Iceland urges households to prepare for human-made threats

Icelandic households should prepare for human-caused emergencies as well as natural disasters, Justice Minister Þorbjörg Sigríður Gunnlaugsdóttir told mbl.is. A new civil protection booklet advises people to keep essential supplies at home for three days.

“We are now looking at the possibility that threats can be human-made,” the minister said in an interview recorded after a cabinet meeting on Tuesday. She said the government’s role is to protect public safety, but stressed that the booklet was not issued in response to any specific threat.

Representatives of Landsbjörg will distribute the booklet this weekend. It is also available at verumvidbuin.is and will be shared on Ísland.is. The advice includes keeping food supplies, a radio and a flashlight at home.

Asked about Nordic examples and warnings about the risk of war, Gunnlaugsdóttir said governments elsewhere in the region had discussed preparedness with the public for years, and in some cases decades. Icelanders may have been less accustomed to thinking in those terms, she said. The message is that households should be prepared for a serious incident, attack or threat, and that community safety is a shared responsibility.

The minister said she saw room to improve preparedness at home, particularly by keeping a flashlight and a battery-powered radio available. She also announced a bill to comprehensively revise Iceland’s civil protection laws, clarifying responsibilities and defining essential infrastructure as infrastructure society cannot do without for more than 24 hours.

The interview also addressed the risk of prolonged disruption to imports, including fuel and medicines. Gunnlaugsdóttir said Iceland’s status as an island affects what preparations are needed. The environment and energy minister is reviewing fuel reserves, and preparedness work is under way across government departments, including on health matters. She did not give further details about medicine supplies.

Gunnlaugsdóttir encouraged people to review the booklet’s checklist and discuss preparedness with their families or other members of their household.