The Netherlands keeps its emergency kit, the noodpakket, short. Twelve lines cover the first 72 hours after a disaster. Here is the official list, what it adds, and what you may want to put next to it.
The official guide
- Title: Stel je noodpakket samen ("Put together your emergency kit")
- Publisher: Denk vooruit (denkvooruit.nl)
- Horizon: the first 72 hours
- Link: denkvooruit.nl/noodpakket (Dutch)
The twelve items
- Bottled water: 3 litres per person per day.
- Food that keeps, such as nuts, tinned vegetables and dried fruit.
- A battery radio and a mobile phone with a power bank, to stay informed.
- A torch with extra batteries, candles and matches.
- A first-aid kit with instructions.
- Blankets to stay warm.
- A whistle, to let the emergency services know where you are.
- Cash.
- Tools, such as a hammer, a saw and pliers.
- Hand gel, toilet paper, wet wipes, sanitary pads, toothpaste and a toothbrush.
- Copies of identity documents and a short list of important phone numbers.
- Spare house and car keys.
Depending on your situation, the page also suggests adding medicines, baby food, and food and water for your pets. These depend on who lives with you, so the list leaves them as additions rather than fixed lines. If anyone in your home takes daily medication, treat it as item thirteen.
Water: 3 litres a day
Germany and France plan 2 litres per person per day; the Netherlands and Sweden plan 3, which leaves room for hot weather, illness and basic hygiene. For a household of four over 72 hours, that is 4 × 3 × 3 = 36 litres.
How the Netherlands compares
Our data counts 21 of our items in the Dutch list. It covers everything that most guides agree on: there is no item listed by 18 or more guides that it leaves out.
Some of its choices are less common:
- A whistle. Only six guides list one: the Netherlands, Romania, Croatia, Bulgaria, Portugal and Cyprus.
- Spare keys. Seven guides list them.
- Real tools. Where 11 guides list a pocket knife or multi-tool, the Dutch list names a hammer, a saw and pliers.
How common each Dutch item is
Out of the 24 national guides we compiled, this is how many list each item on the Dutch noodpakket:
| Item | Guides listing it |
|---|---|
| Drinking water | 24 |
| Torch | 24 |
| Battery radio | 24 |
| First-aid kit | 24 |
| Cash | 24 |
| Spare batteries | 22 |
| Power bank | 19 |
| Candles and matches | 19 |
| ID and document copies | 19 |
| Blankets | 18 |
| Tinned food | 17 |
| Numbers on paper | 17 |
| Hand sanitiser | 15 |
| Toilet paper and wet wipes | 14 |
| Spare keys | 7 |
| Whistle | 6 |
What you might add
A short list is easier to complete, but it leaves out a few things other guides include:
- A manual can opener. The list includes tinned vegetables but no opener. Ten guides list one; electric openers stop with the power.
- A way to heat food. Thirteen guides list a camping stove and fuel. The Dutch list has none, so choose food you can eat cold.
- Water containers with lids, to fill from the tap when a warning comes. Their water does for washing and flushing. Germany, Sweden, Finland, Czechia and Slovakia list them.
- Bin bags, for rubbish and to line the toilet if it can't be flushed. Ten guides list them.
Keep it current
A kit only works if it is still in date when you need it. Pick two dates a year you will remember, such as when the clocks change, and check water, food, batteries and medicines.
Build yours
Our checklist includes every item on the Dutch list and works out the amounts for your household. For more detail, see how much water to store and emergency food that needs no cooking.