The 20-page booklet will be sent to households across France, offering guidance on how to respond to emergencies such as armed conflict, natural disasters, industrial accidents, or a nuclear leak
The French government is set to distribute a new survival guide to homes nationwide, detailing how to handle emergencies amid an intense moment of global instability. This comprehensive 20-page pamphlet will advise residents on actions to take in scenarios such as armed conflict, natural disasters, industrial incidents, or nuclear leaks.
The manual contains 63 different measures and covers ways to safeguard citizens and others in their vicinity. It includes information on how French people can join local defence initiatives by joining reserve forces or fire service units.
Despite the ongoing war in Ukraine and President Emmanuel Macron’s previous public warnings about the “Russian threat”, alongside the recent hints that the US military presence in Europe might wane, the French authorities have claimed that the booklet is not a direct reaction to these developments.
Subject to Prime Minister Francois Bayrou’s green light, the manual will be mailed out to French homes before the summer. In its guidance, the manual promotes assembling an emergency kit stocked with essentials such as food, water, batteries, and medical supplies, including paracetamol, compresses, and saline solution.
In the face of a nuclear incident, the advice is to lock doors and remain indoors. A spokesperson from the Prime Minister’s office has stated that the manual aims to bolster “the resilience of populations in the face of all types of crisis, whether natural, technological, cyber, or security-related.”
Other European nations have rolled out similar schemes recently, reports the Express. Sweden took a proactive step by distributing five million leaflets to homes with the title “If Crisis or War Comes” in late 2023, urging citizens to gear up for possible armed conflict.
The leaflet highlighted the growing military threats and recommended hoarding food and water, keeping cash reserves, and cultivating fruit and vegetables.
Finland, too, has stepped up its preparedness with a government website designed to assist its people in preparing for various crisis scenarios. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, both Sweden and Finland have abandoned their long-standing military neutrality to join NATO.
The release of this manual in France has elicited a range of responses. Some critics, like Le Figaro, have scrutinised the timing of its publication, hinting that it “could easily be interpreted as a reaction to the unstable international situation.”
Meanwhile, others have taken a lighter view of the guidance provided. Comedian Matthieu Noel, while on France Inter radio, poked fun at the suggestion to “shut doors” during a nuclear attack, quipping that “Putin can drop a nuclear bomb on Paris, Ebola can hit the Cantal region, we’ll be ready.”
He also quipped: “While you’re at it, how about, in case of a tsunami, no snorkelling?”
According to the French government, this manual is part of a nationwide resilience plan that was introduced in 2022 in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The authorities claim their main goal is to get people ready for different kinds of emergencies and improve how the public is informed during a crisis.
