72-hour power outage in the Netherlands: emergency kit guide

What you need to know

A major power outage in the Netherlands can affect far more than lights and sockets. Home internet, card payments, cash machines, heating and hot-water systems, lifts, electronic access, traffic lights and parts of the mobile network may stop working. During a prolonged disruption, water pressure may eventually fall as well. Current Dutch guidance asks households to be able to look after themselves for the first 72 hours when essential services are unavailable.

This is not an invitation to panic-buy. A useful emergency kit starts with items already in your home and is adapted to your household, health, housing, children, pets and care needs.

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1. Is the outage only in your home?

Check whether a breaker has tripped. Reset it only when there is no smell of burning, sparking, water, damaged wiring or another obvious danger. If it trips again, do not keep resetting it; contact a qualified electrician, landlord or housing provider.

✓ Check streetlights, shared hallways and nearby homes
✓ Ask neighbours whether they have power
✓ Call the national outage number: 0800-9009
✓ Call 112 only for immediate danger, fire or a medical emergency

If mobile data still works, check your grid operator, municipality or safety region. An ordinary outage is not, by itself, a reason to occupy the emergency line.

2. The first 15 minutes

Your first priorities are preventing damage, saving communication capacity and keeping cold air inside the fridge and freezer. Dutch government guidance advises unplugging appliances to reduce the chance of damage when the supply returns.

✓ Unplug computers, televisions and other sensitive appliances
✓ Leave one lamp switched on so you notice when power returns
✓ Keep the fridge and freezer closed
✓ Put your phone in low-power mode and avoid unnecessary streaming
✓ Follow official information, NL-Alert and your regional broadcaster
✓ Check neighbours who may need practical help

3. How much water is needed for 72 hours?

Dutch guidance recommends 3 litres of drinking water per person per day. For three days, that is 9 litres per person: 9 litres for one person, 18 for two, 27 for three and 36 for four. Add more for formula preparation, medical needs, hot weather and pets.

Store sealed water in a cool, dark and reachable place. Several manageable containers are often more practical than one very heavy container. Check dates and rotate the supply through normal household use.

4. Food that still works without electricity

Emergency food does not need to be expensive or specialised. Choose shelf-stable products your household already eats, preferably items that are ready to eat or need very little preparation.

✓ Tinned beans, vegetables, fish or fruit
✓ Crispbread, crackers, wraps, oats, nuts and dried fruit
✓ Long-life milk, small spreads and fruit cups
✓ A manual can opener and simple cutlery
✓ Food for allergies, diabetes or other dietary needs
✓ Baby food, pet food and suitable water for formula

If you do not have a safe outdoor cooking option, keep enough food that can be eaten without heating. Never use a charcoal barbecue, camping stove or generator inside a home, tent, garage or other enclosed place.

5. Light, power and reliable information

Keep a torch or head torch where it can be found in darkness and store the correct spare batteries with it. Recharge power banks regularly and keep the cables for essential devices nearby. A battery or wind-up radio can provide regional information when home internet and mobile networks are unreliable.

Use a torch before reaching for candles. If candles are used, place them on a stable, heat-resistant surface away from curtains, children and pets, and never leave them unattended. Combustion devices can produce fatal carbon monoxide and must never be used indoors.

6. Cash, keys and paper records

Card terminals, cash machines and mobile payments may not work during a power or communications failure. Current Dutch guidance suggests keeping €70 per adult and €30 per child for the first 72 hours. This is an advisory amount and can be built up gradually.

✓ Small notes and coins for easier exact payment
✓ Waterproof copies of identity documents
✓ Printed emergency, GP and care-provider contacts
✓ Spare home and car keys
✓ More than one payment option where possible

7. Keeping warm safely

Most central-heating and hot-water systems also need electricity. In cold weather, close windows and internal doors and concentrate household activity in the smallest room that is practical to keep warm. Wear several loose layers and use blankets, hats and warm socks. Pay extra attention to babies, older people and anyone in poor health.

Never bring a barbecue, camping stove or generator indoors for heat. Keep existing ventilation openings clear. If you have a carbon-monoxide alarm, maintain it according to its instructions.

8. Is food in the fridge or freezer still safe?

Keep the doors closed and judge food by temperature and thawing condition, not by smell alone. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre, Voedingscentrum, advises using a fridge thermometer:

✓ Above 10°C: discard high-risk foods such as meat, fish, meat products, soft cheese, smoked fish and cut vegetables
✓ Above 15°C: milk, yoghurt and opened sauces or soups should also be discarded
✓ Frozen food that is still hard can generally go back into the freezer
✓ If the outside has softened, do not refreeze; chill it and eat it within 2 days
✓ If fully thawed, discard high-risk meat and fish and deal with other items promptly

Pregnant people, young children, older people and anyone with reduced immunity should take a more cautious approach.

9. Make the kit fit your household

A generic checklist is only a starting point. Consider anything that cannot safely wait for 72 hours: prescription medicines, hearing-aid batteries, glasses, mobility equipment, refrigerated medicines, powered medical devices, period products, baby supplies and pet medication.

If health or mobility depends on electricity, a lift, electronic access, charging or refrigeration, make an individual plan in advance with your doctor, pharmacist, care provider, landlord or equipment supplier. Do not wait for an outage to learn how backup power and safe shutdown procedures work.

10. Apartments, lifts and electronic doors

Apartment residents should check what happens to lifts, stair access, underground garage doors, intercoms, electronic locks and escape routes when power is lost. Do not force or dismantle unfamiliar building systems.

Arrange for a trusted neighbour or carer to check in. If stairs cannot be used safely or essential equipment requires charging, identify realistic charging, backup-power and assistance options before a disruption.

11. A household plan for a time without signal

Your plan should name a meeting point, one contact outside the local area, and who checks children, older people and pets. Print key numbers and medical information instead of storing everything only on a phone.

✓ Write down your regional broadcaster and safety-region name
✓ Agree where to meet if calls and messages fail
✓ Assign someone to check neighbours who could be missed
✓ Show everyone where the kit, torch and fuse box are
✓ Practise once without assuming internet or lift access

12. Build the kit without panic-buying

In week one, check what you already own. In week two, add water and shelf-stable food. In week three, add light, a radio, power banks and first aid. In week four, add personal items, cash, documents and spare keys. Store everything together in a dry, reachable place and keep a backpack ready if you need to leave.

Review food dates, batteries, medicines, children’s needs, pet supplies and contact details every six months. Use the Dutch government’s official 72-hour emergency-kit checklist, power-outage instructions, the Voedingscentrum food-safety guide and the Denk Vooruit preparedness platform.

Hokimi field note: The most useful emergency kit is not the most expensive one. It is the kit everyone can find, understands how to use and checks regularly.