Norway's One-Week Self-Preparedness Advice: What DSB Asks

Quick answer: Norway’s Directorate for Civil Protection (DSB) asks as many people as possible to be able to manage on their own for one week in a crisis. Until May 2024 the advice was at least three days. The checklist includes about 20 litres of drinking water per person, a week of food, at least seven days’ extra medicine, a way to keep warm and a DAB radio that works without mains power. The updated brochure went to every household in autumn 2024, and the one-week advice still stands in late 2026.

When Norway moved from three days to one week

People often date this change to 2025, but it happened in 2024. DSB launched its revised self-preparedness advice in May 2024. Norwegian tech outlet TU reported the government’s backing for the change on 29 May 2024. DSB then mailed an updated brochure, How to contribute to Norway’s emergency preparedness, to every household in the country in autumn 2024, during that year’s Self-preparedness Week.

The headline change was the length of time:

Before: be ready to cope for at least three days.
Now: as many people as possible should be ready to cope for one week.

Water advice rose to match. Longyearbyen’s local council summed up the update: storage went from 9 litres to 20 litres per person. The revised advice also added new topics, including mental health in a crisis and checking sources against false information.

Why a week?

DSB’s FAQ gives three reasons:

It is rare for electricity, water, sewage, internet and mobile networks to be down for more than a week.
A week gives people time to make plans if a crisis drags on.
A week is realistic for most of the population to achieve.

The aim is to meet the most basic needs: heat and light, food and water, information, medicine and hygiene. If most people can do that, councils and emergency services can focus on those who cannot cope without help.

What DSB asks households to keep at home

DSB is clear that some preparation is far better than none, so you do not need everything at once. Here is the checklist, grouped and simplified.

Area	DSB’s advice
Water	About 20 litres of drinking water per person, in bottles or containers
Food	A week’s supply of food that keeps, ideally what you normally eat
Cooking	A grill, camping stove or other cooker that runs without electricity
Heat	Warm clothes, blankets, duvets, sleeping bags; firewood if you have a stove; an indoor-safe gas or paraffin heater
Light	Torches or headlamps that run on batteries, a crank or solar; matches and candles
Information	A DAB radio powered by batteries, a crank or solar
Medicine	At least 7 days’ extra supply, a first-aid kit, iodine tablets for those who need them
Hygiene	Wet wipes, hand sanitiser, nappies, toilet paper, period products
Power and money	Batteries, a charged power bank, cash and more than one payment card
Other	Pet food and water, a plan for where to sleep, a paper list of key contacts

Water: 20 litres per person

DSB says about 20 litres of drinking water per person covers minimum needs for a week if the taps stop. That is about 5.3 US gallons.

Fill clean bottles or containers from the tap, or buy bottled water. Smaller containers are easier to store.
Clean water in clean containers keeps for years. Dates on bought water are mostly the maker’s guarantee.
You can freeze some water in small containers. Leave room for it to expand.
If you must use water of unknown quality, filter it and bring it to a rolling boil. Boiling does not remove chemical pollution.

Our guide on how much water to store helps you size this for your household.

Food: a week of what you already eat

DSB suggests keeping a bit extra of your normal food, enough for a week for everyone at home. Good long-life choices include crispbread, oats, tinned beans and spreads, energy bars, dried fruit, chocolate, honey, biscuits and nuts. Pasta, rice, packet soups, flour, tinned ready meals and freeze-dried food also work.

Think about how you will cook without power or running water, and keep your stove or grill working. Use fresh and chilled food first in a power cut. Plan for anyone with allergies or special diets. For building up a larger store without waste, see our 30-day food stockpile guide.

Medicine and iodine

Keep at least seven days’ extra of any medicine or medical equipment you use regularly. A good habit is to refill a week before you run out.
Keep a home first-aid kit: gloves, saline, sterile gauze, bandages, burn gel, scissors, a thermometer and painkillers such as paracetamol.
Iodine tablets are advised for children, adults under 40, and pregnant or breastfeeding women. Take them only when the authorities tell you to.

When mobile and internet go down

This is the newest focus for DSB. Its advice:

NRK P1 is Norway’s emergency channel. It is meant to keep informing the public even when other media are down. A battery, crank or solar DAB radio lets you hear it.
Ask your council where its information points are. These are places to get updates if networks fail.
Consider a phone plan on a different network from others in your household. Many phones support dual SIM or eSIM.
Check that your phone can make Wi-Fi calls, and agree in advance which apps your family will use.
Keep power banks charged and a paper list of important numbers.

DSB also encourages everyone to find a beredskapsvenn, an “emergency friend”. This is a neighbour, friend or relative you agree to check on, and who will check on you. For building a plan together, see our post on a family emergency communications plan.

Cash

DSB does not name an amount. Its FAQ says the right sum depends on how many people you are and how well stocked your home is. The checklist asks for cash plus more than one payment card.

2025–2026: what has happened since

The one-week advice has not changed, but DSB keeps measuring progress and changing its focus each year:

February 2025: a DSB population survey found that over 80% agreed households should be able to manage for a week. The share storing drinking water had risen from 21% in 2017 to 47% in 2024.
February 2026: DSB’s next survey (1,016 adults, December 2025) found 54% now store drinking water. About half said they were only partly or not well prepared to cope at home for a week. Six in ten had read all or part of the brochure. Cyber attacks on control systems were the top worry, named by 53%.
Self-preparedness Week 2026 (week 44, 26 October to 1 November) focused on what to do when mobile networks and the internet are down, and on councils’ information points.

What this means wherever you live

Norway’s advice is a useful benchmark for any household. If you already have three days covered, a week is the natural next step. Water is the biggest jump: 20 litres per person takes space, so many small bottles tucked into cupboards are easier than one big tank. A radio that needs no mains power, and a paper list of numbers, cost little and work almost anywhere.

Curious how far your current supplies would stretch? See how many days your household would last with our free calculator.

Checklist: a Norwegian-style week

Build it gradually and keep it fresh, and always follow the advice of your local authorities.

Sources & further reading

Every fact in this post was checked against the sources listed above on 1 November 2026. Advice changes: always follow your local authorities.