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Emergency preparedness in Norway: the official guidance

Norway's DSB asks households to manage alone for one week. Shelters, sirens, Nødvarsel, iodine and emergency numbers, verified 2026-10-20.

Updated 2026-10-20· 11 official sources· Les på norsk

Norway at a glance

updated 2026-10-20
SuppliesThe Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection (DSB) recommends that as many people as possible be able to manage on their own for one week (raised from at least three days in May 2024).sourcedPublic sheltersNorway has nearly 19,000 shelters with room for nearly 2.5 million people, but only about 600 are public (about 300,000 places); the rest are private shelters reserved for the people who normally use the building.sourcedAlertsNorway uses about 1,250 outdoor sirens (tyfoner) in towns and cities, run by the Civil Defence (Sivilforsvaret), plus Nødvarsel, a cell-broadcast alert sent by the police and Civil Defence to phones in a defined area.sourcedIodinePotassium iodide tablets (Jodix, Kaliumjodid SERB) are sold without prescription in pharmacies, and the Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (DSA) recommends keeping them at home if you are under 40, pregnant, breastfeeding or have children living at home.sourcedPrivate shelterUnder the Civil Protection Act, developers must build private shelters for people who normally use a property where a shelter duty applies (the 1995 regulation sets it for buildings over 1,000 m²), but construction has been halted since 1998 and every exemption request is granted.sourcedShelter standardsTechnical requirements are set by the Regulation on shelters of 1995 (Forskrift om tilfluktsrom, last amended 2023): shelters must allow a continuous stay of 6 hours, with ventilation that filters radiological, biological and chemical agents and keeps overpressure, plus clean water, sanitation and electrical installations.sourcedEmergency numbersNorway uses separate emergency numbers: 110 fire, 112 police, 113 medical emergency, plus 1412 for the deaf and hard of hearing.sourced
Crisis bookletIn autumn 2024 DSB mailed a new brochure with updated self-preparedness advice to every household in Norway ('Slik bidrar du til Norges beredskap', in English 'How you can play your part in Norway's emergency preparedness'); a survey published in December 2024 found 93% knew the authorities' advice and 64% had read all or part of the brochure.sourced
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Short answer. The Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection (DSB) recommends that as many people as possible be able to manage on their own for one week, with about 20 litres of drinking water per person, food for the whole household and at least seven days' extra supply of regular medicines 1. DSB mailed this advice to every household in autumn 2024 2. Verified on 20 October 2026.

Who is responsible for civil protection in Norway?

Several national bodies share the work 1345:

Body Role
Direktoratet for samfunnssikkerhet og beredskap (DSB) Civil protection, self-preparedness advice, Nødvarsel
Sivilforsvaret (Norwegian Civil Defence) Shelters, sirens, sending Nødvarsel with the police
Direktoratet for strålevern og atomsikkerhet (DSA) Nuclear preparedness, iodine tablets
Nødvarsel Cell-broadcast emergency alerts

What does the official household advice say?

In autumn 2024 DSB sent the brochure How you can play your part in Norway's emergency preparedness to all households in Norway 12. A survey published in December 2024 found that 93% knew the authorities' advice and 64% had read all or part of the brochure 2. Language versions are on sikkerhverdag.no, and DSB has held a self-preparedness week (Egenberedskapsuka) in week 44 every year since 2019, except 2020 6.

What is covered on each page?

  • Emergency supplies: one week of self-sufficiency, raised from at least three days in May 2024; about 20 litres of water per person 16.
  • Official kit list: DSB's list item by item, from water and food to cash, a DAB radio and iodine tablets 17.
  • Public shelters: nearly 19,000 shelters with nearly 2.5 million places, of which about 600 public shelters with about 300,000 places, shown on kart.dsb.no 38.
  • Alerts: about 1,250 sirens, three signals, tests twice a year, and the Nødvarsel cell-broadcast system 95.
  • Iodine: potassium iodide is sold without prescription in pharmacies; DSA recommends keeping tablets at home if you are under 40, pregnant, breastfeeding or have children living at home 4.
  • Emergency contacts: 110 fire, 112 police, 113 medical emergency, 1412 for the deaf and hard of hearing 1.
  • Build a shelter: what the Civil Protection Act requires of developers, and why new shelter construction has been halted since 1998 310.
  • Shelter standards: the 1995 Regulation on shelters, built around a continuous 6-hour stay 11.

Where do I start?

Read the emergency supplies page, check your household against the kit list, and find the public shelter nearest to home and work on the public shelters page. The general guides on /guides/family-plan and /guides/shelter-or-evacuate complement the Norwegian advice.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a Norwegian household be able to manage alone?

One week. DSB raised its recommendation from at least three days to one week in May 2024 16.

Did every household receive the preparedness brochure?

DSB mailed the brochure to all households in Norway in autumn 2024 2.

Which radio channel carries emergency information?

NRK P1 is the emergency channel for public information; DSB recommends a DAB radio that works without mains power 19.

Who decides when to take iodine tablets?

Only the authorities, through the Crisis Committee for Nuclear Preparedness 4.

Sources

  1. Direktoratet for samfunnssikkerhet og beredskap (DSB) — How you can play your part in Norway's emergency preparedness – Advice on emergency preparedness — https://www.dsb.no/siteassets/sikkerhverdag/egenberedskap/brosjyren/dsb-egenberedskap-engelsk-web.pdf (accessed 2026-10-20)
  2. Direktoratet for samfunnssikkerhet og beredskap (DSB) — Befolkningen har fått med seg beredskapsrådene — https://www.dsb.no/aktuelt/befolkningen-har-fatt-med-seg-beredskapsradene/ (accessed 2026-10-20)
  3. Sivilforsvaret — Spørsmål og svar om tilfluktsrom — https://www.sivilforsvaret.no/dette-er-sivilforsvaret/tilfluktsrom/sporsmal-og-svar-om-tilfluktsrom/ (accessed 2026-10-20)
  4. Direktoratet for strålevern og atomsikkerhet (DSA) — Jodtabletter ved atomulykker — https://www.dsa.no/atomberedskap/jodtabletter (accessed 2026-10-20)
  5. Direktoratet for samfunnssikkerhet og beredskap (DSB) — Om Nødvarsel — https://www.nodvarsel.no/om-nodvarsel/ (accessed 2026-10-20)
  6. Direktoratet for samfunnssikkerhet og beredskap (DSB) — Self-preparedness (Egenberedskapsuka) — https://www.dsb.no/en/egenberedskapsuka/Self-preparedness/ (accessed 2026-10-20)
  7. Direktoratet for samfunnssikkerhet og beredskap (DSB) — Sjekkliste for din egenberedskap — https://www.dsb.no/siteassets/sikkerhverdag/egenberedskap/sjekkliste-egenberedskap-a4-bokmal.pdf (accessed 2026-10-20)
  8. Direktoratet for samfunnssikkerhet og beredskap (DSB) — Worth knowing about shelters — https://www.dsb.no/en/Safe-everyday-life/Self-preparedness/Worth-knowing-about-shelters/ (accessed 2026-10-20)
  9. Sivilforsvaret — Varsling av befolkningen — https://www.sivilforsvaret.no/dette-er-sivilforsvaret/varsling-av-befolkningen/ (accessed 2026-10-20)
  10. Lovdata / Justis- og beredskapsdepartementet — Lov om sivil beskyttelse og beredskap (sivilbeskyttelsesloven), LOV-2010-06-25-45 — https://lovdata.no/dokument/NL/lov/2010-06-25-45 (accessed 2026-10-20)
  11. Lovdata / Justis- og beredskapsdepartementet — Forskrift om tilfluktsrom, FOR-1995-03-15-254 — https://lovdata.no/dokument/SF/forskrift/1995-03-15-254 (accessed 2026-10-20)

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Sources

  1. Direktoratet for samfunnssikkerhet og beredskap (DSB) · How you can play your part in Norway's emergency preparedness – Advice on emergency preparedness checked 2026-10-20
  2. Direktoratet for samfunnssikkerhet og beredskap (DSB) · Befolkningen har fått med seg beredskapsrådene checked 2026-10-20
  3. Sivilforsvaret · Spørsmål og svar om tilfluktsrom checked 2026-10-20
  4. Direktoratet for strålevern og atomsikkerhet (DSA) · Jodtabletter ved atomulykker checked 2026-10-20
  5. Direktoratet for samfunnssikkerhet og beredskap (DSB) · Om Nødvarsel checked 2026-10-20
  6. Direktoratet for samfunnssikkerhet og beredskap (DSB) · Self-preparedness (Egenberedskapsuka) checked 2026-10-20
  7. Direktoratet for samfunnssikkerhet og beredskap (DSB) · Sjekkliste for din egenberedskap checked 2026-10-20
  8. Direktoratet for samfunnssikkerhet og beredskap (DSB) · Worth knowing about shelters checked 2026-10-20
  9. Sivilforsvaret · Varsling av befolkningen checked 2026-10-20
  10. Lovdata / Justis- og beredskapsdepartementet · Lov om sivil beskyttelse og beredskap (sivilbeskyttelsesloven), LOV-2010-06-25-45 checked 2026-10-20
  11. Lovdata / Justis- og beredskapsdepartementet · Forskrift om tilfluktsrom, FOR-1995-03-15-254 checked 2026-10-20

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