Amsterdam to hand out 2.000 emergency kits to low-income households

The city of Amsterdam has announced plans to distribute 2.000 emergency packages to low-income residents in the Dutch capital, starting this summer. 

Food banks in Amsterdam issue city emergency packages

Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema and the alderman of social affairs Rutger Groot Wassink announced that the city would issue 2.000 emergency packages to low-income residents this summer. Households registered at the local food bank will receive the kits with their weekly distributions.

In the packages, residents will receive items such as an emergency radio, a first aid kit and a whistle. The municipality is paying for the resources from the city’s poverty budget, which is why there is only enough funding for 2.000 packages.

The city also wants to encourage neighbourhood-oriented communication by providing a toolkit that guides residents and their neighbours on mapping out who will need help in emergencies and who can assist them. 

Emergency kits unaffordable for several residents

Last year, residents in the Netherlands were advised to have a three-day survival kit ready in case of a national emergency. Items like food, medicine, an emergency radio and cash were recommended for an emergency kit. The Dutch government also sent out a survival guide. 

However, 44 percent of residents in Amsterdam still do not have emergency supplies, reports AT5. 7 percent of these residents have said the reason they don’t yet have an emergency kit is that it is too expensive. 

The national government has not allocated funds to provide emergency packages to low-income households. This is why the Amsterdam municipality has taken the situation into their own hands. "The Municipal Executive still recognises that the central government has a responsibility to help this target group," said Groot Wassink. "We are not waiting any longer and are therefore starting to distribute 2.000 emergency kits."