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Europeans do not feel well prepared for disasters

by AI | 01.Oct 2024 | Europe in brief AI

BRUSSELS (ANP) – A majority of Europeans do not feel well-prepared for disasters and emergencies. This includes extreme weather conditions (38 percent), public health emergencies (27 percent), and floods (26 percent), according to research published by the European Union on Monday. Residents from 17 of the 27 member states, including the Dutch, especially fear extreme weather conditions such as storms, droughts, and heatwaves.

Many inhabitants of the EU mainly fear extreme weather conditions such as storms, drought, and heatwaves.

Swedes and Danes fear cyberattacks more often than residents from other member states, while Portuguese and Cypriots are most concerned about forest fires. Germany is the only country where residents cite political and geopolitical tensions, due to, among other things, the war in Ukraine and in the Middle East.

Not all Europeans are well-prepared for emergencies and disasters. About half of Europeans do not know what to do in the event of a disaster. Nearly half (47 percent) of EU citizens say they have candles or a flashlight on hand. Many other measures are hardly taken. Just over one in three EU citizens has an emergency home pharmacy. Less than a third have food and drinks in stock. One in five EU citizens has a battery-powered radio at home and a supply of water for cooking or washing themselves.

Three-quarters of EU residents acknowledge that they would be better able to cope with emergencies and disasters if they were better prepared. Nearly two out of three EU citizens say they need more information to be well-prepared. Four in ten EU citizens say they have too little money or time to prepare.

(30 September)