The work of Estonia's Stockpiling Agency (Varude keskus) is paradoxical. Food, medicines, medical equipment, and fuel are stockpiled for scenarios we hope will never happen. These include major crises in which normal supply routes are disrupted and store shelves are empty.

"This is where the national food reserve comes into play when we talk about food. It is for the darkest scenarios, situations in which the country is hit by an acute crisis, such as a military conflict with the Russian Federation. Transporting food into the country is hindered or nearly completely cut off," said Hannes Nagel, head of the Center for Crisis Studies.

The agency is not one big cave filled with eternally non-perishable food, as is often assumed, evening news show "Aktuaalne kaamera" reported on Sunday. The agency has a dozen partners that store the national food reserve at nearly 20 locations across Estonia.

Agency Director Ando Leppiman said: "As of today, we have a food reserve that would last about one week if we're talking about the entire population. What the state currently has stockpiled as ready-to-eat food includes a variety of meals that can be used immediately. We're talking about grain-based products, energy-dense items, everything that is essentially ready to eat."

Among dry goods, oats have the shortest shelf life, approximately one year, while rice lasts the longest, up to two years.

"When food approaches its expiration date, it is simply released to the market, sold to consumers, and our stock is replenished to that extent," Leppiman explained.

Twice as much food

The state wants the agency to stockpile twice as much food as it currently has, meaning there should be enough for the population for two weeks. However, since the agency cannot buy that amount with its current funding, it has begun rethinking how to avoid hunger in a crisis.

While fuel and medicine must be stockpiled in advance since they are not produced in Estonia, food is a different matter.

"We must ensure that our food production continues, that food-related logistics remain operational, and that food can still be obtained from the same stores people visit ever day," Leppiman said.

As a result, the Stockpiling Agency has begun equipping stores and fuel stations with generators and improving the continuity of food producers.

Hannes Nagel firmly disagrees with this shift in focus. Although these processes are also necessary, he argues that local production and the movement of goods will. not help if there is not enough initial food stock. The change must come from elsewhere.

Food reserves fall under the field of civil protection, which Nagel believes should be fully transferred to the Ministry of Defense.

"That would mean the ministry would have two ministers. One would deal with military national defense, and the other with the rear, with civil protection as a whole. If the military side becomes active, the rear must also be able to support the front. If they do not cooperate, the rear will eventually collapse," he said.

Keep one week of supplies at home

Civil protection needs stable funding and now eyes are turning to politicians. However, national reserves are only used as a last resort, and the authorities urge every resident to also keep supplies at home.

But Nagel believes too much responsibility has been placed on individuals. While owning a personal supply is essential, the state must recognize that the goal is unrealistic.

"If we look at the average Estonian, they live in an apartment. Space is limited. It is only possible to store a certain amount of different emergency supplies, so we cannot say that the average Estonian, especially given today's cost of living, will start buying months' worth of food and water to store in their apartment. All we can do is be glad that at least Rescue Board surveys show that over time, more people are acquiring emergency supplies," he said.

Rescue Board Director General Margo Klaos said that already well over half of people have stockpiled supplies at home and have thought through what to do if electricity or another essential service is disrupted.

While more than half are collecting supplies, only 13 percent of people are comprehensively prepared for a crisis.

Where to find crisis information:

The government launched the kriis.ee website in Estonian, English, Russian and Ukraine to provide information about crises in the country and provide guidance.

The Rescue Board's "Be Prepared!" guide can be read and downloaded here.

You can download the free "Ole valmis!" (Be prepared!) crisis preparedness app here.

ERR News republishes some of the advice below.

General recommendations

Keep elementary stocks of food, medicines and essential goods at home.
Think through what to do during a potential power outage and where to go if it is not possible to manage at home anymore because there is no heating, power or water.

Make sure that you have some cash ready in your wallet to purchase what is essential for a few days up to a week in a situation where card payments do not work due to a power or communications outage.

If you have a car, keep the fuel tank constantly at least half full and, if possible, keep some fuel at home as backup as well. Estonia has several dozen gas stations that have autonomous power supply and where it is possible to get fuel for cash even in power supply or communications are down. You can find the map of the gas stations here: https://www.espa.ee/et/autonoomse-elektritoitega-tanklad

Do not leave renewing your documents to the last moment, as the lines might lengthen when there is a power or communications outage or a cyber attack.

Recommended reserves for a week

• 21 litres of drinking water
• instant soups/puree powders
• canned soups and foods
• crackers
• canned food (meat, fruits, vegetables)
• candy, halva, cookies
• baby food if necessary
• a flashlight and backup batteries
• a radio that works on batteries
• first aid goods and medicines that the family uses
• a fully charged batter bank for charging mobile devices
• candles and matches
• a tabletop stove to heat and prepare water and food
• moist paper towels
• cash

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