Potential Doomsday as G7 Governments Advise Citizens to Prepare for Fallout
Britain has launched a national campaign asking households to be ready to go three days without essential services, joining standing guidance in Canada, Japan, Germany and France.
Governments across the G7 are telling citizens to prepare to look after themselves if essential services fail.
On Oct. 22, the British government launched an updated Be Ready campaign asking households to prepare for three days of disruption. The guidance covers emergencies including severe weather and interruptions to power, water, phone and internet services. It asks people to keep bottled water and non-perishable food at home, and encourages those who may need extra help to sign up to the Priority Services Register.
Canada advises households to be self-sufficient for at least 72 hours, with an official checklist of food, water, a flashlight, a battery-powered or wind-up radio, a first-aid kit, medicines, cash and important documents. France advises an emergency kit to manage the first 72 hours of a major crisis, covering risks including cyberattacks and major disruption to public services.
Japan’s guidance recommends supplies for at least three days and preferably a week. Germany’s federal civil protection office says households should ideally be able to supply themselves for 10 days, and that even three days helps a lot. The European Union’s Preparedness Union Strategy calls for population self-sufficiency of at least 72 hours.
In the United States, the American Red Cross recommends a three-day supply for evacuation and two weeks of supplies at home. It also asks families to choose two meeting places — one near home and one outside the neighborhood — and to write down important contacts in case internet or cellular service is unavailable. FEMA’s Ready campaign urges Americans to make a plan that includes emergency meeting places and to download the FEMA app for alerts.
Separately, Fox News reported on Oct. 25, citing internal planning documents, that the Pentagon is working toward 90 days of power self-sufficiency at major U.S. military installations under a program announced Sept. 30.
The published guidance does not name a specific imminent threat. G7 foreign ministers are scheduled to meet Nov. 9–10 under France’s presidency.
