The brochure In case of crisis or war will soon be delivered to over five million households in Sweden
The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) will begin mailing out the latest version of the brochure In case of crisis or war on 18 November. Every household in the country, a total of 5,2 million, will receive the brochure out over a period of two weeks.
The digital version was published at msb.se in October. Thus far, it has been downloaded approximately 55,000 times. From Monday 18 November, MSB will begin mailing the printed version of the brochure In case of crisis or war to all Swedish households. This is the fifth such brochure to be published since the Second World War.
The Swedish brochure will be sent out to every household in Sweden.
“Please read it, follow its advice and save your copy for future reference. The brochure In case of crisis or war contains vital information that affects everyone living in Sweden who is 16 years of age or over. The national security situation has changed drastically and we all need to strengthen our resilience to various crises and, ultimately, war,” says Mikael Frisell, Director General of the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB).
“Sweden is one of the few countries in the world to communicate with its entire population about civil preparedness for crises and war by sending a brochure to every household. The new brochure sends an important message about the need to be prepared to defend our open society and our democracy,” says Christina Andersson, project manager for the brochure at MSB.
Greater emphasis on preparing for war
The new brochure covers more areas than the last version, which was published in 2018, and places greater emphasis on preparing for war. It provides concrete advice about how to prepare for both crisis and war, and on how to react in the event of a serious incident. The new brochure contains a number of bulleted lists and checklists to make it easier to digest the most important information. Among the new areas covered are:
- advice on evacuation
- advice on how to stop bleeding
- advice for people who need extra support
- advice on dealing with anxiety
- advice on preparedness for pets
- advice on how to speak to children about crisis and war.
“We hope that, by sending out the brochure, we will remind people of the importance of considering and strengthening their preparedness. We are living in a time when awareness of the various risks and threats and our ability to deal with them must be part of our everyday lives,” says Christina Andersson.
Other versions of the brochure
A digital version of the brochure was published at msb.se on 8 October. The brochure will also be sent to electronic mailboxes, after the printed version has been distributed. The brochure being sent to households is in Swedish, but it will also be possible to order a printed version in easySwedish and in English. There will also be audio versions in Swedish and English, a Swedish sign-language version, a Braille version and a brief video version on msb.se. Digital versions will also be available translated into the following languages: Arabic, Persian/Farsi, Ukrainian, Polish, Somali, Finnish, Meänkieli, Romani Arli, Northern Sami and Southern Sami.
Children
While the brochure is intended for those who are 16 years of age or over, children may well come into contact with the contents in various ways. A child-friendly explanation of the information in the brochure will be published on the website Lilla Krisinfo, which is part of Krisinformation.se, a website containing emergency information from Swedish government authorities. This information will be published on 18 November, the same day as the first brochures are mailed out.
Public contact centre
MSB has initiated a helpline that members of the public can call with questions. The number is 0771 - 240 240. From 18 to 29 November, the helpline will be open on weekdays between 08:00 and 20:00 and on weekends between 09:00 and 16:00. From 30 November, the helpline will be open on weekdays between 09:00 and 16:00. Questions can also be emailed to broschyren@msb.se. While the primary target group for the contact centre is the general public, municipalities, county administrative boards and other stakeholders are also welcome to contact MSB via these channels.