Not enough money to purchase an emergency radio? No problem for Oosterhouters with a low income. Their municipality gives them away for free. “It is a first step in making residents more resilient in times of crisis.”
People with a low income are often insufficiently prepared for emergencies, it appears research by the Poverty Fund. “They do not have the money to put together a complete emergency package,” says the municipality of Oosterhout.
You will soon have to pay 70 euros per adult for a well-composed emergency package, with which you can survive for 72 hours. This includes food, water, lighting, a charged power bank, extra batteries, a first aid kit, cash, toilet paper and an emergency radio. Ready-made emergency kits are often even more expensive because they contain unnecessary items and are sometimes even incomplete according to the Consumers’ Association.
To help residents with social assistance benefits put together their emergency package, the municipality of Oosterhout now offers them a free emergency radio. This concerns approximately 1250 households. Residents who applied for special assistance or remission of municipal taxes in 2025 are also eligible.
They will soon be able to pick up the emergency radio at the town hall, upon presentation of a letter. In the event of a major emergency, such as a fire, environmental disaster or prolonged power outage, they can then tune the emergency radio to Omroep Brabant, the official disaster channel of our province. The device also has a flashlight and power bank.
“It is important that low-income residents also have access to the necessary goods, in every municipality,” says the Association of Dutch Municipalities (VNG).
Yet the interest group still asked municipalities for more than two weeks ago to be cautious with local initiatives. She thinks it is better to wait until there is national policy. For example, some municipalities and food banks already offered free emergency packages, such as in Gelderland Nunspeet and Wijchen and in Rotterdam.
The VNG also advised against the special assistance so that people with a minimum income can purchase an emergency package. This happened in the South Holland municipality of Leiderdorp.
The municipality of Oosterhout realizes that its decision to distribute emergency radios is ahead of national policy. And that this goes against the advice of the VNG. But the municipality wants to do something immediately to increase equality of opportunity and social security for vulnerable households. She therefore does not want to wait for a national approach.
The VNG will further develop the national approach in the new year, the organization reported at the end of December. With this policy she wants to ensure that people with a low income are also provided with the necessary items for their emergency package. The Red Cross and Food Banks Netherlands are also involved in making this approach. The VNG expects to be able to provide an update on this in February.