Public Safety Canada continues to advise Canadians to be ready for at least three days without access to running water or electricity, especially after recent recommendations from the U. K. and other countries for their citizens to prepare similarly.
“Canadians have been encouraged for many years to.. be ready to take care of themselves and their households for a minimum of 72 hours during an emergency,” Zarah Malik, a spokesperson for Public Safety Canada, said in a statement to .
Several retailers in the U. K. saw a surge in sales of basic necessities after London initiated its Be Ready campaign on October 22. Officials alerted residents that cyberattacks and severe weather could hinder essential services, urging them to stock up on supplies for at least 72 hours, including non-perishable food and bottled water.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham remarked that unexpected events “seem to becoming more common” and suggested that everyone should keep “those supplies in the house.”
Officials from Normandy, France, posted on social media on October 27 advising residents to prepare an essentials bag for 72 hours. “Don’t wait for the emergency: prepare now!” the post reads.
Japan also launched a new national agency focused on disaster management recently, which is part of a broader plan primarily aimed at earthquake readiness. They urged citizens to reassess their evacuation plans and stock up on water and portable toilets sufficient for at least three days.
While there’s no evidence suggesting these announcements were coordinated or tied to any specific anticipated event, they have sparked some online speculation.
Prepare for One Week: Expert Advice
Suzanne Bernier, an instructor at Disaster Recovery Institute Canada, notes that governments have been conveying similar messages for over thirty years but believes it’s time for an update.
She thinks it makes sense that this messaging is gaining traction as natural disasters and human-made crises rise, people inhabit areas once considered uninhabited, and cyberattacks become more frequent.
A recent hacking incident affecting European supermarkets spread across multiple countries on Monday, impacting fridges and freezers from Sweden to Belgium and forcing stores to discard food-echoing a similar attack in France last month.
“We’re just seeing that it doesn’t really matter where we are; everywhere is a target. But particularly concerning are the cyberattacks on critical infrastructure,” said Bernier.
“It’s just a matter of time before everybody is either indirectly or directly affected by a cyberattack.”
She encourages Canadians to aim for having at least seven days’ worth of supplies prepared.
WATCH | Expecting the unexpected:
Getting prepped to deal with emergenciesEmergency Preparedness Week aims to educate people about how to ready themselves for the unexpected-be it a house fire, severe weather or power outage. Thunder Bay Fire Rescue urges residents not only take simple steps now but ensure they could make all the difference later.
“We need to really be preparing people for.. potentially not being able have anybody respond or save your family within that first week,” she added while emphasizing having a go-bag ready in case evacuation becomes necessary.Public Safety Canadastates that 72 hours is merely a minimum recommendation since it might take longer than expected in some areas before basic services are restored or emergency responders can reach all impacted individuals.
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The government agency provides further preparedness tips on its website.
In general, Europe has heightened its emergency preparedness messages over the past two years. The European Commission’s Preparedness Union Strategy released in March 2025 highlights increasing geopolitical tensions alongside natural disaster threats.
Scott Cameron co-founder of Emergency Management Logistics Canada emphasizes Canadians should focus more on emergency preparedness due discussions around national sovereignty coupled with growing climate-related issues including recent mass evacuations due wildfires flooding situations.
Cameron suggests stock piling enough resources essential needs over span seventy-two hour timeframe certainly worthwhile personal planning but further work required communal level identifying local supply chains available resources.
“Where is our local community capacity resilience , move beyond seventy-two hour benchmark?” he questioned. “And what responsibilities do Canadians collectively assume help rather than rely solely assistance?” p >
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