Governments Say Prepare. Here's Your Tech Checklist.

FREE: 72-Hour Tech & Scam Checklist (printable) No sign up or email needed. I want to help as many as I can.

Download it here: https://bit.ly/72HourTechScamChecklist

Print it, tick it off, and keep it with your emergency kit.

Why are governments suddenly telling everyone to prepare? The UK, France, Germany, Japan and more say to stock about 72 hours of supplies. Here's your phone checklist and the emergency scams to watch for.

Governments across Europe and beyond have urged households to keep several days of food, water, cash and essentials at home. Officials in the UK say the campaign isn't a response to any specific or imminent threat. In the U.S., the Pentagon's FORTRESS initiative reportedly requires military bases to run for 90 days without outside power, fuel, water or supply lines. It is a military requirement, not an instruction to civilians.

I don't know what's coming, and neither does anyone else. What I can tell you is that preparing once, calmly, works no matter the reason. This episode covers what most preparedness advice leaves out: your phone, your accounts, your documents, and the scams that follow every emergency.

Show Slides: https://storage.googleapis.com/mailerlite-uploads-prod/M1910647/RAE0XznuqXj6vXQdIvNOGByKeMhtXsfmACROBxd3.pdf

In this episode:

• What governments are actually saying, and what isn't confirmed
• The FORTRESS initiative: bases, not civilians
• Why preparing works whether or not they're telling the whole story
• A Stoic idea for staying calm: fear is not preparation
• The 72-hour basics
• Your tech go-bag: power banks, offline maps, a paper contact list, a radio
• Documents, accounts and printed backup codes for two-factor logins
• The scams that always follow emergencies, and the one rule that stops most of them: Stop. Close it. Call someone you trust.
• How to talk to your parents and neighbours without scaring them

Learn more

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Official preparedness guidance

Canada: https://www.canada.ca/en/services/policing/emergencies/preparedness/get-prepared/emergency-kits.html

U.S.: https://www.ready.gov

FTC scam alerts: https://consumer.ftc.gov

Elsewhere: search for your own government's official emergency preparedness page.

Notes

Details of the FORTRESS initiative come from media reports, and the Pentagon has not explicitly confirmed every figure. Advice varies by country, so always follow your local authorities. This episode is general information, not professional emergency, medical or financial advice.

What's the first thing you're doing this week? Tell me in the comments on YouTube, or send me a message. Share this episode with one person you love who might need it.

Tech 4 Grown-Ups: The Virtuous Machine helps adults 55+ and the people who love them use technology with confidence and stay safe online.