France preparing 'nuclear survival manuals' for households amid security concerns
What's the story
The French government is reportedly planning to send a detailed "survival manual" to each household in the country.
The 20-page booklet, pending approval by Prime Minister Francois Bayrou, seeks to prepare citizens with strategies for tackling possible dangers like armed conflict, health crisis or natural disaster.
The manuals are expected to be sent out before summer.
Content
Manual to cover various emergency scenarios
Per French media, the survival manual will have three sections.
The first will give advice on how to protect oneself and others during a crisis.
The second will give advice for immediate action when a threat is imminent, including emergency contacts, radio channels, and safety measures like closing doors and windows in case of a nuclear threat.
Community involvement
Manual encourages community involvement in crisis situations
The survival manual's third part will motivate citizens to contribute to their community's defense. This may include enlisting in reserve units or firefighting groups.
The manual also recommends households prepare a "survival kit" with essentials like six liters of water, a dozen tins of food, batteries, a torch, and basic medical supplies like paracetamol, compresses, and saline solution.
Official statement
French PM's office comments on survival manual
According to a spokesperson at Prime Minister Bayrou's office, the aim of this document is "to ensure the resilience of populations in the face of all types of crisis, whether natural, technological, cyber or security-related."
This comes after President Emmanuel Macron announced expedited and increased orders of Rafale fighter jets to bolster its air force.
Macron called on both France and Europe to brace themselves for possible confrontations with Russia, and America's possible withdrawal from the continent.
Military readiness
French military preparedness amid international tensions
Calling for readiness in his national address earlier this month, he said, "I want to believe the US will stay by our side, but we have to be ready if they don't."
Macron also said he will discuss extending the French nuclear deterrent to European allies to protect the continent.
He stated that the use of France's nuclear weapons would remain solely in the hands of the French president. France is the sole nuclear power in the European Union.