Denmark’s general population should stock up on enough supplies to last them three days should crisis hit, authorities say.

The Danish Emergency Management Service (Beredsskabstyrelsen, DEMA) has issued advice for the general public to have certain supplies at home so that they are prepared in the event of a crisis.

On its website, the agency has published a list of provisions [currently only in Danish] it recommends all homes have on hand in the event of a crisis.

That includes enough water for three litres per person per day.

The provisions should be enough to last three days according to DEMA’s recommendations.

“If you can manage for three days in a crisis, authorities can focus on helping the vulnerable and restoring normality,” it says in the published advice.

At a briefing on Saturday, Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen also said that everyone in Denmark should have enough supplies at home to survive for three days.

“We must have enough water and food to get by for three days. We need to have sufficient medicine and first aid. To be able to keep warm when it’s cold. And to be able to manage without electricity,” Poulsen said.

The food should be of a type which is not stored in a refrigerator and can be eaten without heating with an oven or stove. Crisp bread (knækbrød in Danish) was given as an example.

Recommendations from authorities that the general public should be prepared for a crisis may seem alarming, with DEMA outlining the type of events that could be the cause of such situations.

These can include natural events like extreme weather or human acts like cyber attacks or sabotage.

Poulsen stressed that Denmark is not under immediate threat of conventional military attack.

But the risk of a “hybrid attack”, which could, for example, disrupt electricity supplies is genuine according to the minister.

The advisory to have crisis supplies in stock can help authorities to more easily respond to such as situation, he also said.

In addition to water and food, the recommended supplies also include medicine as well as hygiene items like toilet paper, disinfectant and sanitary items.

Blankets are also likely to be needed if it is cold.

An important item in many crisis situations is a mobile phone, DEMA says.

“You can contact members of your family, for example, and you can find out information about the incident,” it says.

“With a power bank or battery pack, you can keep mobile phones working in the event of local power outages. In the event of major or prolonged power outages, telephone networks and the Internet may be affected or go down,” it adds.