Key Takeaways
What is happening in the Netherlands now
- Since late November 2025, Dutch households have begun receiving a purple booklet called “Prepare for an emergency” from the national “Denk Vooruit” campaign.
- The booklet explains how people can cope at home for the first seventy-two hours of a major disruption, such as a long power cut, flood, cyberattack, or other crisis.
- Three simple ideas run through every page: build a small emergency kit, make a basic plan with the people you live with, and talk with neighbours so no one is left alone.
- Clear pointers show where to find reliable information during a crisis, including the NL-Alert phone messages and the national website Nederland Veilig.
Story & Details
A booklet for every letterbox
In November 2025 the Dutch government started sending an information booklet to around eight and a half million homes. The campaign is called “Denk Vooruit”, which means “Think Ahead”. The small package looks ordinary at first: a large white envelope with a government logo, addressed simply to “the residents” of each address. Inside is a glossy purple booklet, an orange step-by-step guide, and a separate card for a household emergency plan.
The message is calm and direct. Big events may feel far away, but a large power cut, heavy storms, flooding after days of rain, or a digital attack can quickly disrupt daily life. Lights and heating can fail. Shops and cash machines can close. Trains and trams can stop running. Internet and mobile networks can slow down or go silent. The booklet stresses that this does not mean help will never come. It does mean that, for the first three days, people may need to look after themselves and each other more than they expect.
Three days, three simple steps
The structure is easy to follow: “put together your emergency kit, make an emergency plan, talk with each other and help each other out.” The orange insert breaks each idea into very small actions. It suggests walking through the home and writing down what is already there. Many people already own some of the recommended items: a torch, blankets, candles, a battery radio, soap and toothpaste. The booklet then invites households to add a few missing things over time.
Water comes first. The guide advises keeping bottles of drinking water ready, with a simple rule of thumb: three litres per person per day for the first three days. Shelf-stable food comes next: tinned vegetables, pulses, or meat, dried fruit and nuts, and any special food for babies or pets. Hygiene items are simple but important: toilet paper, wet wipes, sanitary products, disinfecting gel, toothbrush and toothpaste. Warmth matters too, especially in winter, so the list includes extra blankets and comfortable clothes.
Light and power are treated as their own topic. The booklet recommends at least one working flashlight with spare batteries, plus candles and matches or a lighter. It also mentions a charged power bank so at least one phone in the home can stay on for as long as possible. A battery-powered or wind-up radio is highlighted as a key way to follow news even if internet and television stop working.
Money and documents receive a full section. The guide explains that card payments and cash machines may be offline during a serious outage, so it advises keeping a small amount of banknotes ready for three days, as well as copies of identity documents and a simple paper list of important phone numbers. A printed map of the local area is also suggested, in case map apps are not available.
Finally, there is a short part on tools and safety: a first-aid kit with clear instructions, a whistle to attract attention, basic tools such as a hammer and tape, and spare keys for house and car stored in a safe place.
The household plan card
Next to the checklist sits a double-sided card labelled as an emergency plan. Families and housemates can fill it in together. One side lists who lives in the home, including pets and any people who may need extra help, for example children, older relatives, or anyone with special medication. The next part asks for a shared meeting place in case phones do not work, along with the address of that spot. This could be a trusted neighbour, a community centre, or another clear point in the neighbourhood.
The other side focuses on communication. There are lines for one contact person nearby and one further away who can be reached if family members cannot find each other. The card also has space to write down the local emergency radio frequency, a website for the regional safety authority, and the main phone numbers for doctor, out-of-hours medical service, and municipality. The idea is very simple: if the lights go out and the mobile signal disappears, people can still open a drawer and find the most important information on paper.
Where real information will appear
Several pages explain how people will be warned and kept informed when something serious happens. One part describes NL-Alert, the system that sends loud text messages to mobile phones in a danger zone. The booklet explains that NL-Alert messages say what is going on and what to do, for example closing windows during a large fire or avoiding a certain area.
The national website Nederland Veilig is introduced as the central place for up-to-date information during a major incident. It is described as a site that can handle many visitors, where authorities can explain what has happened and what steps people should take to stay safe. The booklet also reminds readers of the familiar outdoor siren. If the siren sounds at any time other than the regular monthly test at midday on the first Monday of the month, people are told to go indoors, close windows and doors, and listen to the radio or watch the news.
Emergency numbers are printed clearly. The same page reminds readers when to use 112 for life-threatening situations, and when to use the non-emergency police number or the general information line of the national government. Contact options include telephone and WhatsApp, with opening hours on working days.
Talking with neighbours and a tiny Dutch lesson
The campaign does not stop at personal checklists. A whole chapter encourages people to speak with neighbours, friends, and relatives about how they would cope together. It suggests asking simple questions: who might need extra help in the building or on the street, who already has a battery radio, and who has trouble reading complex information. The tone is gentle and inclusive, with examples of families sharing water and blankets, or neighbours checking in on each other during the second night of a long power cut.
Along the way, the booklet introduces a few Dutch words that are likely to appear in local news. A “noodpakket” is an emergency kit, the basic box of things to keep at home. A “noodplan” is the household emergency plan card. The term “veiligheidsregio” refers to the public safety region that coordinates fire, police, medical services, and public warnings. The campaign shows that learning this small vocabulary can make official advice easier to understand when it really matters.
Conclusions
A small booklet with a large ambition
The purple “Denk Vooruit” booklet arriving in letterboxes across the Netherlands at the end of 2025 has a simple aim: to make three days of self-reliance feel possible for everyone. It avoids technical language and asks for small, concrete actions that most households can spread over time. The message is not that disaster is around the corner, but that a little preparation now can reduce stress when something unexpected does happen.
The pages invite people to look around their own homes, to write down a few key details, and to speak with neighbours long before sirens or alerts sound. In a country that usually enjoys steady power, clean water, and fast networks, the booklet is a reminder that resilience is built in quiet moments at the kitchen table, long before any crisis appears on the horizon.
Selected References
- Denk Vooruit – Information booklet in Dutch, “Bereid je voor op een noodsituatie”, Netherlands government campaign site: https://www.denkvooruit.nl/informatieboekje
- Denk Vooruit – Information booklet in English, “Prepare for an emergency situation”: https://english.denkvooruit.nl/information-booklet
- Denk Vooruit – Campaign home page with background on the national preparedness effort: https://english.denkvooruit.nl/
- Netherlands government news release on the launch of the information booklet and distribution to 8.5 million households: https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/actueel/nieuws/2025/11/17/minister-van-oosten-presenteert-informatieboekje-bereid-je-voor-op-een-noodsituatie
- Netherlands government explanation of the wider “Denk Vooruit” campaign and its three main steps: https://www.nctv.nl/actueel/nieuws/2025/11/03/overheid-start-campagne-denk-vooruit-voorbereiden-op-noodsituatie-steeds-belangrijker
- NL-Alert – official information site on the national mobile warning system: https://www.nl-alert.nl/
- Nederland Veilig – national crisis information portal used during large incidents: https://www.nederlandveilig.nl/
- Ministry of Justice and Security information page on preventing crises and the role of NL-Alert and Nederland Veilig: https://www.government.nl/topics/counterterrorism-and-national-security/preventing-crises-and-disasters
- YouTube – short explanatory video about NL-Alert from a Dutch safety region authority: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aT79GUu0keA
Appendix
Denk Vooruit
Denk Vooruit is the national campaign coordinated by the Dutch National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism to help people in the Netherlands prepare for emergencies with simple, practical steps.
Emergency kit
An emergency kit is a small collection of items kept at home so that a household can manage for at least three days during a disruption, including water, food, hygiene products, light, power, simple tools, and a first-aid box.
Emergency plan
An emergency plan is a short written agreement between the people who share a home, listing who lives there, who needs extra help, key contacts, a meeting place, and the main sources of information during a crisis.
NL-Alert
NL-Alert is the national mobile phone warning system that sends loud text messages to people in a danger zone, explaining what is happening and what actions to take to stay safe.
National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism
The National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism, known in Dutch as NCTV, is the government body that guards national security, tracks major threats, and coordinates campaigns such as Denk Vooruit.
Nederland Veilig
Nederland Veilig is the official Dutch crisis information website that can be activated during large incidents to give clear, central guidance to the public about what is happening and what to do.
Rampenradio
Rampenradio is the term used for regional public radio stations that broadcast official instructions and updates during emergencies, including when other communication channels are disrupted.
Safety region
A safety region, or veiligheidsregio, is a regional public authority that coordinates emergency services such as fire brigade, police, and medical response, and decides how and where warnings like NL-Alert are sent.
Seventy-two hour preparedness
Seventy-two hour preparedness is the idea that every household should be able to cope on its own for the first three days of a major disruption, giving authorities time to organise wider help.
Siren test
A siren test is the regular monthly sounding of the outdoor warning sirens at midday on the first Monday of the month, used to check that the system works so that people will hear it if a real emergency occurs.
My Diary - Leonardo Cardillo 