The First 72 Hours: Your Survival Plan
In real life, a crisis rarely starts with Hollywood explosions and immediate announcements in all media. Much more often, it is heralded by a disturbing silence: a sudden power outage, silent internet, a non-functioning terminal in a store, or an ATM informing about a "technical break." In this first, most chaotic phase – the key first 72 hours – what you have in your head and in your closet decides whether you will last until the state systems start to function efficiently again. As a preparation practitioner and crisis communication specialist, I must say it clearly: the state in the first days of conflict or disaster will not find time to supply every citizen. The municipality has a statutory obligation to secure resources, but you must be the first link in your defense. To survive this time without panic, you need specific action algorithms.
1. The STOP Rule – Your Psychological Shield
When you hear alarm signals or realize a blackout and power failure has occurred, your biggest enemy is not the lack of power, but cortisol and panic. People in affect make decisions that, instead of saving, bring danger upon them. Therefore, professionals use the STOP algorithm (Stop, Take a breath, Observe, Proceed):
- Stop: Do not make chaotic movements under crowd instinct. If you are in the office, do not run immediately to the exit just because others are doing so. If you are at home, put down your phone and stop refreshing social media full of rumors.
- Take a breath: Take three deep breaths. This is not coaching advice, but a biological necessity – mastering emotions lowers cortisol levels and restores the ability to think logically. Your survival psychology depends on whether your brain returns to analytical mode.
- Observe: Spend 15 seconds assessing the situation. Where is your family? Do you have your 72H backpack at hand? Is your car kit ready? Verify information at the sources, not in Facebook comments.
- Proceed: Take action only when you have created a plan in your head. Adequacy is the key – you react differently to a neighbor's fire and differently to an attack in cyberspace.
2. The 4U Protocol – Survival in the Face of Direct Threat
In the era of hybrid warfare, threats can appear on the street in the form of a terrorist attack or diversion. In such moments, we use the 4U algorithm (Understand, Undercover, Unfold, Unitize - based on the Polish: Uważaj, Uciekaj, Ukryj się, Udaremnij):
The 4U Algorithm
3. Information Silence and Data Verification
In a crisis, information is more valuable than gold. To avoid the traps of disinformation, you must have reliable sources of information. Your basic tool should be a battery-powered or crank radio, preferably supporting longwave (LW) and shortwave (SW). A radio signal is much harder to block than a GSM network or the Internet.
Apply the rule of three sources: information is reliable only if you confirm it in three independent channels (e.g., RCB Alert message + RSO app + official radio). If a message causes extreme emotions, check it twice as carefully – emotions are the enemy's ammunition.
4. Logistics of the First 72 Hours: Food and Water
When water supplies stop working, your foundation is water storage. Forget the minimum 2 liters – the survival standard ensuring health and hygiene is 8 liters per person per day. For the first 72 hours, you need 24 liters of clean water for each household member. Your first reflex after hearing an alarm should be to fill the tub and all free containers.
Have tools at hand in case supplies run out. Effective water purification from a river or rainwater is not only chlorine dioxide tablets but primarily gravity filters or simply boiling for a minimum of 2 minutes.
As for food supplies, aim for long-term products with an energy density of at least 2500 kcal per day. Rice, beans, pasta, and canned meat are the basics, but don't forget morale – honey, coffee, and favorite snacks can save your psychological state in a dark basement.
5. Documentation and Financial Security
In a crisis, a physical ID or title deed may be destroyed. Therefore, documents and copies are key. Digitize everything on an encrypted medium (pendrive) and have printed scans in your backpack. During evacuation, you must be able to prove who you are and that the children you are leading are yours.
Take care of financial security by having a cash supply in three currencies (PLN, USD, EUR) and a small amount of investment gold or jewelry, which is easier to transport across the border. Remember that during a blackout, a payment card is just a piece of plastic.
6. Community – Key to Survival
Modern housing estates are often anonymous deserts, which is a fatal mistake in a crisis. Statistics are relentless: individuals acting in a group have a 2.5 times higher chance of survival. Therefore, neighborly cooperation is not altruism, it's cold calculation.
Find out who behind the wall is a doctor, mechanic, or firefighter. Establish rules for protecting the block against scavengers and an information exchange system with neighbors. Remember that a local support network will be your closest rescue when central systems are paralyzed.
7. Training and Gear: From Theory to Muscle Memory
The best gear without skills is just unnecessary ballast. Your preparations must include regular training and skills. The most important thing you can learn today is providing first aid – stopping hemorrhages and using a tactical tourniquet.
Test your system. Turn off the power for the weekend and try to prepare a meal on a tourist stove. Check if your sleeping bag actually warms and if the batteries in the flashlight haven't leaked. Prepare Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C for your family. Only what is practiced in peacetime will work in the hour of trial.
In summary, the first 72 hours is a test of your preparation. You don't have to be a 'lone wolf' with a machete in the woods. You must be a conscious citizen who knows how to read the modulated sound of a siren, how to secure the family at home, and how to cooperate with the environment. Your safety begins with today's decision not to remain indifferent to the signals flowing from the world.
Take care of health prevention while the system still works smoothly. Your preparation is the only resource no one can take from you.
FAQs about the First 72h
helpWhy are 72 hours specifically key?
This is the time needed for state services to organize humanitarian aid and restore basic infrastructure after a sudden event.
helpWhat is the most important thing to do in the first hour?
Apply the STOP algorithm, gather the family, check water supplies (fill the tub), and turn on the battery radio.
