France Is Prepping for Doomsday

War? Natural disaster? Another pandemic? Total collapse of democratic governments that lead to societal collapse? These are all hypotheticals that have spurred the French government to start prepping survival manuals for every household within its borders, with details on how to prepare for such "imminent" threats, reports the Guardian.

• Contents: The 20-page booklet will contain three-pronged guidance on protecting oneself and loved ones in the face of calamity; what to do immediately if trouble is on the way (including appropriate emergency numbers to call and radio stations to tune in to); and how to sign up to defend one's community, including by getting involved with local firefighting crews or reserve units.

• Survival kit: The primer will also recommend what items to stockpile (CNN has a graphic), including water, nonperishable food, medicine, flashlight and batteries, a radio, and games like cards and chess to pass the time. "The survival manual aims to encourage citizens to develop their resilience in the face of different crises," a rep for French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou tells the news outlet. Once the survival manual gets Bayrou's OK, officials hope to distribute it to the French citizenry before summer. CNN notes that similar guidance has been issued in the Nordic nations of Sweden and Finland.
• Reaction: It's split among the locals. "It's very important to be prepared for a crisis, and I think the government is taking the right steps," a 19-year-old restaurant worker told CNN. A 56-year-old Frenchwoman, however, scoffed at the necessity of such a manual. "There are other other matters that require urgent attention here in France," she said. "We survived COVID, and we will manage if something else happens."
• Context: News of France's plans comes not long after President Emmanuel Macron issued a warning earlier this month of how France and Europe should get ready for a possible war with Russia, right now still in the throes of its Ukraine invasion. "Nobody can say what will happen in the months or years to come," Macron said Tuesday at a military base about investing further in military hardware to defend France, per the Guardian. "What I want is for us to be ready. What I want is for us to be protected."

(More France stories.)