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By Marni Rose McFall
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Around the world, governments are increasingly advising their citizens to have provisions in the case of an emergency such as war, extreme weather and cybersecurity threats.
Different countries advise different levels of preparedness. Having emergency supplies for a three-day period is commonly advised. France and the U.K. recently advised people to have supplies for a period of 72 hours ready.
“Don't wait for the emergency: prepare now!” a government account for the French region of Normandy said in a social media statement on Tuesday.
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Meanwhile, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom said during an interview on BBC Radio, “I do like my beans, so I have plenty of those in the cupboard, and soup. I think those are the kind of things that I would recommend people to have.”
Japan, Mexico and the Netherlands also advise an emergency kit for a 72-hour period. Other countries suggest a longer preparedness period, with Sweden and Norway advising having supplies for about one week, and Germany advising supplies for up to 10 days.
'Have Your Own Food, Water and Supplies'
Some countries have less time specific advice. India’s National Disaster Management Authority, for example, advises households to have a disaster emergency kit but doesn’t stipulate a timeframe.
In some cases, advice is given for general emergencies while in others, it applies to specific hazards.
In the U.S., advice published on Ready.gov, a website of the Department of Homeland Security, states that “Being prepared means having your own food, water and other supplies to last for several days.”
Similarly, Canada advises an emergency kit for a 72-hour period.
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Other countries have region-specific advice. For example, in Western Australia has advised that residents in cyclone-prone areas prepare an emergency kit with food, water and medication. Similarly, the city of Cape Town in South Africa tells households to maintain enough supplies to last for at least three days.
There has been a specific focus on emergency preparedness in Europe over the past two years. The European Commission unveiled its Preparedness Union Strategy in March of 2025 and said that Europe faced growing geopolitical tensions and conflicts, as well as the threat of natural disasters owing to climate change.
While the exact timeline advice changes, advice on what the contents should be is relatively consistent, with governments advising stocks of non-perishable food, water, medicine, batteries, a flashlight and a radio.
Newsweek has compiled a map of countries where governments are advising for emergency preparedness and advising stockpiling of food.
Newsweek has contacted the White House and the FBI for comment via email outside of regular business hours.
Countries With Stockpile and Emergency Preparedness Advice
Europe
The United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland and Croatia.
North America
United States, Canada and Mexico.
South America
Chile, Colombia, Argentina and Brazil.
Africa
South Africa
Asia
Japan, Taiwan, Israel, India, Philippines and Singapore
Oceania
New Zealand and Australia
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What Former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino Has Said
Dan Bongino, the American conservative podcaster and former deputy director of the FBI, recently spoke about emergency preparedness on his show, The Dan Bongino Show.
He began by advising the importance of not panicking, before telling viewers, “The way to reduce anxiety and panic in tumultuous times is to be prepared.”
“Have yourself an emergency radio, have yourself some batteries. Get yourself some emergency food, get yourself a rain collection and water filtration tablets,” he said.
Pentagon's 90-Day Plan To Keep US Military Bases Running
The advice around emergency preparedness comes as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote in a recent memo that more U.S. military bases will need to be able to run independently for at least three months should they be cut off from external supplies in the event of a conflict.
On September 30, Hegseth unveiled the Federal Operations for Resilience, Troop Resources, Energy, Supply and Survivability (FORTRESS) initiative.
He dubbed it the “nation’s insurance policy” to ensure that the U.S. would still be able to obtain the materials it needs and carry out operations if traditional supply chains were to be cut off.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.
Contact Newsweek editor on this story: Edward Pearcey.
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