Published in May, the textbook covers three core pillars of crisis preparedness in apartment buildings: relationships, supplies, and skills. It is based on the premise that achieving crisis preparedness in an apartment building is most effective at the community level — primarily within the housing cooperative. Until now, the state has focused on individuals’ personal supplies and skills, where major gaps still remain, but the community dimension of crisis preparedness has been largely overlooked.

The textbook is intended for people who want to begin developing crisis preparedness in their apartment building. It addresses both strengthening individual preparedness and initiating community-level preparedness within the cooperative. The emphasis is on communication, creating a shared crisis plan, and mobilising human resources — large buildings house many people who, with thoughtful organisation, could support one another.

The textbook also discusses personal crisis preparedness as a prerequisite for helping others. Chapter by chapter, it explains the importance of preparing for crises in an urban environment, the role of the community in a city setting, and how to begin building community-level preparedness. It also covers what to do if living in the city becomes impossible due to a crisis and evacuation becomes necessary.

The textbook can be ordered in print HERE for the cost of postage. Its development and printing were supported through the Väike-Õismäe community civil protection project by the National Foundation of Civil Society and the Estonian Ministry of the Interior, and the content has been reviewed and approved by the Estonian Rescue Board.

Photo: Estonia’s first apartment building community crisis preparedness textbook (Kriisiuuringute Keskus, 2025).

Part of the last event of the Crisis Research Centre’s Spring 2025 Community Based Civil Protection initiatives was the panel discussion With Maria Derlõs (City of Tallinn), Dr. Mariia Tyschenko (NGO Poruch, Ukraine), Hannes Nagel (Crisis Research Centre), and Dr. Kadi Luht-Kallas (Estonian Ministry of Interior) joining the conversation, the goal was to compile experts with various points of view on communities and crisis readiness.

The panellists considered at the start of the conversation what we might define as community in Estonia nowadays. The main description given was people working together in the same area, for the same goal; but, communities based on interests were also emphasised: for instance, people engaged in a particular hobby in the same area can also establish a community. Dr. Luht-Kallas underlined that in times of crisis, the community close by is quite crucial since it can be challenging to get persons living far away.

“People living in large apartment blocks and prefabricated housing are particularly vulnerable in an urban environment because of their reliance on basic services such electricity, water and heating,” said head of the Crisis Research Centre Hannes Nagel. Given many people live together, both individual initiative and the management of the housing association’s crisis readiness are equally crucial. Maria Derlõs emphasised her own experience serving on a board of a housing association and noted that, in order to effectively involve residents—including on crisis readiness—the boards of housing associations require particular support and training. Participants observed that, in terms of crisis preparedness and crisis management, the communication among residents—whether or not it occurs in housing associations—is rather crucial.

Dr Tyschenko, who shared her experience of more than ten years of war in Ukraine, echoed this point underlining the need of housing associations having a messaging app allowing for quick messaging—be it Facebook Messenger, Signal, or another group chat system. Furthermore mentioned by Dr Tyschenko was the so-called “social networking” should guide those in the building who cannot or do not know how to use such applications for whatever reason”. Should some members of the house find themselves unable to use these applications for some reason, it is advised that they use the traditional approaches of either knocking on the door or, for messages less time-sensitive, writing them on the stairwell notice board. Therefore, it is crucial that the residents’ or the management of the housing association have a general awareness of the neighbours who might require this type of information-sharing help.

To help those living in apartment buildings be more ready for various crises, the Crisis Research Centre has created a useful textbook. The textbook tackles relationships, reserves and skills as three pillars of community crisis preparedness. The strategy is predicated on the knowledge that, especially in terms of the cooperative, the most efficient approach to get ready for a crisis is to do it at the community level. Although Estonia has lately focused more on the degree of personal stocks and skills, the community approach has been subordinated. The new textbook fills in this void with useful direction.

It is meant for those who wish to start the evolution of crisis preparedness in their housing estate more generally as well as for those who want to increase their personal preparedness. Particularly underlined are communication, the creation of a joint crisis strategy and human resource mapping. Many times, bigger blocks of flats house a lot of people whose knowledge and abilities, if ready in advance, could be used all around during a crisis.

Apart from the community level, the textbook covers personal crisis readiness since it is a necessary condition for supporting others. Topics cover the particularities of getting ready for an urban setting, the function of the community in the city, and approaches for beginning community building. It also covers circumstances whereby a crisis renders staying in the city impossible and where an evacuation is required.

While the Crisis Research Centre’s website offers a free download for the textbook as an online resource, you can purchase a paper copy for postage HERE. 

The newly published textbook focusses on the three key pillars of crisis preparedness in apartment buildings: relationships, supplies, and skills. “The textbook is based on the premise that crisis preparedness in an apartment block is most effective at the community level, specifically the cooperative level. The state has previously focused on people’s personal assets and skills, where there is also a significant gap, but community has been overshadowed by crisis preparedness. “We are attempting to fill this gap with a practical textbook,” said Hannes Nagel, head of the Crisis Research Centre and author of the textbook.

The textbook is intended for people who want to get started with crisis preparedness in their own apartment block, and it covers both improving individual crisis preparedness and establishing community crisis preparedness at the association level. “The manual is aimed at people who want to start community crisis preparedness in their homes. The emphasis is on communication, collaborative crisis planning, and human resources – there are many people living in large buildings who could help each other if well planned,” Nagel stated.

The textbook also discusses an individual’s own crisis preparedness as a prerequisite for assisting others. The chapters discuss the significance of preparedness in an urban environment, the role of community in an urban environment, and how to begin being a community. Topics covered include what to do if a crisis prevents you from living in the city and forces you to evacuate.

The Crisis Research Centre’s website offers the new textbook as an online resource, as well as the option to order it in print for postage. The National Foundation for Civil Society and the Estonian Ministry of the Interior supported the production and printing of the textbook through the Väike-Õismäe community-based civil protection K-24 project. The content of the textbook has been approved by the Estonian Rescue Board.

Crisis stocks include knowledge and relationships with others, in addition to the inventory in the cupboard. It will discuss why believing that ‘the state will come and help everyone now’ is a myth, as well as how personal and community preparedness can influence whether or not you can cope in a crisis. The textbook was published with funding from the National Foundation for Civil Society and the Estonian Ministry of the Interior as part of the Väike-Õismäe community-based civil protection K-24 project.                                                                       

🟧🟦 The National Foundation of Civil Society and the Estonian Ministry of the Interior have funded the K-24 civil protection project in Väike-Õismäe, which is supporting this episode.

Anne-May Nagel, co-founder of the NGO Crisis Research Centre, delivered the seminar’s opening remarks, emphasising the importance of projects that promote local preparedness and resilience. “We’ve been running crisis preparedness projects in communities for the past two years, and this year we began measuring the impact of our efforts.” We will publish the project training program’s final report in the autumn, where you can learn more about the project’s activities and impact,” she said.

The seminar’s keynote speaker was Dr. Mariia Tyschenko, Director of the Ukrainian NGO Poruch and Honorary Doctor of Malmö University. In her presentation ‘Power of community in crisis – the example of Ukraine‘, she shared her experiences in Ukraine, where civil society and local authorities have worked together to respond to crises. She discussed how communities are strengthened during crises, as well as what practical steps can be taken ahead of time to improve preparedness.

The second half of the day was spent discussing ‘How to help communities prepare for crises‘. The panel featured:

• Dr. Mariia Tyschenko (NGO Poruch, Ukraine)
• Maria Derlõs (Tallinn City Office)
• Hannes Nagel (NGO Crisis Research Centre)
• Kadi Luht-Kallas (Estonian Ministry of the Interior)

Since 2014, the conflict in Ukraine has had an impact on local communities and civil society organisations. Dr. Tyschenko pointed out that full-scale warfare by Russia in Ukraine began in 2022, when society had a realistic understanding of what it was like to live in a war. She revealed that the war had weakened society in general, with children and other vulnerable groups, including those with special needs, suffering the most.

We discussed the practical and tangible solutions that the NGO Poruch (Ukrainian for standing shoulder to shoulder), which has nearly 800 volunteers, has used to bring positive change to various regions of Ukraine after more than a decade of war. One of their most important projects right now is the Schools of Peace initiative, which aims to provide children and young people with safe, peaceful, and conflict-resolution locations throughout Ukraine. These places are also artistically engaging because children can create their own learning environment.

The overall goal of the project is to reduce the trauma experienced by a new generation growing up in a traumatised society, as well as the potential for violent conflict resolution. “Putin might have benefited from attending the School of Peace as a child,” Dr. Tyschenko said in the broadcast. She also thanked the Estonian people for their support for Ukraine, saying that they now have hope thanks to the help of various countries. The programme also covered how to keep yourself and your team mentally healthy by assisting vulnerable groups on the front lines or in the back. This is a critical issue for the voluntary sector. This time, the episode is in English!

🟧🟦 The National Foundation of Civil Society and the Estonian Ministry of the Interior have funded the K-24 civil protection project in Väike-Õismäe, which is supporting this episode.

The supplies include a selection of essential items that can help local community members manage independently during certain types of crises for a limited period of time.

The selection of supplies was based on potential crisis scenarios that may occur in an urban environment and focused on items that would be most helpful if basic services—such as water, electricity, or food supply—were temporarily disrupted. The list was coordinated with the Estonian Rescue Board and the Tallinn Municipal Police Department.These community supplies are not intended to support the entire district of 27 000 people over an extended period, but rather to assist those who may be among the first in need or who require help before official support channels become available.

The handover of the emergency supplies is part of a broader collaboration aimed at improving local and community-level preparedness for crises. A coordinated approach enables faster and more effective response when a crisis arises. The creation of the community emergency stockpile was supported by the Väike-Õismäe Community Civil Protection Project, funded by the National Foundation of Civil Society with the support of the Ministry of the Interior.

🟧🟦 The activities of the K-24 project will be carried out by the Crisis Research Centre, and the implementation of the project activities is supported by the Civil Society Foundation through the Ministry of the Interior.

Photo: Haabersti district government announcement amplified in local newspaper (Crisis Research Centre, 2025).

The training brought together participants of different ages who wanted to develop their skills for unexpected situations—such as power outages, water shortages, or the need to evacuate their homes quickly. The urban environment poses specific challenges during crises, and participants had the chance to become familiar with them through hands-on experience.

Practical activities: fire, food, and the emergency bag

Participants learned how to start a fire using a firestarter—an entirely new experience for many. The exercises showed that seemingly simple tasks, like lighting a fire without matches or a lighter, actually require time and skill.

They also prepared food outdoors using emergency dry food packs, which can be essential in situations where regular cooking is not possible. Participants were introduced to how these packs work, how to evaluate their shelf life and nutritional value, and what kind of supplies are needed for longer-term self-reliance.

The third key topic was the content of an emergency evacuation bag. The group discussed which items are essential—ranging from first aid supplies and documents to personal medications, hygiene products, and food. Special attention was given to how to adapt the bag according to family composition and individual needs.

Instructors provided practical knowledge and confidence

The training was led by a representative of the Women’s Voluntary Defence Organization (Naiskodukaitse) and Hannes Nagel from the Crisis Research Centre, experienced in both emergency preparedness education and teaching practical survival skills. Participants received both a theoretical overview and the chance to try out actions that could be critical in a real crisis.

The focus was on practical learning—participants gained knowledge through doing and experiencing, which they can also apply in preparing at home. Many noted that hands-on practice gave them more confidence than just listening to information.

Survival training as part of a broader community project

This training was the final event in the Väike-Õismäe survival training series, organized by the Crisis Research Centre in cooperation with Naiskodukaitse. The project aimed to increase the local community’s awareness and preparedness for crises, offering participants practical instruction while also strengthening mutual trust and cooperation.

According to the organizers, the project showed that city residents are increasingly interested in acquiring the skills needed for self-reliance. Enhancing community resilience through awareness and skill-building is an important step toward a safer and more functional society.

🟧🟦 The activities of the K-24 project will be carried out by the Crisis Research Centre, and the implementation of the project activities is supported by the Civil Society Foundation through the Ministry of the Interior.

Photo: fifth group’s urban survival training in Väike-Õismäe (Crisis research Centre, 2025).