Emergency preparedness in Argentina: the official guidance

Short answer. In Argentina, SINAGIR, the national risk-management system run by the Federal Emergency Agency (Agencia Federal de Emergencias, AFE) of the Ministry of National Security, asks every household to keep an emergency backpack or bag ready in case it must leave home quickly. The official list covers one day of water and food ¹. The national emergency number is 911 ⁴. No public blast or fallout shelter network is published ²³.

Who is responsible for civil preparedness in Argentina?

SINAGIR and the Federal Emergency Agency, under the Ministry of National Security, publish the household guidance: the Emergency Kit page and the Family Emergency Plan ¹². Three other national bodies cover specific risks:

• The Nuclear Regulatory Authority (Autoridad Regulatoria Nuclear, ARN) publishes the protection measures for people living within 10 km of a nuclear power plant ³⁸.
• The National Meteorological Service (Servicio Meteorológico Nacional, SMN) issues colour-coded weather warnings ⁶.
• ENACOM, the communications regulator, runs the AlertAR cell broadcast project ⁵.

Civil Defence (Defensa Civil) answers on 103 ⁴.

What is on each page?

• Emergency supplies: an emergency backpack with one day of water and food, documents in an airtight bag, and the extra items the ARN asks for near nuclear plants ¹³.
• Kit: SINAGIR's 13-item emergency backpack, line by line ¹.
• Public shelters: Argentina publishes no blast or fallout shelters; households identify a safe zone within 2-3 blocks, and near nuclear plants people shelter indoors ²³.
• Alerts: SMN yellow, orange and red weather levels ⁶; the AlertAR cell broadcast system, approved and funded in November 2025 but not yet confirmed as operational ⁵; sirens, loudspeakers and local FM radio near nuclear plants ³.
• Iodine: tablets are handed out within 10 km of a nuclear plant when a green alert is declared, and taken only at the red alarm ³⁸.
• Build a shelter: no national law, permit or standard for private shelters was found.
• Emergency contacts: 911, 100, 103, 105, 106, 107 and other national lines ⁴.

There is no Argentina page on shelter standards: no national technical standard or approval scheme for civil protection shelters is published.

What are the official preparedness publications?

There is no national printed preparedness booklet. SINAGIR publishes two web pages, the Plan Familiar de Emergencias and the Kit de Emergencias ²¹. For people near nuclear plants, the ARN publishes two leaflets: ¿Qué hacer en una emergencia nuclear? (2025) and Medidas de protección a la población hasta los 10 km de la Central Nuclear ⁸³. Argentina's three operating power reactors are Atucha I and Atucha II in Lima, Zárate (Buenos Aires province) and Embalse (Córdoba province) ⁷.

Where do I start?

Pack the emergency backpack (kit), work out your family plan with a safe zone and a meeting point (emergency supplies), and note the emergency numbers (emergency contacts). If you live near Atucha or Embalse, read the iodine page and the alerts page. The official list covers one day; our guides on the 72-hour kit, the family plan and nuclear plant zones go further.

Frequently asked questions

How long should Argentine households be prepared for?

SINAGIR's emergency backpack holds water and food for one day ¹. No longer home-stockpile duration is published.

What number do I call in an emergency in Argentina?

911 is the national emergency centre for police and ambulance ⁴. The fire brigade is 100 and Civil Defence is 103 ⁴.

Does Argentina have public bomb shelters?

No national authority publishes a network of public blast or fallout shelters ²³. Protection relies on evacuation to a safe zone and, near nuclear plants, on sheltering indoors ²³.

Does Argentina have phone emergency alerts?

Not yet confirmed. ENACOM approved and funded the AlertAR cell broadcast project in November 2025 ⁵, but it was not confirmed as operational on 20 October 2026: no award or public test of the platforms was found.

Sources

1. SINAGIR - Agencia Federal de Emergencias, Ministerio de Seguridad Nacional — Kit de Emergencias — https://www.argentina.gob.ar/sinagir/kit-de-emergencias (accessed 2026-10-20)
2. SINAGIR - Agencia Federal de Emergencias, Ministerio de Seguridad Nacional — Plan Familiar de Emergencias — https://www.argentina.gob.ar/sinagir/plan-familiar-de-emergencias (accessed 2026-10-20)
3. Autoridad Regulatoria Nuclear (ARN) — Medidas de protección a la población hasta los 10 km de la Central Nuclear — https://www.argentina.gob.ar/sites/default/files/2025/09/medidas_de_proteccion_poblacion.pdf (accessed 2026-10-20)
4. Gobierno de la República Argentina (argentina.gob.ar) — Emergencias — https://www.argentina.gob.ar/tema/emergencias (accessed 2026-10-20)
5. Boletín Oficial de la República Argentina — Resolución 1387/2025 - Ente Nacional de Comunicaciones — https://www.boletinoficial.gob.ar/detalleAviso/primera/334807/20251120 (accessed 2026-10-20)
6. Servicio Meteorológico Nacional (SMN) — Alertas (Sistema de Alerta Temprana) — https://www.smn.gob.ar/alertas (accessed 2026-10-20)
7. Autoridad Regulatoria Nuclear (ARN) — Centrales nucleares en Argentina — https://www.argentina.gob.ar/arn/informacion-para-la-comunidad/centrales-nucleares-en-argentina (accessed 2026-10-20)
8. Autoridad Regulatoria Nuclear (ARN) — ¿Qué hacer en una emergencia nuclear? — https://www.argentina.gob.ar/sites/default/files/2025/09/que_hacer_en_emergencia_nuclear_2025.pdf (accessed 2026-10-20)