STOCKHOLM, May 21 (Xinhua) -- The Swedish state plans to send out a brochure to all Swedish households titled If Crisis or War Comes, the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) announced on Monday.
The aim of the brochure, which will be sent out to 4.8 million homes next week, is to help Swedes become better prepared for everything from serious accidents and extreme weather to IT attacks and military conflicts.
"We could face societal risks and so we need to be prepared to cope on our own for a few days before social services become available to assist us," Dan Eliasson, director-general of MSB, told Swedish television on Monday.
The government tasked MSB with compiling the brochure, which is written in simple Swedish and is also available in a total of 13 languages. It contains tips for how to ensure you can access water, food and heating in case of a crisis, and it lists tips for how to communicate with one's surroundings in emergency situations.
This is the fifth time that a brochure of this kind has been produced in Sweden. Brochures were also distributed in 1943, 1952 and 1961. One was also produced in 1987 but it was never distributed to Swedish households. The information contained in the brochure could also be found in the national telephone catalogues until they were cancelled in 2016.
"Society becomes more and more vulnerable," said Eliasson. "The more dependent we become on electricity and the internet, the more serious the consequences will be in case of problems with electricity or internet provision," he added.
However, Eliasson also said that there is no reason to panic when receiving the brochure. "You definitely should not become scared. You should see it as an expression of society's concern for you as a person living in Sweden. Think beforehand so that, in case something happens, you have food and water at home," Eliasson said.
