Germans, Czech and Finland told to stock up

[CharlesHarris]

My impression as a North American outsider is that all EU governments have been in a perpetual state of denial for decades and only with the recent attacks have people begun to wake up. When I worked in emergency management in the Virginia suburbs around Washington, DC citizens were taught to plan for an "all hazards" approach which emphasized the mostly likely events, winter storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, hazmat releases, loss of AC mains power and muncipal water, as well as resource shortages and emergency response to terrorism. During the last ten years I was working, my county experienced all of the above, including the 9/11 Pentagon attack, anthrax attacks, bombings, the beltway sniper, and a multitude of weather events, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes. If people plan for all hazards, they will also be better able to cope with lower risk, but higher consequence events.

The recommended planning standard was ten days, but those in the city or living in small apartments having limited storage would base their planning on three says, which is about the time it takes mutual aid resources to mobilize, deploy and arrive at a requesting jurisdiction beyond their operational region.

Those worst off were those in high-rise apartments after 3 days loss of AC mains power and the auxiliary generators to run the building equipment ran out of fuel. No HVAC, no elevators, no lighting and a 26 flight walkup to carry food and water to
the flat, from the Aldi 1 mile away, if you were lucky. Should have left for Grandma's befoee the storm.....