By Oskar Björk, adviser to Kapsel and defence engineer at the Swedish Armed Forces
New Year's Eve 2025. Storm Johannes sweeps across Sweden. 100,000 households lose power. The temperature drops indoors. The mobile network goes down across parts of the country. Supermarkets cannot process payments.
Most of those households had meant to sort out their preparedness. Most had not.
That is what concerns me most, not that people do not care, but that they care and have not got around to it. The Swedish Food Agency's latest survey from December 2025, with over 8,000 respondents, shows the exact same pattern: six in ten worry about being without water in a crisis. But only one in three households actually has enough drinking water at home to last a week.
The gap between intention and action. That is Sweden's real vulnerability.
The problem is not ignorance, it is the threshold
I have worked with preparedness for many years, and one thing I have learned: people know more than they think. Most understand they should have water at home, that a torch is needed during a power cut, that cash is good to have.
The problem is that preparedness feels like a big project. Something you need a weekend, a budget and a plan for. So you put it off, week after week, month after month.
Until it happens. And then it is too late.
A government survey from November 2024 showed that only 30 per cent of Swedes know what is expected of them in a crisis or war. At the same time, 57 per cent said they plan to strengthen their preparedness. It is not a knowledge gap, it is an action gap. MCF sets out the expectation, and we go through it in the seven-day recommendation.
It does not have to be hard
Here is what I want you to take away: it does not have to be hard, and it does not take much.
A packed bag with the essentials. A way to get clean water. A plan for how to cook without electricity. That is enough to handle most situations dramatically better than having nothing at all.
Swedish authorities recommend every household be able to manage at least one week. That sounds like a lot. But break it down.
- Water. Three to five litres per person per day. Fill containers from the tap. It costs nothing and takes five minutes.
- Food. Tinned food, crispbread, pasta, rice, things you already have in the cupboard. Buy a little extra next time you shop.
- Energy. A camping stove. A torch. A power bank. Candles. Things most people already own but have not gathered in one place.
- Information. A battery-powered radio. A list of phone numbers on paper. It sounds old-fashioned, but when the mobile network is down, it is the only thing that works.
The entire difference between chaos and control can fit in a bag. Our complete checklist covers the quantities.
Knowing what to do is security in itself
There is a dimension of preparedness that is rarely discussed: the psychological one. Knowing that you have equipment to cook during a power cut, and knowing how to use it, changes how you experience a crisis.
You go from passive to active. From waiting for someone else to fix it to being able to take care of yourself and the people closest to you.
It is not about being afraid and then becoming calm. Most of us do not walk around being afraid. It is that there is a step between "I should" and "I have", and that step is much smaller than you think.
The Food Agency's survey showed something hopeful: three in four respondents believe they have a significant personal responsibility for their household's food and water in a crisis. The will is there. The sense of responsibility is there. What is missing is the concrete action.
Any preparation is better than no preparation
If you cannot get a full week's preparedness right now, do what you can. Buy a container of water. Charge a power bank. Write down ten phone numbers on a piece of paper.
There is no minimum level below which preparedness is pointless. Everything you do now makes you better equipped than doing nothing at all.
Real preparedness is not about whether something happens. It is about how well you can act when it does.
Common questions about home preparedness
How long should you be able to manage without help?
Swedish authorities recommend that all households be able to manage at least one week without electricity, water and other public services. That includes food, drinking water, warmth, lighting and the ability to receive information via radio.
What should a preparedness bag contain?
Water or water purification, food that does not require refrigeration, a camping stove with fuel, torch and headlamp, battery-powered or hand-crank radio, power bank, cash, first aid kit, warm clothing and a list of important phone numbers.
How much water do you need in a crisis?
Plan for three to five litres per person per day. That covers drinking water, cooking and basic hygiene. For a household of two adults, that means at least 42 litres for one week.
What should you do during a power outage?
Have a battery-powered radio for information, a torch or headlamp for light, a camping stove for cooking, and candles for warmth in a small space. Switch off electrical appliances to avoid a power surge when electricity returns. Keep the fridge and freezer shut as long as possible.
What does home preparedness cost?
Basic home preparedness can be built step by step. Many items, such as tinned food, candles and blankets, are already in most homes. Additional equipment like a camping stove, radio and torches costs roughly 500 to 2,000 SEK. Ready-made solutions in Sweden range from about 500 SEK to 13,000 SEK, depending on how many days and people they cover. We break it down in what an emergency kit costs.
How should you store your preparedness supplies?
Gather everything in one place, ideally in a bag or box that is easy to grab if you need to leave home quickly. Store in a cool, dry spot. Rotate food and water regularly. Test your equipment at least once a year.
Oskar Björk is an adviser to Kapsel and a defence engineer in the Swedish Armed Forces. Kapsel is a Swedish preparedness system that gathers everything a household needs, water, energy, light and protection, in one bag with three capsules and over 30 components. Built to fit into your home, not into a storage room.