Germany will reportedly tell citizens to stockpile food, water in case of major attack

German Chancellor Angela Merkel. — (Image credit: Adam Berry/Getty Images)

In the wake of stabbing attacks and a shooting rampage last month, the German government is planning to tell citizens they should prepare themselves for a catastrophic event by having a stockpile of food and water, a German newspaper reports.

On Sunday, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung said the Interior Ministry has prepared a 69-page "Concept for Civil Defense" that states the "population will be obliged to hold an individual supply of food for 10 days" and have enough drinking water to last five days. This would be the first time Germany issues such an order since the end of the Cold War.

The paper says the report calls for Germans to "prepare appropriately for a development that could threaten our existence and cannot be categorically ruled out in the future," and says there needs to be a better plan in place to protect buildings and offer mental health support. An Interior Ministry spokesman said the cabinet will discuss the plan on Wednesday, but he would not share any other details.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.