--- description: Germany is planning to urge its citizens to stockpile food, water and other supplies in the event of a catastrophe or armed attack title: Germans Will Be Asked to Stockpile Food and Water image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2c4dbc9a60b6732a/6988a31fe20a8750ffa92198/gettyimages-461817460.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Germans Will Be Asked to Stockpile Food and Water 'in Case of a Catastrophe' by [Amanda Calvo](/author/amanda-calvo/) ## Amanda Calvo Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 22, 2016 4:47 AM CUT  Products of German food producers are seen in a shelf at Gruene Woche fair on January 16, 2015 in Berlin, Germany. Products of German food producers are seen in a shelf at Gruene Woche fair on January 16, 2015 in Berlin, Germany.Michael Gottschalk—Photothek/Getty Images by [Amanda Calvo](/author/amanda-calvo/) ## Amanda Calvo Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 22, 2016 4:47 AM CUT Germany is planning to urge its citizens to stockpile food, water and other supplies in the event of a catastrophe or armed attack. According to [a report](http://www.dw.com/en/report-germany-to-require-citizens-to-stockpile-supplies-in-case-of-catastrophe/a-19491176 "undefined") by German broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW), citing the _Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung_ newspaper, the move would be the first of its kind since the end of the Cold War. The proposal is reportedly contained in a government civil-defense-strategy document, which says that people should stock 10 days worth of food and a sufficient supply of water, energy, money and medicine that would allow them to stay put long enough for the government to respond. The mood in Germany has been unsettled recently following a number of horrific incidents. In [the latest violence](http://edition.cnn.com/2016/07/24/world/ansbach-germany-blast/ "undefined"), on July 24, a Syrian suicide bomber injured 15 people at a music festival in the central German town of Ansbach. The same day, [a Syrian refugee](http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/german-machete-attack-stuttgart-reutlingen-crime-knife-attack-a7153561.html "undefined") killed a woman and injured two others with a machete in Reutlingen. Just days previous, an [ISIS-inspired attacker](http://edition.cnn.com/2016/07/18/world/germany-train-stabbing/index.html "undefined") was shot dead after stabbing several people on a train in the south of the country. The huge influx of refugees — Germany accepted more than a million last year — has sparked fears among many Germans that terrorists have entered the country under the guise of seeking asylum. Further details about Germany’s civil-defense strategy will be released on Wednesday, DW says, adding that its release comes amid “a raft of new security measures in the country.” \[[_DW_](http://www.dw.com/en/report-germany-to-require-citizens-to-stockpile-supplies-in-case-of-catastrophe/a-19491176 "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4460802/germany-stockpile-food-water-catastrophe/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4460802/germany-stockpile-food-water-catastrophe/"},"headline":"Germans Will Be Asked to Stockpile Food and Water 'in Case of a Catastrophe'","datePublished":"2016-08-22T04:47:57.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T00:06:43.507Z","description":"The mood in Germany has been unsettled recently following a number of horrific attacks","url":"https://time.com/4460802/germany-stockpile-food-water-catastrophe/","keywords":["Germany"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2c4dbc9a60b6732a/6988a31fe20a8750ffa92198/gettyimages-461817460.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Amanda Calvo","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/amanda-calvo/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2c4dbc9a60b6732a/6988a31fe20a8750ffa92198/gettyimages-461817460.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"German Food Brands","caption":"German Food Brands","creditText":"Michael Gottschalk—Photothek/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4460802/germany-stockpile-food-water-catastrophe/","name":"Germans Will Be Asked to Stockpile Food and Water 'in Case of a Catastrophe'"}}]}] ```