Denmark's crisis preparedness: manage on your own for 3 days
Denmark asks every household to be able to take care of itself for three days in a crisis, so the authorities can help those in greatest need. Store 3 litres of water per person per day for drinking and cooking, which is 9 litres per person, and include your pets.
What this means for your household
Set your household size to see the days, water and food the Denmark advice adds up to.
Be able to manage on your own for 3 days.
Drinking water for 2 people. Official figure: 3 L per person per day (9 L for 3 days).
Person-days of food to cover (2 × 3). Pick food that needs no fridge and little or no cooking.
What to have at home
From the Danish government's 'Forberedt på kriser' (Prepared for crises) advice.
- Water: 3 L per person per day for drinking and cooking (9 L for 3 days), plus water for pets
- Food for 3 days that keeps without a fridge
- An FM radio that runs on batteries, a crank or solar power
- A torch and spare batteries
- A first aid kit and the medicines you need
- A charged power bank
How Denmark warns you
- If you hear a warning siren, go indoors and look for information from the authorities on DR or TV 2.
- S!RENEN sends warnings to phones near the danger through nearby masts. You don't need an app or to sign up, just a recent phone and operating system.
- The sirens and S!RENEN are tested once a year, on the first Wednesday in May at 12:00. In the 2025 test, 91% received the phone warning.
- When other systems fail, DR broadcasts the authorities' emergency announcements on the radio.
Denmark-specific steps
- Keep an FM radio that works without mains power. It is how you will hear DR's emergency announcements if phones and internet fail.
- Remember your pets when you store water.
- Talk with your household about who does what in a crisis and how you will contact each other.
- The 'Forberedt på kriser' campaign is now run by the Danish Agency for Societal Security (Styrelsen for Samfundssikkerhed).
Go beyond the minimum: what we recommend
Official lists cover the basics. These are the gaps we see most often when an emergency lasts longer than expected.
- Build toward 7 days of water and food, even if the official minimum is 3. Outages often last longer than planned.
- Keep paper and digital copies of IDs, insurance and prescriptions, so you can prove who you are and get medicines.
- Write the expiry date on everything and check the kit every 6 months, so it doesn't quietly go out of date.
- Plan for phone power: a charged power bank, plus a solar panel or car charger for longer outages.
- Save offline maps of your area and agree a meeting point, in case the mobile network is down.
- An offline survival guide on your phone: HAVEN tracks your kit and expiry dates and works with no signal.Download HAVEN free
Numbers to write down
- 112 · Emergency services
- 114 · Police, non-urgent
- DR (radio and TV) · Emergency broadcasts
Keep a paper copy: your phone may be flat when you need it.
Your kit, ready when the network isn't
HAVEN tracks your 3-day supplies and shows when you reach a week, with offline guides on your phone if the power and network go down.
- Coverage in days for your household
- Expiry reminders
- Offline guides and AI
- Free to start, no account needed
How Denmark compares
Denmark: 3 days. Across the 25 governments we checked, most ask for 3 days, a growing group asks for a week, and Austria asks for the most, at 10 to 14 days. See every country's advice.
Denmark preparedness FAQ
How many days of supplies does Denmark recommend?
Three days. If your household can manage on its own for three days, the authorities can help those with the greatest need.
How much water should I store in Denmark?
3 litres per person per day for drinking and cooking, which is 9 litres per person for three days. Include water for pets.
What should I do if I hear the warning siren?
Go indoors and look for information from the authorities on DR or TV 2.
Do I need an app for S!RENEN?
No. S!RENEN sends warnings to phones near the danger through nearby masts. You just need a recent phone with an up-to-date operating system.
When are the Danish sirens tested?
Once a year, on the first Wednesday in May at 12:00.
Official sources
- Forberedt på kriser
- Prepared for crises (English)
- Den årlige test af varslingskanalerne
- Varsling (Politi)
This page summarises official advice and is not a substitute for it. Always follow the instructions of your local emergency services. Last checked 2 November 2026.