Eat as it is
- Crispbread and oats
- Tinned lentils and beans, tinned spreads
- Energy bars, dried fruit, nuts
- Chocolate, honey, biscuits
DSB: source
Norway
Norway's one-week home preparedness list
Norwegian authorities ask households to be ready to manage on their own for one week, with about 20 litres of drinking water per person. The advice and the checklist come from DSB, the Directorate for Civil Protection, on its egenberedskap page.
Read6 min read
Updated11 Nov 2026
TopicHour zero
Official sources9
What Norway asks of each home
One week. DSB (Direktoratet for samfunnssikkerhet og beredskap) writes: "Norske myndigheter anbefaler at flest mulig er forberedt på å klare seg selv i en uke." In English: Norwegian authorities recommend that as many people as possible are prepared to manage on their own for a week.
That is longer than the 72 hours many countries use. DSB calls it egenberedskap, home preparedness, and says families, friends and neighbours can work on it together. We read the pages on 11 November 2026.
The DSB checklist
DSB's printable checklist, grouped the way it groups it.
| Item | What DSB lists |
|---|---|
| Water | Clean drinking water in jugs or bottles, about 20 litres per person for the week |
| Food | Food that keeps at room temperature, enough for everyone at home for a week |
| Cooking | A grill, camping stove or storm cooker, with an extra gas canister or fuel |
| Warmth | Warm clothes, blankets, duvets or sleeping bags. Firewood if you have a wood stove or fireplace |
| Backup heat | A gas or paraffin heater made for indoor use, or an agreement to stay with someone else |
| Light | Torches or headlamps that run on batteries, a crank or solar cells. Matches and candles |
| Radio | A DAB radio that runs on batteries, a crank or solar cells |
| Power | Batteries and a charged power bank |
| Medicine | Medicines and first-aid supplies, with at least seven days' extra of what you use regularly |
| Iodine tablets | For children and adults under 40, and for pregnant and breastfeeding women |
| Hygiene | Wet wipes, hand sanitiser, nappies, toilet paper and menstrual products |
| Money | A little cash and more than one payment card |
| Pets | Food and water for your animals |
| Phone list | On paper: emergency numbers, the out-of-hours doctor (legevakt), the vet, family, friends and neighbours |
Source: DSB, Slik bidrar du til Norges beredskap and its printable checklist. Water amount from Vann i beredskap, medicines from DSB's first-aid page. Checked 11 Nov 2026.
Water for a family of four
80 litres
4 people×20 L
One week at DSB's figure
DSB says about 20 litres per person covers the minimum need for a week if something happens to the tap water.
Source: DSB, Vann i beredskap
20 Lper person, for a week
7 daysextra of your regular medicines
1 weekon your own
Water for your household
People times 20 litres.
| People | Water for one week |
|---|---|
| 1 | 20 L |
| 2 | 40 L |
| 3 | 60 L |
| 4 | 80 L |
| 5 | 100 L |
| 6 | 120 L |
At about 20 litres per person per week (DSB). Pets drink on top of this. The water calculator works it out for your home.
Storing the water
DSB keeps it simple: tap water in clean containers.
- Fill jugs or bottles from the tap. Several small jugs are often easier to find room for than a few big ones.
- Put a few small containers in the freezer. Leave room at the top, or they crack.
- Clean water in clean containers can be stored for years and stays safe to drink, DSB says. The date on shop water is mostly the maker's guarantee of the contents.
- In a building with shared areas, ask the housing co-op board about a shared water store.
Food for a week
DSB splits it into food you can eat as it is and food that needs heat.
Needs heating
- Pasta, rice, flour
- Packet soup
- Tinned dinners
- Freeze-dried meals
DSB: source
Keeping the stock fresh
Keep a little extra of what you already eat and buy more before you run out. That way there is always a spare stock, and nothing sits long enough to go off.
Plan for anyone at home who can't eat certain foods or depends on special ones. In a power cut, use the chilled and frozen food first.
Norway's emergency numbers
Norway has three. Put all of them on the paper list DSB asks for.
| Number | For |
|---|---|
| 110 | Fire |
| 112 | Police |
| 113 | Medical emergencies (ambulance) |
Sources: Oslo fire and rescue service (110), Politiet (112), Helsedirektoratet (113).
Questions people ask
How many days of supplies does Norway recommend?
One week. DSB asks as many people as possible to be able to manage on their own for that long.
How much water per person?
About 20 litres for the week. A household of four needs about 80 litres.
How long do medicines need to last?
DSB asks for at least seven days' extra supply of the medicines and medical equipment you use regularly, and suggests refilling about a week before you run out.
Which radio should I have?
A DAB radio that runs on batteries, a crank or solar cells. NRK P1 is the emergency channel.
Is there an English version?
Yes. DSB publishes the short brochure and the checklist in English, with versions in Nynorsk, Northern Sami and many other languages on the same page.
Read next
Sources
- DSB: Egenberedskap The one-week recommendation. Checked 11 Nov 2026.
- DSB: Slik bidrar du til Norges beredskap The checklist, with printable PDFs in Bokmål, Nynorsk, Northern Sami and English.
- DSB: Vann i beredskap About 20 litres per person for a week, and how to store it.
- DSB: Mat du bør ha i hus i tilfelle krise
- DSB: Legemidler og førstehjelpsutstyr du bør ha hjemme Seven days of medicines; iodine tablets.
- DSB: Råd hvis internett og mobilnett ikke virker NRK P1 as the emergency channel.
- Politiet: Kontakt politiet
- Helsedirektoratet: AMK, anrop og svartid
- Oslo kommune: Brann- og redningsetaten