# Only 9% of Dutch people have an emergency plan

> A Red Cross survey finds that while 46% of Dutch people now keep an emergency kit at home, few have agreed what to do if power or the internet fails.

Society · published 2026-10-27 06:46 · https://nlnow.nl/a/only-9-of-people-in-the-netherlands-have-an-emergency-plan/

Just 9% of Dutch people have a plan ready for when things "actually go wrong", the Red Cross says. One in five has made arrangements with people around them about help and contact during an emergency, according to a survey of just over a thousand people.

More people do own an emergency kit: 46% now, up from 33% in 2025. Only half of Dutch people know how an emergency radio works, the Red Cross says.

Suzanne Segaar, head of national assistance (Nationale Hulp) at the Red Cross, called the rise in kits positive but not enough. "If the power is out for a long time or important websites and systems are unavailable, as happened last week because of the PHP flaw, it is at least as important that you know what to do," she said.

Among respondents without a plan, almost 19% say it is not necessary. About 15% do not want to think about emergencies and about 10% find it hard to ask for help.

The Red Cross offers free online cards that people can fill in to make a plan. They list who lives in the household, important phone numbers, where the first-aid kit is and where family and friends gather.

The government's Denk Vooruit campaign, which first focused on the emergency kit, now also covers making arrangements with family, friends or neighbours.

## Background

- **Denk Vooruit**: Denk Vooruit is a Dutch government information campaign, run by the national government, that encourages people to prepare for emergencies and crises such as power cuts, flooding or other disruptions. It asks households to put together an emergency kit and to make practical arrangements for looking after each other, for example with family, friends or neighbours.

From NLnow, news from the Netherlands in English. How stories are made: https://nlnow.nl/about/