While a recent planned nationwide public warning test last month was declared a success, the arrival of Storm Johannes at the end of the year was a reminder of how force majeure incidents can strike. The storm left over 14,000 electricity customers without power.

Then on New Year's Eve, up to half of Tallinn's population was temporarily without running water due to the convergence of several factors. When news of this shortage broke, panic buying of bottled water was seen at some supermarkets.

Defense League member Klemens-Augustinus Kasemaa has published a book aimed at helping civilians prepare for crises, to remedy that situation.

"I would give Estonia's state preparedness a solid four, but it's not a five, and some of our neighbors are doing better. Poland certainly has very good material, Ukraine of course, and among the Scandinavian countries Sweden and Norway. Estonia can definitely do better; not everything is covered," he told "Vikerhommik."

"The emergency alert signal has been tested several times this autumn, but what happens beyond that is not known," he noted.

His new book seeks to change mindsets. "Everyone has to think things through for themselves, make their own plan, and then, depending on whether they are at home or at work, that plan needs to be multifaceted," Kasemaa went on.

Members of the public can and indeed should perform their own threat assessment triage. "First of all, you have to understand the situation — why the emergency alert came: is it just another test or is it a real threat, and if it is a real threat, what kind of threat it is. Depending on that threat, you then take further action," Kasemaa said.

"In that sense, there is no universal magic solution; everyone has to look at things according to their own possibilities." That said, preparedness does not have to mean a constant state of anxiety. "My view is that it should be taken as an opportunity to make your own plan," he said.

Such simple steps as improving one's physical fitness can also help in being crisis ready, he went on.

Titled "Valmisolek vastupanuks. I osa (tänasest D-hetkeni)" ("Preparedness for resistance. Part I (from today until D-day)"), Kasemaa's book was published in November and has been described as the most extensive Estonian-language manual focusing on the topic.

Kasemaa was more modest about its reach. "Everything needed is covered there. [But] given its scope and size, it is certainly not exhaustive," he noted. Really, it makes up part of a larger whole. "This is one part of a bigger project — essentially a comprehensive set of guidance for resistance in the event of a potential military conflict. The first part is somewhat more universal and also addresses other types of crises, for example even something like today's (December 30 – ed.) heavy snowfall."

The civilian Rescue Board's (Päästeamet) crisis preparedness information "Ole Valmis!" is available in English here.

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