Germany to tell citizens to stockpile 10 days' worth of food in case of catastrophe

The German government is planning to instruct its citizens to stockpile 10 days' worth of rations in the event of an attack or catastrophe. In the first civil defence strategy since the end of the Cold War, Germans could be required to hold food and water according to a Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung report on Sunday (21 August).

The 69-page Concept for Civil Defence paper was prepared by the country's interior ministry and is set to be discussed by the cabinet on Wednesday (24 August) before being presented by the minister on the same afternoon. A spokesman for the interior ministry refused to provide further details.

The strategy was originally commissioned by a parliamentary committee in 2012.

"The population will be obliged to hold an individual supply of food for ten days," the paper said. It added that an additional five days' worth of water – based on a calculation of two litres of water per person per day – should also be stored.

While it acknowledged that "an attack on German territory requiring conventional defence is unlikely," it said the country must be "sufficiently prepared in case of an existence-threatening development in the future that cannot be ruled out."

Germany is currently on high alert following a spate of deadly attacks. Last month, a 21-year-old Syrian refugee was arrested after killing a pregnant woman and injuring two others with a machete in Reutlingen, near Stuttgart. Investigators concluded the incident on 24 July was not related to terrorism.

That same day, a failed Syrian asylum seeker detonated a backpack bomb after being refused entry to a music festival in the southern town of Ansbach. Mohammed Daleel, 27, killed himself and injured 15 others in the suicide bombing.

The paper also highlights further civilian support of the army as a priority, as well as "boosting the resilience of buildings and increasing capacity in the healthcare system," Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.