We have previously pointed out that the Estonian Stockpiling Agency does not fulfill the task given by the government: a nationwide 14-day state food reserve covering the entire population has not been established, and in reality the existing reserves amount to only approximately three days. We emphasise that although the state has begun supplying shops and fuel stations with generators and working to improve the resilience of food producers, an audit by the National Audit Office has revealed serious shortcomings and inexplicable ad-hoc practices in the activities of the Stockpiling Centre.

We stress that it is important for every person, according to their means, to have at home at least a one-week supply of food, and preferably a two-week supply. At the same time, it is unthinkable that the responsibility for building crisis reserves should rest solely on ordinary citizens. If we look at the average Estonian, they live in an apartment where space is inevitably limited. This places clear constraints on how much and what type of emergency supplies can realistically be stored at home. Therefore, it is not realistic to expect the average Estonian resident—especially in the context of rising living costs—to begin stockpiling months’ worth of food and drinking water in their apartment.

Unfortunately, the highly paid managers there have overlooked the client’s expectation—and, more broadly, society’s as well: not to starve to death in the event of a crisis.

Libraries do not require tickets, do not impose class boundaries, and are open to anyone who wants to learn, socialize, or simply be in a safe shared space. Where the compulsion to consume disappears, space for thinking and noticing emerges. This is the essence of democracy: access to information and a sense of community that comes from being together and realizing that other people are actually quite normal. In contrast to the algorithmic echo chambers of social media, libraries can break down silos and bring together people with different views and experiences who share the same physical space and forum for discussion.

Libraries are institutions of freedom—they protect freedom of thought, ensure equal access to information, and teach critical skills, including how to find reliable information. These are tools of democracy, the absence of which opens the door to manipulation and disinformation. Free nationwide access is not just a convenience, but a strategic resource. Even in times of crisis – as we saw in Estonia when Ukrainian war refugees used libraries to learn the language, familiarize themselves with the culture, and acquire new job skills – all in order to integrate into society and find their place in our economy and communities.

However, libraries only survive thanks to library staff. Recently, I have noticed an increasing use of self-service technology in libraries – at least in some libraries, items can be conveniently borrowed and returned using a machine. On the one hand, this is a great opportunity for libraries – it frees up the time of library professionals for advising people or community work, but at the same time, we must be vigilant.

The introduction of machines may discourage human contact in libraries, and the introduction of machines must not be used as an argument for laying off competent employees in order to save costs. A machine may be convenient for borrowing and returning items, but it does not notice people in need, nor does it recommend reading material that would broaden your worldview or help you understand a complex topic. If machines become an excuse to cut librarian jobs, we will lose something irreplaceable – the knowledge that someone is really listening and can guide you, as well as people who can help you in times of crisis.

Photo: recording the episode at the National Library (Kriisiuuringute Keskus, 2025).

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).

At the meeting, we presented our previous international and Estonian projects (in Tallinn and Kohtla-Järve, supported by the Civil Society Endowment Fund) as well as the Community Civil Protection Handbook for Apartment Buildings, published earlier this year. We also handed over its English version to our Czech colleague. The handbook aims to support apartment building communities with practical guidelines and tools to help them better prepare for crises and strengthen neighbourhood cohesion and continuity.

The meeting builds on our earlier work within the PIMA project (funded by the Swedish Institute), where we explored the concept of resilience hubs in Estonia, Ukraine, and Sweden, and their potential role within civil protection systems. These hubs serve as local support points that can provide information, supplies, and coordination during crises — and, in peacetime, foster cooperation and awareness among communities.

“Strengthening civil protection begins with communities themselves. When residents know how to act, how to support one another, and where to turn in times of crisis, the entire system becomes more resilient. At the meeting with the Czech Ministry of the Interior, it was mutually emphasized that many of these challenges — from floods to hybrid threats — require not only infrastructure, but also trust and local engagement for an effective response,” noted Hannes Nagel, CEO of the Crisis Research Centre.

Like Estonia, the Czech Republic is moving toward a more comprehensive approach to crisis preparedness. The main concerns highlighted by representatives of the Ministry were large-scale floods and major power outages, along with the growing risks associated with hybrid attacks. During the discussion, it was noted that stronger cooperation at the community level and increasing public awareness are key to building resilience.

The conference concluded ten months of dedicated project activities, led by Malmö University (Sweden) in partnership with NGO Poruch (Ukraine) and the NGO Crisis Research Centre (Estonia). The goal of the project was to establish a network of local-level crisis managers across the three countries, focusing initially on the Points of Invincibility, a resilience hubs initiative launched in Ukraine in 2022 in response to Russia’s large-scale attacks on critical infrastructure.

“Points of Invincibility is a Ukrainian initiative aimed at helping local communities — both in urban and rural areas to continue daily life and work as normally as possible. As Sweden and Estonia also seek tangible tools to support local communities in the face of various crises, bringing together best practices and lessons learned is essential,” said Dr. Tom Nilsson, project coordinator from Malmö University.

The project focused on sharing experiences and mapping both success stories and the challenges municipalities have faced. “An important part of this project was the research conducted to understand how Points of Invincibility, as resilience hubs, function as tools in building resilience,” noted Anne-May Nagel, researcher and co-founder of the NGO Crisis Research Centre. “At the conference, preliminary research results were presented, and further feedback was gathered from participants,” she added.

The PIMA project aims to strengthen the capacity of local governments in Estonia, Sweden, and Ukraine to build and maintain community-level resilience. A key focus of the project is the development and support of resilience hubs – local centres that provide practical support, information, and safety during crises.

During the Gotland event, we highlighted how PIMA creates a cross-border learning platform, enabling municipalities from the three countries to share and adapt best practices in community preparedness. Particular attention is given to learning from Ukraine’s experience, where local governments have had to innovate under extreme conditions, offering valuable insights for the entire region.

Through PIMA, we aim to:

• facilitate structured international knowledge exchange;
• support local-level preparedness through shared learning and practical tools;
• promote experience-based cooperation that values both success stories and hard-earned lessons.

Throughout the three-day programme, participants engaged in workshops, presentations, and discussions exploring how governments, institutions, and communities can better anticipate and respond to crises. The Crisis Research Centre took part in a working group dedicated to individual-level preparedness, sharing insights from Estonia’s community-based resilience initiatives.

Our representative and co-founder Anne-May Nagel stated: “In our presentation, we shared the experience we’ve gained over two years while running some of the largest community-based civil protection projects in Estonia. We also introduced the newly published English-language version of our crisis preparedness handbook for apartment building communities and discussed how the rising cost of living directly impacts people’s ability to prepare for crises.”

As the EUSBSR Action Plan is currently being revised, the meeting also provided an opportunity to influence future priorities. The Crisis Research Centre contributed input to the PA Secure policy area, emphasising the importance of local engagement, equity in preparedness, and science-based planning.

Nagel pointed out that civil preparedness in Estonia remains limited. Many households would struggle to cope with a crisis lasting more than three days. “We need to think of security as a common good – not just something maintained by the army and our allies, but something that also depends on our homes, our neighborhoods, and our everyday readiness,” he said.

He also highlighted that for many people, the lack of preparedness is not due to ignorance, but due to limited financial and physical resources. “For some, stockpiling emergency supplies is simply not an option – if you’re already struggling with daily expenses, buying extra food and water isn’t realistic. And in many apartment buildings, there just isn’t enough space to store emergency provisions,” Nagel explained. That’s why broader solutions are needed – not just at the individual level, but through community efforts and public policy as well.

As head of the Crisis Research Centre, Nagel contributed a research-based perspective and stressed the importance of collaboration. Raising awareness, sharing practical skills, and building trust at the community level are all key to strengthening society’s resilience in the face of crises.