The Dutch government is allocating €30 million this year to develop a nationwide network of emergency support points where residents can go for help during crises such as prolonged power cuts or disasters.

These locations will provide basic services including updated information, charging facilities via generators, access to drinking water, and the ability to report missing persons, justice minister David van Weel said.

Van Weel said he aims to ensure that every resident has an emergency point “within walking distance”. The choice of specific locations will be left to local councils, but fire stations and sports centres are among the suggested venues.

An additional €65 million a year will be earmarked from 2027 to strengthen local and regional readiness, primarily to maintain the network of support points and to fund public awareness campaigns.

The move is partly a response to growing threats from Russia, Van Weel said. “We do not expect to be in a conflict tomorrow,” he told broadcaster NOS. “But we see the world changing and we must be prepared.”

In March, Van Weel urged households to stock a 72-hour emergency kit, including food, water, a torch and a battery or solar-powered radio.

The national security council, which represents the 25 regional safety authorities, has long called for such a system of network support points. It earlier suggested fire stations as ideal locations and estimated the cost at around €100 million.

Jaap Donker, head of the Utrecht regional safety authority, welcomed the new initiative but called the simultaneous 10% cut to regional security budgets “deeply contradictory” and said he hoped the government would rethink.