The Dutch fear a disaster that will lead to the loss of electricity, gas and water. But we are not preparing for such a crisis, according to a survey.
The public survey was carried out for the National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism (NCTV). It has been trying for some time to encourage citizens to prepare for a disaster.
The survey shows that almost half of all Dutch people, 45 percent, are concerned about long-term outages of electricity and gas, drinking water, internet or telephone. Cyber threats and tensions between population groups are also mentioned by an almost equally large group. At least 73 percent of the Dutch think that everyone should have an emergency kit at home, but four in ten indicate at the same time that they have not prepared properly for such a disaster or crisis.
The NCTV has been warning for some time that countries such as Russia and China threaten the security of the Netherlands. The countries would also have provided for so-called ‘vital processes’, such as the power network. It also appeared earlier that there is insufficient protection against cyber attacks on locks, bridges or flood defences. Our country is attractive to attack because of the ‘underground physical energy conduits’ and internet cables that come ashore with us via the sea, as well as high-value companies such as ASML. The NCTV previously mentioned the sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea as an example of such an attack.
First 48 hours
More than a third of the respondents in the survey believe that the government is primarily responsible for preparing for a disaster or crisis, but an almost equal group believes that people should also take action themselves. At the same time, it is not clear to a majority how this should be done.
According to NCTV leader Pieter-Jaap Aalbersberg, this is reason for an ongoing campaign. “The Netherlands is a safe country. At the same time, we should not close our eyes to the multitude of developments around us that could threaten our security. It is important that people also make preparations themselves, such as an emergency kit for the first 48 hours.”
An emergency kit should include water, about 3 liters per person per day. But also non-perishable food, a radio, a power bank, flashlight, candles, first aid kit, blankets, a whistle, cash, toilet paper and some tools, such as a hammer, saw and wire cutters.
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