Norway rejects doomsday prep: How community support beats stockpiling

Earlier this year, the European Union introduced its Preparedness Union Strategy, urging all member states to develop a 72-hour survival kit for every citizen in case of future crises. The strategy emphasizes increased stockpiling of essential supplies and improved cooperation between civilian and military sectors. Several EU countries have already begun implementing the recommendations, with the Netherlands being the latest country to distribute leaflets to all residents detailing what to include in an emergency kit.

While the idea of preparing for a "doomsday" has been around for decades, it regained prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic, when global supply chains collapsed and essential goods became scarce. While officials avoid stating it openly, the current wave of civil-preparedness policy is directly shaped by the war in Ukraine, shifting security dynamics in Europe, and breaches of EU border systems widely believed to bear Russian involvement.

As part of the strategy, Brussels is pushing for deeper integration between military and civilian emergency systems, as noted by Euronews. The European Commission has pledged to launch a civil-military preparedness framework, defining clear roles and responsibilities and has called for routine exercises to test coordination and best practices.

These efforts are unfolding against a backdrop of growing global anxiety. The looming threat of nuclear tensions, political volatility, and increasingly severe climate disasters have spurred some individuals—particularly wealthy elites—to embrace private measures.

In California's affluent Silicon Valley, reports have circulated of billionaires constructing “doomsday luxury bunkers” designed to protect only an exclusive inner circle. Such private fortresses symbolize a drastically individualistic form of survivalism.

Yet, not every approach to preparedness is built around isolation as Norway demonstrates, which has taken the opposite route. Rather than promoting fortified shelters, it has encouraged citizens to rely on one another during crises, as noted in an article by Foreign Policy.

At the end of October, Norway held its annual self-preparedness week. Like other governments, it highlighted the value of basic household supplies—water reserves, canned food, and hand-crank radios. But the Norwegian campaign also stressed cooperation and community assistance.

“The objective is to have the whole society involved,” said Elisabeth Aarsaether, director-general of Norway’s civil contingencies agency, the DSB, which leads the campaign. “Often when we speak about the whole of society, we forget the big piece: the individuals. If individuals take care of themselves, their families and others, if everyone takes a bit of responsibility, the sum is much greater than what the government could achieve by spending money.”

Last year, the DSB introduced a new concept: the “preparedness friend.” The idea is to pair with others to share skills, check in during emergencies, and coordinate help. “It was very easy to introduce this word in Norway,” Aarsaether said.

According to the DSB, preparedness friends might provide first aid, share accommodation, translate instructions from authorities, help buy or transport goods, cook together, or simply lend a phone. The aim is to strengthen community resilience so that professional emergency services can prioritize vulnerable groups, such as older adults or people who are sick.

The concept became so remarkably popular that the Norwegian Language Council named “preparedness friend” (Beredskapsvenn in Norwegian) the new word of the year.

“After that, it was extremely easy to talk even more about it,” Aarsaether said. “People could have conversations along the lines of, ‘Would you like to be my preparedness friend?’ People want to help their families first, then their neighbours—but they’re also happy to help others.”

As the agency began promoting the idea, it realized that simply telling people to find someone might be difficult in a society where loneliness is widespread.

“In the first months we said, ‘Get a preparedness friend.’ But then we thought, that’s difficult when loneliness is so widespread,” Aarsaether said.

The focus shifted to encouraging citizens to become preparedness friends themselves, offering help rather than requesting it. Government leaders quickly embraced the campaign, with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store and King Harald both publicly supporting the concept. Other countries have begun contacting Norway to learn from its model.

Norway’s strategy is geared toward realistic threats such as extreme weather or hybrid cyberattacks, making mutual aid more practical than extreme “doomsday” preparation. Rather than preparing for apocalyptic scenarios, the emphasis is on planning for short-term disruptions.

“You can easily fill up some more water, buy another package of pasta,” Aarsaether noted.

By Nazrin Sadigova