what to do when the air raid siren went off… After the fall of the Wall, we dismantled defence and, at the same time, the entire civil defence.”
READ MORE | This Dutch parody of the Zelensky-Trump spat is going viral
That’s why he and Minister of Defence Ruben Brekelmans announced plans to educate the country on how to act in case of an emergency.
What does this look like? Perhaps emergency guides and booklets handed out door-to-door, an idea that the House of Representatives has already supported.
Do you think you know how to deal with emergency situations? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
