🚨 Emergency Overview — Read This First

Important phone numbers (work without internet too)

112 — fire brigade / ambulance, the same throughout the EU (also works without credit on your SIM card).

The emergency numbers for your region (police, out-of-hours doctor, poison control etc.) are shown in the region box at the top and on the start page 00-START.html — provided EINRICHTEN.bat has been run once.

Example Germany:

Poison control: Look up the number of the poison control centre responsible for where you live (in Germany this depends on the federal state) and write it down here: ……

First 30 minutes of an internet/power outage

1. Stay calm. Check: is only the internet down, or the power too?
2. Check the power: try the lights/stove. Check the fuse box (has the residual-current device tripped?).
3. Check how widespread it is: ask the neighbours, look out of the window (street lights?).
4. Turn on the radio (battery/wind-up radio) → regional information. A car radio works too.
5. Put your phone in power-saving mode, turn the brightness down, close unnecessary apps. The battery is precious now.
6. Keep the fridge/freezer closed (a closed freezer keeps food frozen for 24–48 h).
7. In cold weather: choose one living zone and concentrate the heat there.

Radio frequencies (write them down now, while you can still look them up!)

During a blackout the radio is the most important source of information. Which stations and frequencies apply where you live depends on the location of the transmitter — look them up now and write them down. If stations are stored for your region, they are shown in the region box at the top or in the emergency folder.

Notes by country:

• Germany: For regional warnings, choose the station of your regional ARD broadcaster (e.g. BR, HR, MDR, NDR, Radio Bremen, RBB, SR, SWR, WDR); Deutschlandfunk for the national situation — on DAB+ nationwide on channel 5C.
• Switzerland: The SRG stations (e.g. SRF) can only be received via DAB+ — SRG switched off FM at the end of 2024. Your emergency radio must therefore support DAB+.

Once a year, check your own wind-up/battery radio and save the stations as presets.

Warnings without internet

• Sirens (signals in Germany): 1 minute rising and falling tone = warning, 1 minute continuous tone = all clear. Other countries use other signals — the warning systems of your region are shown in the region box at the top.
• Cell Broadcast: warnings reach your phone even without internet (mobile network required).
• Radio is the most reliable source of information during a blackout.

Risks in your area — find out now

A few questions you should answer for where you live beforehand:

• Nuclear power plant within about 100 km (including across the border)? Then keep iodine tablets (potassium iodide) in your medicine cabinet — take them only when instructed by the authorities (radio, warning app). In Germany, the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) advises that people over 45 should NOT take iodine tablets (details: guide 20). Follow the advice of your own country's authorities. In a nuclear incident: close windows/doors, switch off ventilation, stay indoors, radio on.
• Flooding: Do you live near a river or stream? Watch water levels during prolonged rain/snowmelt (situation monitor or your country's warning app).
• Near a border: Some cash in the neighbouring country's currency can be useful in a crisis; know the nearest border crossings as possible alternative routes.
• Local stations for emergency reception: find the frequency on your radio now and write it down above!

Rules of thumb for survival (rule of threes)

• 3 minutes without air
• 3 hours without shelter (extreme cold/heat)
• 3 days without water
• 3 weeks without food

→ Priorities in any crisis: Safety → Warmth/Shelter → Water → Food

Where do I find what in this offline base?

On the PC, always start with 00-START.html (or the desktop icon "KeinInternet Lagezentrum", created with DESKTOP-ICON-ERSTELLEN.bat) — emergency buttons, current situation, search across everything, all tools and what still needs setting up. First-time setup: EINRICHTEN.bat; large data (offline Wikipedia, maps, guides): DATEN-LADEN.bat.

Guides in this portal (in the sidebar on the left or search at the top):

• First aid → 01-erste-hilfe.md
• Drinking water → 02-wasser.md
• Food/supplies → 03-lebensmittel.md
• Power cut/blackout → 04-strom-blackout.md
• Heating & light → 05-heizen-licht.md
• Communication without internet → 06-kommunikation.md
• Using local AI → 07-lokale-ki.md
• PC & network offline → 08-pc-netzwerk-offline.md
• Money & documents → 09-geld-dokumente.md
• Medicine cabinet → 10-hausapotheke.md
• Hygiene & safety → 11-hygiene-sicherheit.md
• Download checklist (while the internet still works!) → 12-download-checkliste.md
• Situation archive → 13-news-lage.md (current situation: start page)
• Escape & evacuation → 14-flucht-evakuierung.md
• Offline Wikipedia: KIWIX-START.bat (this PC) or KIWIX-SERVER-START.bat (whole Wi-Fi network) → 15-kiwix-wikipedia.md
• OSINT, risk map, webcams, supply radar → 16–18
• War/air-raid alert → 19 · Nuclear/chemical → 20 · Pandemic → 21 · Dogs → 22 · Older person → 23
• Early warning & air situation monitor → 24 · Basement shelter → 25
• DIY power & electronics → 26 · Growing food & seeds → 27 · Wild plants & mushrooms → 28 · Medicinal plants & home remedies → 29 · Library (old reference books) → 30

⛑️ First Aid — Quick Reference

Does not replace a first-aid course. If in doubt, always call 112 (EU-wide; emergency numbers of other countries: see the region box at the top).

Finding a person: procedure

1. Speak to them, touch them ("Hello, can you hear me?")
2. No response → shout loudly for help
3. Check breathing: tilt the head back, lift the chin, look/listen/feel for max. 10 s
4. Breathing normally → recovery position, call 112, keep monitoring breathing
5. Not breathing / breathing abnormally → call 112 + start CPR immediately

CPR (chest compressions)

• Heel of one hand on the centre of the chest, heel of the other hand on top
• 5–6 cm deep, 100–120 per minute (rhythm: "Stayin' Alive")
• 30 compressions : 2 rescue breaths (without rescue breaths: compress continuously)
• Do not stop until the ambulance crew takes over. Use an AED if available — the device gives spoken instructions.

Severe bleeding

1. Disposable gloves (protect yourself)
2. Direct pressure on the wound (sterile cloth/fabric)
3. Pressure bandage: wound dressing → securing bandage → pressure pad → wrap firmly
4. Raise the affected body part, call 112
5. Blood seeping through → apply a second bandage on top, do not remove the first one

Burns

• Small burns: cool with lukewarm water for 10–20 min. (no ice!)
• Large burns (> the casualty's palm): do NOT cool (risk of hypothermia), cover with sterile material, call 112
• Do not open blisters, do not tear off clothing stuck to the skin

Choking

1. Encourage them to cough forcefully
2. Doesn't help: 5 back blows between the shoulder blades (lean the upper body forward)
3. Doesn't help: 5 abdominal thrusts (Heimlich manoeuvre) (fist between navel and ribcage, sharp pull inwards and upwards)
4. Alternate 5/5; if they lose consciousness → CPR, call 112

Stroke — FAST test

• Face: ask them to smile — does one corner of the mouth droop?
• Arms: raise both arms — does one drift down?
• Speech: ask them to repeat a sentence — is it slurred?
• Time: any one sign → call 112 immediately, note the time the symptoms started

Heart attack — signs

Pressure/tightness in the chest (> 5 min.), pain spreading to the arm/jaw/back, shortness of breath, cold sweat, nausea (in women often atypical: upper abdomen, back). → Call 112, keep the upper body raised, loosen tight clothing, do not leave them alone.

Hypothermia

• Shivering, pale skin → move to a warm place, remove wet clothing, blankets, warm sweetened drinks (no alcohol!)
• No longer shivering, reduced consciousness = life-threatening → call 112, do not actively move them, rewarm slowly (torso first)

Poisoning

• Poison control centre/112. Do not induce vomiting. Keep any remains/packaging and hand them over.

Fractures / sprains

• RICE: Rest, Ice (cooling), Compression, Elevation
• Open fracture: cover with sterile material, do not move, call 112

💧 Drinking Water — Supplies & Treatment

How much you need

• 2 litres per person per day to drink + ~1–2 L for cooking/hygiene
• Recommendation in Germany (federal civil-protection office BBK): supplies for 10 days → approx. 20 L per person (minimum). Other countries have partly different recommendations — check the official civil-protection authority of your country (see the region box at the top).
• Pets: allow ~0.5–1 L/day depending on size
• Example: household with 2 adults + 1 dog (20 kg) → at least approx. 50 L of drinking water (2 × 20 L + ~10 L for the dog) + water for washing/flushing (bathtub trick). The supplies calculator (vorrat\VORRAT.html) works it out for your own household.

Immediate action if an outage is imminent

While the water is still running: fill the bathtub, buckets, pots and bottles. Bathtub water = service water (toilet, washing), bottles = drinking water.

Water sources in the house (emergency)

• Hot-water tank (drain valve at the bottom) — switch off electricity/gas first
• Toilet cistern (only the cistern, never the bowl) — boiled only, and not if cleaning tablets are used
• Ice cubes in the freezer

Water treatment — in order of preference

1. Boiling (best method)

Bring to a rolling boil for at least 3 minutes. Kills bacteria, viruses, parasites. Does NOT remove chemicals/heavy metals.

2. Filtering

• Outdoor water filter (hollow fibre, e.g. 0.1 µm): bacteria & parasites yes, viruses usually not → then also boil or treat chemically
• Improvised pre-filtering (only removes cloudiness!): coffee filter, cloth, layers of sand, gravel and charcoal → ALWAYS boil afterwards

3. Chemical

• Water purification tablets (e.g. Micropur): follow the instructions on the pack, observe the contact time
• Household bleach (sodium hypochlorite 5 %, unscented): 2 drops per litre of clear water, wait 30 min. If it smells slightly of chlorine, it's OK. Double the dose for cloudy water. Only as a last resort.

4. UV/sunlight (SODIS)

Clear PET bottle, full sun, at least 6 hours (cloudy: 2 days). Only for clear water.

Never drink

• Water from radiators/the heating system (chemicals)
• Salt water, water from car batteries/windscreen washer systems
• Stagnant water that is discoloured/smells — if chemical contamination is suspected, not even after boiling

Storage

• Cool, dark, in food-grade containers
• Factory-sealed bottled water: keeps practically indefinitely (the best-before date is a formality; check smell/taste)
• Tap water you bottled yourself: replace after ~6 months or boil before use

Rainwater

Can be collected (clean surface, not the first few minutes of rain); filter + boil before drinking.

🥫 Food — Supplies & Cooking Without Power

Basic principle: rotating supplies

Buy what you eat anyway → use the oldest first, put new items at the back (first in, first out). Goal: 10 days self-sufficient (recommendation in Germany by the federal civil-protection office BBK), better 2–4 weeks. Your country's recommendation is available from the official civil-protection authority shown in the region box at the top.

Supplies per person for 10 days (approx. 2,200 kcal/day, based on the BBK list)

Plus: special needs (baby food, allergies, pet food).

For your household: multiply all amounts by the number of people (e.g. ×2 for 2 adults) — and for pets, store food for 14+ days (dry food keeps longest; don't forget bowls/litter). The supplies calculator (vorrat\VORRAT.html) works it out for your household.

Shelf life without refrigeration — rules of thumb

• Tinned food: years beyond the best-before date, as long as the tin is undamaged. Throw away bulging/swollen tins!
• Honey, salt, sugar, white rice, vinegar: practically unlimited
• Oil: rancid = you can smell it → do not use any more
• Best-before date = minimum shelf life, not an expiry date. Check in this order: look → smell → taste

Fridge failure: order of consumption

1. Day 1: fresh food from the fridge (meat, fish, dairy products)
2. Days 1–2: thawing food from the freezer (cook thawed meat thoroughly, do NOT refreeze)
3. After that: tinned food and dry supplies - Freezer full + closed: keeps ~48 h, half full ~24 h - Rule of thumb for meat/fish: > 2 h above 7 °C = risk; if in doubt, throw it out

Cooking without power

• Camping stove (gas cartridge): ONLY with ventilation (window tilted open), NEVER in closed rooms without fresh air → carbon monoxide hazard. Supply: ~1 cartridge (230 g) per person per week if used sparingly
• Barbecue/charcoal: NEVER indoors — not even in the garage. Deadly carbon monoxide.
• Tealight heater cannot cook anything — only gives mild warmth
• Methylated-spirit/solid-fuel (Esbit-type) stove: outdoors or at an open window
• Saving energy: only as much water as needed, lid on, let pasta steep in the hot water after bringing it to the boil (cooking with residual heat)

Basic recipes from your supplies

• Rice and bean pan: rice + kidney beans (tinned) + sweetcorn + stock + oil → a complete meal
• Porridge: oats + UHT milk/water + dried fruit + honey — can even be soaked cold
• Lentil stew: red lentils (only 10 min. cooking time!) + tinned tomatoes + stock
• Pan bread: flour + water + salt + baking powder → fry in the pan, replaces bread

🔌 Power Cut / Blackout

Immediate checklist

1. Check the fuse box: has the residual-current device (RCD)/a circuit breaker tripped? → switch it back on. Trips again immediately → find the faulty appliance (unplug everything, switch the breaker on, plug appliances back in one by one).
2. Just my flat or the whole building/neighbourhood? (stairwell light, neighbours, street)
3. Unplug sensitive devices (PC, TV): protection against voltage spikes when the power comes back
4. Leave one lamp switched on → you'll notice when the power is back
5. Keep the fridge/freezer closed
6. Radio (battery/wind-up/car) for information

What fails in a blackout? (be prepared)

• After minutes to hours: the mobile network (backup power at the masts runs out); landline/VoIP immediately
• Heating (gas/oil heating too — the controls and pump need electricity!)
• Water supply may fail (pumps), possibly sewage as well
• Cash machines, card payments, petrol stations, supermarket tills
• Lifts (is anyone stuck? → emergency call/caretaker), electric garage doors (find the manual release!)

Power priorities with power bank/backup power

1. Phone (communication/warnings) — power-saving mode, flight mode when there is no network
2. Light (a head torch is more efficient than a hand torch)
3. Radio
4. Medical devices

Everything else is a luxury. Use a laptop only when necessary (local AI / this offline base).

Charging a phone without a socket

• Power bank (keep charged, top up every 3 months)
• Car: 12 V socket/USB — run the engine for this (outdoors/garage door open!), also charges power banks
• Solar charger (slow, but unlimited)
• Wind-up radio with USB output (emergency solution, laborious)

Backup power basics

• Portable power station (battery, e.g. 500–2000 Wh): safe indoors, silent. 1000 Wh ≈ phone 80×, laptop 15×, fridge ~1 day if used sparingly
• Petrol/diesel generator: OUTDOORS ONLY (at least 3 m from windows) — exhaust fumes kill. Never in a garage/basement/balcony recess
• If you have a generator, write down the values from the manual here: continuous output …… kW, consumption at half load …… (l or kg per hour), tank capacity/run time ……, inverter generator yes/no ……. Dual-fuel units (petrol + LPG) usually deliver somewhat less power on gas than on petrol.
• What a generator in the 5–6 kW class can typically supply: fridge/freezer, lights, router, laptop/AI, hotplate, fan heater for one room, heating circulation pump — usually not a heat pump (often three-phase, high starting current; if in doubt, ask an electrician). Generators without an inverter (only with a voltage regulator/AVR) deliver a less clean voltage than inverter generators — buffer sensitive electronics through a power station if necessary.
• Prefer LPG (with dual-fuel units): can be stored practically indefinitely, the engine doesn't gum up. Store cylinders outdoors, upright (gas cylinder cabinet/canopy) — never in the basement: propane is heavier than air and collects at the bottom. Petrol only as a reserve: in approved jerrycans, with stabiliser, rotate annually. Permitted storage quantities are regulated by law (Germany: in garages usually up to 20 l — check the rules in your country/region).
• Maintenance: run under load for 15 min. every month (with dual-fuel units, alternate gas/petrol); this also charges the starter battery; with electric start, know how to use the recoil starter as a backup. Check the oil level, keep a spare spark plug + oil in stock. Earth rod as per the manual when used stand-alone.
• Fridge trick with a generator/power station: 1–2 h of power every 6–8 h is enough to keep things cold
• No back-feeding into the house wiring without a mains isolation switch (deadly for line workers, illegal)

Operating plan (example): generator, PV + battery if available, warm room

Calculate with your own values: supplies calculator (vorrat\VORRAT.html) → ⚡ Strom im Blackout (power in a blackout) (tick the appliances, enter PV/battery if applicable, gas/petrol stock in the list) — shows the run time per day, gas per day and how many days your power will last.

Hour 0 — the grid goes down

1. If you have a PV system with a battery: does the house keep running? (Only with a backup-power/island function — otherwise everything goes dark despite a full battery.)
2. Switch off large loads: heat pump, immersion heater, wallbox, oven, tumble dryer.
3. Keep the fridge/chest freezer closed. Charge phones, power banks and the power station immediately while a power source (battery/PV) is still delivering.

Daily routine with a generator (guide value without a fan heater: 3–4 kWh/day → 2 × 1–2 h)

Warm room in winter (if the heating fails — heat pump, but also gas/oil heating without power)

• One room, small, inside the building, few exterior walls, door closed; seal the windows at night with blankets/emergency blankets. Everyone sleeps there — pets too (body heat).
• 2 kW fan heater on the generator: 1–2 h in the morning and evening ≈ 2–4 kWh/day → correspondingly more fuel (with LPG roughly +0.5–1 kg per day).
• Keep warm rather than heat: hat, layers, hot-water bottles (heat water on the camping stove), hot drinks. Older people first.
• No gas/wood/barbecue appliances without a flue in the room — CO detector.

If you have PV + battery

• Summer: PV alone usually covers demand — the generator is only a reserve.
• Winter: PV delivers little (≈ 0.8 kWh per kWp per day). Run the generator in one block and charge the battery — only if the inverter accepts the generator (have an electrician check this, especially with generators without inverter technology). Otherwise connect the generator directly to the backup circuits.
• Connect to the house only via a generator inlet + interlocked changeover switch (installed by an electrician) — never a plug-to-plug cable.

Gas supply — example calculation for a generator that uses approx. 0.8 kg of LPG per hour at half load: 2 × 1 h per day ≈ 1.6 kg/day → 11 kg cylinder ≈ 6–7 days, 33 kg ≈ 20 days. Correspondingly more with a fan heater. Your unit's values are in its manual; the supplies calculator does the exact maths.

Satellite internet in a blackout — internet when everything else is gone

In a widespread power cut, DSL/fibre goes down immediately and the mobile network after minutes to hours. Satellite internet only needs power and a clear view of the sky. If you have such a connection or are considering one:

• Consumption: consumer terminals need roughly 20–75 W depending on the model; small models can partly run on 12 V/USB-C. Example: a terminal averaging ~60 W ≈ 1.5 kWh/day — a 1 kWh power station runs it together with the router for about 14–16 hours.
• Setting up in an emergency: antenna outdoors with a clear view of the sky (alignment as per the provider's app/manual), router on the power station/battery/generator. Laptop with the warning monitors and all phones on the Wi-Fi → air situation monitor, rapid monitor, supply radar and push notifications to your phone keep running; messenger calls over Wi-Fi work.
• Check your contract: without an active subscription, the antenna won't connect. Some providers offer cheap standby/pause plans that you upgrade to the full plan in an emergency. This usually only works online → test beforehand whether switching works via the satellite connection itself.
• Terminal with a mains power supply (230 V in Europe) on a power station: power station with a pure sine wave and sufficient continuous output (consider start-up peaks and any snow-melt heating; check the manufacturer's specifications). Plan the cable route from antenna to router in advance, so you don't have to mount the antenna on the roof in an emergency (keep a stand ready).
• Quarterly test: disconnect the router from DSL, connect the satellite terminal to the power station, send a push test message (benachrichtigung\PUSH-EINRICHTEN.bat).
• Limitations: snow/ice on the antenna (the heating function uses a lot of power), possible disruption in wartime, the device transmits and can therefore in principle be located. Satellite internet does not replace radio, sirens and Cell Broadcast.

Consumption values (for calculations)

When the power comes back

• Switch appliances on one after the other (not everything at once)
• Check frozen food: still has ice crystals = OK; thawed = cook thoroughly or throw away
• Reset clocks/timers, restart the router; the router may need a few minutes to synchronise

🔥 Heating & Light Without Power

⚠️ Danger to life: carbon monoxide (CO)

CO is odourless, invisible and deadly. Symptoms: headache, nausea, dizziness, tiredness — then get out into the fresh air immediately!

NEVER indoors: charcoal barbecue, petrol generator, gas radiant heater without a flue, camping stove without ventilation. Get a CO detector (battery-powered) if you heat with gas/fire.

⚠️ Heat pump = total failure in a blackout

If you heat with a heat pump, it fails completely along with the power — and is usually too big for a typical portable generator (starting currents, several kW; such a generator supplies fridge/router/lights, not the heating). Gas and oil heating systems don't run without electricity either (controls, pump). Consequence for winter: the "keep the warmth in" strategy below is your plan A. Worth considering as plan B: a paraffin (kerosene) heater (a safety-tested model; in Germany DIN-tested) + CO detector, or in the long term a wood-burning stove.

Keep the warmth in (more important than generating heat)

1. Choose one zone: the smallest room that is easy to insulate (south-facing/interior room), everyone stays there
2. Doors closed, seal gaps under doors with towels/blankets
3. Windows: shutters/blinds down, curtains closed, at night also hang blankets over the windows
4. Insulate the floor (rugs, mattresses — cold comes from below)
5. Use sunny windows during the day (open the curtains in direct sunlight)
6. Layering principle for clothing: several thin layers > one thick one. Wear a hat indoors too!
7. Sleep together in one room, share sleeping bags/blankets
8. Eat and drink warm food (see cooking), move around at intervals

Don't forget to air the room briefly

Even in an emergency, air the room fully 2–3× a day for 5 min. (moisture/CO₂ out, prevent mould) — this costs less heat than you'd think.

Safe indoor heat sources

• Wood-burning stove (approved, with chimney): the best option. Store firewood dry
• Candles: minimal heat, fire hazard — never unattended, stable holders, keep away from anything flammable
• Tealight heater (clay pots over tealights): radiant heat for the immediate vicinity, doesn't heat a room. Max. 3–4 tealights, spaced apart (risk of a wax fire if too many are close together!)
• Hot-water bottles in clothing/bed — very efficient
• Paraffin heater (wick type, safety-tested): only with regular airing + CO detector

Protecting water pipes/heating from frost

If the heating fails for a long time in winter: - Water pipes in unheated rooms: turn off the water and drain the pipes (open the taps) - Toilet cisterns/traps: add antifreeze or salt if rooms drop below 0 °C - Letting taps drip helps against freezing in the short term

Light

Tip: a water bottle in front of the head torch/lantern = diffuse room light.

Battery supply

• Standardise on AA and AAA; lithium cells keep for 10+ years in storage
• Rechargeable batteries (e.g. Eneloop type) + solar/USB charger = sustainable
• Batteries stored cold last longer, but bring them to room temperature before use

📻 Communication Without Internet

Order of what still works

1. Text messages (SMS) — only need a minimal mobile network, often still work when calls/data already fail. Keep them short; sending is retried automatically once there is a network.
2. Calls (mobile) — as long as the masts have backup power (minutes to a few hours after a blackout)
3. Emergency number 112 (EU) — works via ANY available network, even if your own has no reception
4. Analogue landline — rare nowadays; VoIP landlines (router!) fail immediately as well
5. Radio (reception) — the most important source of information, see the frequency list in 00-notfall-uebersicht.md

Making your phone battery last

• Power-saving mode + minimum brightness + 2G/"calls only" if available
• Flight mode when there is no network (searching for a network drains the battery most) — check briefly every hour
• One device in the family active, the others switched off (reserve)

Radio communication (independent of any infrastructure)

Each country decides which radios may be used licence-free — check before buying, especially outside Europe.

Agree on a family plan now: If the network is down → switch on PMR channel …… for 5 minutes every hour on the hour (saves batteries).

Meeting-point plan (fill in!)

Be able to leave a note on the door ("I'm at X, time") — keep a pen + tape ready.

Offline communication on the local network (the LAN works without internet!)

Router with power = your own Wi-Fi keeps running, just without internet: - Share files via a network share (see 08-pc-netzwerk-offline.md) - Install LAN chat programs beforehand (e.g. a simple LAN messenger on all devices) - Make local AI on the laptop accessible to everyone on the Wi-Fi (see 07-lokale-ki.md)

Receiving messages from the authorities

• Cell Broadcast: arrives automatically on any modern phone (Settings → keep emergency alerts enabled)
• Sirens (Germany): rising and falling tone for 1 min. = danger → turn on the radio. Other countries use other signals — see the warning systems in the region box at the top.
• Loudspeaker vans of the authorities in the event of a total outage
• Points of contact: during prolonged emergencies, many municipalities in Germany set up emergency information points ("Katastrophenschutz-Leuchttürme", often at fire stations or town halls) — they provide information and can pass on emergency calls. Ask your local council whether there is anything similar where you live.

🤖 Using Local AI Offline

This page = setup (while there is internet) + cheat sheet for an emergency. Example software: Ollama (free, Windows/macOS/Linux). Alternatives with a graphical interface: LM Studio, GPT4All.

Basic principle

Local models run completely without internet — but only if the program and the model files have already been downloaded. Set it up and test it now, not during a blackout!

Setting up Ollama (once, requires internet)

1. Download the installer from ollama.com/download and install it. Ollama then runs in the background (icon in the notification area) and is available on the PC at http://localhost:11434.
2. Open Command Prompt/PowerShell and download a model: ollama pull <model> (examples below).
3. Test: ollama run <model> → ask a question → exit with /bye.
4. Offline test: disconnect Wi-Fi/the network cable and ask another question.
5. Where models are stored on Windows: %USERPROFILE%\.ollama\models. Short of space on C:? Set the environment variable OLLAMA_MODELS to another folder and restart Ollama. This folder can also be copied via USB stick to a PC without internet.

Which model? (guide values)

Rule of thumb from the Ollama documentation: at least 8 GB of RAM for 7B models, 16 GB for 13B, 32 GB for 33B ("B" = billion parameters). A graphics card with plenty of memory makes answers much faster, but is not required.

• Recommendation: one medium all-round model + one small fast one for battery operation.
• For questions in languages other than English, choose a multilingual model and test it beforehand.
• Model names and versions change constantly — current list at ollama.com/library.

Immediate check (while the internet is still available)

• [ ] At least one model available locally? (ollama list or LM Studio → My Models)
• [ ] A large/medium all-round model (knowledge/advice) + a small fast one (battery operation) available?
• [ ] Does the AI start without a network? Test: Wi-Fi off → ask a question
• [ ] Is this offline base accessible to the AI? (folder wissen\ usable as context)

Ollama — quick commands

ollama list                # show installed models
ollama pull <model>        # download a model (requires internet)
ollama run <model>         # start a chat
ollama ps                  # show models currently loaded
ollama serve               # start the server manually (if it isn't running in the background)
/bye                       # end the chat

Sharing the AI with all devices on the local Wi-Fi

Router on (power!) = the LAN works without internet.

1. On the AI computer, set the environment variable OLLAMA_HOST to 0.0.0.0 (Windows: "Edit environment variables for your account"), then quit Ollama (icon in the notification area) and start it again.
2. Windows Firewall: allow incoming connections on port 11434 — only on your own, trusted network!
3. Note the computer's IP address: ipconfig → IPv4 address, e.g. 192.168.x.x → write it here: ……
4. Other devices: in a chat app or web interface, enter http://<IP>:11434 as the Ollama server. Install the web interface (e.g. Open WebUI) or app beforehand — that only works with internet.

Sensible use in an emergency

Well suited: - Explaining things: "How do I apply a pressure bandage?" (cross-check with this base!) - Translating, writing texts, calculating, planning ("Ration 6 L of water for 2 people over 4 days") - Improvising: "What can I build/cook from X and Y?" - Querying this knowledge base: copy the contents of an MD file into the prompt + ask your question

Caution (risk of hallucination!): - Medication doses, chemical mixtures, electrical installations → always cross-check with the files in wissen\ or the package leaflet - Local facts (addresses, frequencies, phone numbers) — the model doesn't know them reliably → that's what this base is for

Prompt template for emergency questions

You are a precise emergency adviser. Answer briefly, in steps,
and state safety warnings first. If you are unsure, say so
explicitly. Context: power cut, no internet, household in
<COUNTRY>. Question: <QUESTION>

Saving power when using AI

• Small model (3–8B) instead of a large one: a fraction of the consumption, sufficient for everyday questions
• Collect questions, bundle them into one session, then put the laptop on standby
• Laptop instead of desktop (a desktop uses 5–10× more power)
• Rule of thumb: laptop AI session ~50–100 W → with a 1000 Wh power station ~10–15 h of use

💻 PC & Network Without Internet

The key insight

Your home network (LAN/Wi-Fi) works completely without internet — the router only needs power. All devices on the same Wi-Fi can still talk to each other: exchange files, print, use local AI, access this offline base together.

Router on backup power

Routers only use ~10–15 W → on a 1000 Wh power station one runs for 2–3 days. Worthwhile if several devices need to communicate.

Making this offline base available throughout the house

Option A — simple: copy the folder to a USB stick and distribute it to every device. START-HIER.html works everywhere with a double-click.

Option B — network share (Windows): 1. Right-click the KeinInternet folder → Properties → Sharing → Share 2. Other PCs: File Explorer → \\<PC-NAME>\KeinInternet

Option C — mini web server (if Python is installed):

cd "<path to your KeinInternet folder>"
python -m http.server 8080

Example path: C:\KeinInternet. Other devices (phones too!): browser → http://<IP-of-the-PC>:8080/START-HIER.html Find the IP address: ipconfig → IPv4 address. Confirm the firewall prompt with "Allow" — only on your own, trusted network, because this makes the whole folder (including your settings in config\) readable by everyone on the Wi-Fi.

Offline Wikipedia for the whole Wi-Fi network: KIWIX-SERVER-START.bat (see 15-kiwix-wikipedia.md).

Windows without internet — what works and what doesn't

Still works: everything local — Office, files, installed programs, local AI, games without an online requirement, printing on the LAN.

Doesn't work / problems: cloud files that are only "available online" (OneDrive placeholders!), streaming, programs with online licence checks; signing in to Windows with a Microsoft account can cause problems after a long time (create a local account as a backup!).

Prepare now: - [ ] OneDrive/cloud folders: set important files to "Always keep on this device" - [ ] Create a local Windows account with a password as a second login - [ ] Back up installers of important programs offline (see 12-download-checkliste.md) - [ ] Export your password manager database locally/keep it synchronised

Time & co.

Without a time server (NTP) the PC clock drifts minimally — doesn't matter. Phones keep time via GPS (works without internet!).

GPS & offline maps

GPS always works without internet — only the maps are missing. Download offline maps beforehand (Google Maps offline areas or Organic Maps/OsmAnd, see the download checklist).

Troubleshooting the LAN without internet

💶 Money & Documents

Cash

During a power/network outage: no card payments, no cash machines.

• Recommendation: a cash reserve at home for ~1–2 weeks of basic needs (guide value €200–500 per household or the equivalent in your currency, depending on your needs)
• Small notes + coins (5s, 10s, 20s) — nobody can give change for a 100 note
• Store safely, but within quick reach in an emergency (not all in one place)

Document folder (ready to grab, e.g. for an evacuation)

Originals or copies in ONE folder:

• [ ] ID cards/passports (copies)
• [ ] Birth/marriage certificates (original or certified copy)
• [ ] Vaccination records, list of allergies/medications, organ donor card
• [ ] Insurance policies (the numbers are enough), copy of your health insurance card
• [ ] Savings books/securities account statements, pension notices
• [ ] Land register extract/title deeds or tenancy agreement
• [ ] Certificates/qualifications (copies)
• [ ] List of important phone numbers on paper (phone contacts are useless with a flat battery!)
• [ ] Emergency contact outside the region

Digital backup

• Scan all documents → encrypted USB stick (e.g. VeraCrypt container or BitLocker To Go) in the document folder
• Second copy in another place (relatives, possibly the cloud — but the cloud cannot be reached during an internet outage!)
• Password manager: consider an offline export/emergency sheet for the 5 most important logins (kept safe)

Paper phone list (fill in!)

Insurance & damage

After damage has occurred (e.g. a power surge after a blackout): 1. Photograph the damage before clearing up 2. Keep faulty devices (evidence) 3. List: device, date of purchase, approx. value 4. Report it as soon as communication is possible again. In Germany, notification deadlines generally only start once it is possible to report — if in doubt, document everything. The exact deadlines are in your policy.

💊 Home Medicine Cabinet & Medication

Not medical advice — always follow the package leaflet or your doctor for dosages. Emergency numbers for your country: see the region box (112 works everywhere in the EU). Example: in Germany, the out-of-hours medical service is 116 117.

Basic medicine cabinet

Dressings: - [ ] Sterile gauze pads, gauze bandages, conforming bandages - [ ] Plasters/adhesive bandages (assortment + roll), blister plasters - [ ] Triangular bandage, first-aid dressing packs (as in a car first-aid kit) - [ ] Disposable gloves, scissors, tweezers (splinters/ticks), safety pins - [ ] Wound antiseptic (e.g. octenidine- or polyhexanide-based) - [ ] Emergency/space blanket (gold/silver)

Medication (over the counter): - [ ] Pain/fever relief: ibuprofen AND paracetamol (acetaminophen) — they work differently - [ ] Diarrhoea: oral rehydration salts (more important than anti-diarrhoeal drugs!), loperamide for emergencies - [ ] Nausea: e.g. dimenhydrinate - [ ] Allergy: antihistamine (e.g. cetirizine) - [ ] Colds: decongestant nasal spray, throat lozenges - [ ] Burn/wound gel, sports ointment (bruises) - [ ] Clinical thermometer

Personal (critical!): - [ ] Regular prescription medication: a supply for at least 2–4 weeks (discuss with your doctor, get prescriptions in good time) - [ ] List of all medications + dosages on paper (also important for emergency doctors) - [ ] If you wear glasses: spare pair

Medication that needs refrigeration (e.g. insulin) during a power cut

• Keep the fridge closed: it stays cool for many hours
• After that: coolest spot in the home, water bath, cellar
• Insulin: tolerates room temperature for a limited time (depending on the product, often ~4 weeks below 25–30 °C) — check the package leaflet NOW and write it down here: ……
• Never let it freeze!

Make your own oral rehydration solution (for diarrhoea/vomiting)

WHO recipe: 1 litre of boiled (cooled) water + 6 level teaspoons of sugar + ½ level teaspoon of salt. Drink in small sips. Especially important for children and older people — dehydration is the main danger.

Shelf life

• Expired tablets (stored dry): usually lose potency slowly and rarely become "toxic" — in an emergency, a slightly expired painkiller is better than none. Exceptions — never use when expired: drops/syrups/ointments (risk of germs), insulin, antibiotic suspensions, anything cloudy or smelling different
• Check once a year and replace expired items (dispose of them according to local rules — pharmacy or household waste, never down the toilet)

Storage

Cool, dry, dark, out of children's reach — NOT in the bathroom (humidity). A bedroom cupboard is ideal.

🧼 Hygiene & Safety During a Prolonged Outage

Hygiene without running water

Priorities: hands > dishes > body > laundry. NEVER waste drinking water on cleaning.

• Hands: a supply of hand sanitiser (at least 60 % alcohol) saves water. Alternatively: 2 bowls (wash/rinse), reuse water several times
• Sponge bath: 1–2 L is enough — washcloth, order face → body → intimate area. Wet wipes as a reserve
• Dishes: wipe with paper before washing (saves a lot of water); cover plates with cling film = no washing up
• Teeth: brush normally, use a cup instead of running water

Toilet without flushing

• Flush with grey water (bathtub reserve, rainwater) — pour a bucket straight into the bowl
• With no water at all: emergency toilet = bucket + bin bag + cat litter/sawdust/soil after each use. Tie the bags, collect them outside (bucket with lid)
• A supply of bin bags is worth its weight in gold in a blackout (also for rubbish in general — collection may stop)

Rubbish

Keep organic waste separate and tightly packed (smell, vermin), store it cool/outside if possible. Compress general waste.

Fire safety (higher risk in a blackout: candles, stoves!)

• [ ] Smoke alarms in every bedroom + hallway (test the battery — now!)
• [ ] Fire extinguisher (6 kg foam/ABC powder) or at least an extinguisher spray + fire blanket (kitchen)
• Candles: stable holders, never unattended, 50 cm from anything flammable, out of reach of children/pets
• NEVER put out a fat fire with water → lid/fire blanket/smother it
• Keep escape routes clear, torch by the bed

Home security

During longer blackouts the risk of burglary rises (alarm systems dead, streets dark): - Always lock the door, even when leaving briefly - Show that someone is home (candlelight visible) - Organise the neighbourhood: look out for each other, check on older neighbours (doorbells often fail without power → knock!) - Keep valuables out of sight; give no information about your supplies at the door

Beware of scams during crises

Fake "utility company staff" or "disaster relief workers" at the door: ask for ID, do not let strangers in — genuine emergency services rarely turn up alone and unannounced.

Mental health & family

• Create structure: fixed times for meals, radio and sleep
• Involve children (give them jobs — battery monitor, candle monitor)
• Things to do without electricity: books, card/board games, crafts — pack a "blackout games box" now
• Information discipline: radio at fixed times instead of constantly — reduces stress

⬇️ Download Checklist — Do It NOW, While the Internet Still Works!

This list is the most important "guide" of all: everything here only works if you got it BEFORE the outage.

1. Offline knowledge with DATEN-LADEN.bat (top priority)

The package itself is small. Everything large (Wikipedia, repair guides, medicine, official guides, postal codes) is fetched by DATEN-LADEN.bat in the main folder — matched to your region and language from the setup (run EINRICHTEN.bat first).

How it works:

1. Double-click DATEN-LADEN.bat
2. Choose a profile (see table below)
3. Before downloading, the program lists every file with its size and the total size — check that you have enough disk space, then confirm
4. The download runs. Interrupted (network gone, PC off)? Just start it again — parts already downloaded are resumed, not downloaded again
5. Every finished file is verified with a checksum. Damaged files are reported and downloaded again on the next run

The sizes shown by the program are the ones that count — they change with every new edition.

Where the files go:

Test afterwards (important!): disconnect Wi-Fi/network cable → start KIWIX-START.bat → search for an article. Only when this works without internet is it really available offline (details: guide 15).

• [ ] DATEN-LADEN.bat run, profile: ……
• [ ] Offline test with KIWIX-START.bat passed
• [ ] Additionally put a first-aid manual as PDF (e.g. from your country's Red Cross) into wissen\anleitungen\

2. Offline maps & navigation (by hand, on your phone)

• [ ] Install Organic Maps or OsmAnd (free apps, OpenStreetMap) → download your region + surrounding area (if you have evacuation plans, also the destination regions and neighbouring countries)
• [ ] Alternatively/additionally Google Maps: save an offline area of your home region (offline maps expire after a while — renew them regularly!)
• [ ] Paper map/city map of the region (independent of any battery)
• [ ] GPS also works without a mobile network — only the map has to be on the device beforehand

3. Local AI

• [ ] Models available locally and tested WITHOUT internet (see guide 07)
• [ ] Large (advice) + small (battery-saving) — both there?
• [ ] Web UI (e.g. Open WebUI) installed, if you plan to share it on the local network

4. Back up software installers offline (USB stick "Software")

• [ ] Browser installer (e.g. Firefox)
• [ ] VLC (plays almost anything)
• [ ] 7-Zip (unpack archives)
• [ ] PDF reader (Firefox opens PDFs — optional)
• [ ] Copy the Kiwix folder (kiwix\) too — it is portable and needs no installation
• [ ] Drivers: printer, Wi-Fi adapter, graphics card
• [ ] Windows: create installation media (Media Creation Tool → USB), just in case

5. Personal data

• [ ] Cloud files (OneDrive/Google Drive): set important ones to "always available offline"
• [ ] Password manager: database backed up locally
• [ ] Photos/documents: backup on an external hard drive (a must anyway)
• [ ] Music/films/audiobooks/e-books stored locally (morale is a resource!)
• [ ] Operating manuals (heating, backup power, car, router) as PDF in wissen\anleitungen\

6. Copy to USB stick and phone

• [ ] Copy this whole folder (including the downloaded data) to a USB stick or external hard drive — Kiwix also runs directly from the stick
• [ ] Copy START-HIER.html (the knowledge portal in a single file; English version START-HIER.en.html) to your phone — it opens offline in any browser
• [ ] A second copy in another place (workplace, relatives)
• [ ] Note: the config\ folder contains your personal setup — leave it out when passing the package on to others

7. Hardware shopping list (one-off)

Basics (~€100–200 or equivalent): - [ ] Wind-up/battery radio (FM, ideally with USB charging) - [ ] LED head torches (1 per person) + camping lantern - [ ] AA/AAA batteries (lithium, 10-year shelf life) + power banks (2× 20,000 mAh) - [ ] Camping stove + gas cartridges - [ ] Water containers (2× 10–20 L, food-grade) - [ ] CO detector + smoke alarm + fire blanket - [ ] PMR446 walkie-talkies (set)

Upgrades (depending on budget): - [ ] Portable power station (≥ 500 Wh) + solar panel - [ ] Outdoor water filter + water purification tablets - [ ] Sleeping bags (comfort rating 0 °C), emergency blankets

8. Update regularly (every 6 months — put it in your calendar!)

• [ ] Recharge power banks/power station
• [ ] Renew offline maps on your phone
• [ ] Run DATEN-LADEN.bat again (newer editions of Wikipedia & co.)
• [ ] Rotate food, check medication
• [ ] Check your cash reserve
• [ ] Refresh the copies on USB stick/phone

📰 Staying Informed When the Internet Fails

The current situation is not in this guide — it is shown live in the situation centre (00-START.html, section "Situation now") and in the tools of this package, as long as the internet works. This guide explains how to get reliable information when the network or power fails.

Order of information sources in an emergency

1. Official warnings — sirens, phone alerts (cell broadcast), warning apps, loudspeaker announcements. They always take priority.
2. Radio (FM, medium wave, DAB+) — the most important source during a power and internet outage. Public broadcasters usually pass on official warnings immediately.
3. Offline knowledge — this package, Kiwix/Wikipedia (guide 15), your printed emergency folder.
4. Talking to people locally — neighbours, fire brigade, information points of your municipality. Always cross-check with official information.

Radio — your lifeline

• Keep a wind-up/battery radio ready (guide 12, hardware list); the car radio works too (run the engine now and then to protect the battery)
• Write down stations now: your regional public broadcaster + your country's national news station, with the frequencies for where you live. Recommendations for your region: see the region box in the portal.
• Regional station: …… Frequency: ……
• National: …… Frequency: ……
• Fixed listening times (e.g. the news on the hour) instead of leaving it on all the time — saves batteries and nerves
• Large transmitter sites usually have backup power and keep broadcasting during a power cut — your receiver only needs batteries

Official warning systems

Which systems exist differs from country to country — the official warning apps, websites and the civil-protection authority responsible for your country are listed in the region box.

• Cell broadcast: warnings sent straight to your phone, without an app or registration. In your phone settings under "Emergency alerts/Wireless emergency alerts", leave all levels switched on.
• Warning apps: examples — Germany: NINA, KATWARN, BIWAPP; Switzerland: Alertswiss. Set them up with your home location and your current location.
• Sirens: the signals differ from country to country. In Germany: a 1-minute rising and falling tone = warning → switch on the radio; a 1-minute continuous tone = all clear (details: guide 19). The official authority of your country publishes the signals that apply to you.
• Loudspeaker vans of the police/fire brigade during large-scale incidents
• Local contact points: during longer outages, many municipalities set up information points (often fire stations, town halls; in Germany e.g. "Notfalltreffpunkte" or "Katastrophenschutz-Leuchttürme"). Ask your municipality now and write it down: ……

While the internet works: the tools in this package

The tools continuously collect situation information and store the latest state locally. If the network fails, this state remains readable — always check the timestamp.

Some sources only exist in certain countries (e.g. NINA in Germany, Alertswiss in Switzerland). Where a source is not available for your region, the tools show "Not available in your region" and carry on with the other sources.

Outage maps and social media

• Outage maps (electricity, mobile network, internet) exist in many countries, as websites of the network operators or as independent aggregator sites (in Germany e.g. störungsauskunft.de). Bookmark the one for where you live now.
• Official accounts of authorities and network operators on social networks often report outages quickly — but only while the internet works.
• Following sites without an account/API: tools such as RSS-Bridge (open source, runs locally) generate RSS feeds for many sites that have none; together with an RSS reader (e.g. Thunderbird) you can keep an eye on news sites. Access to big platforms changes often — do not rely on it; outage maps and official sources are more stable.

Spotting false reports

In a crisis, rumours spread faster than facts.

• Who is saying this? An official body, a well-known news outlet — or "a friend of a friend"?
• Do two independent, reputable sources confirm it? Radio and official warnings take priority.
• Check the date and time: old pictures and reports are often passed off as "current".
• Strong emotions (panic, anger) are a warning sign — check first, then share.
• Do not forward anything unverified, not even "just in case".

Information discipline

• Fixed times for news (e.g. morning, midday, evening) instead of constant listening — reduces stress, saves battery
• One person in the household is in charge of information: listens to the radio, writes down important points with the time on paper
• Write down important announcements (evacuation, drinking water, contact points) immediately and pass them on to neighbours

🧭 Escape & Evacuation

Stay or go? (the most important decision)

Stay (usually right) in case of: power cuts, supply shortages, severe weather. Your home offers shelter, supplies, warmth. Evacuating is a risk in itself.

Go only if: the authorities order it (loudspeaker vans, radio, warning app — in Germany e.g. NINA), there is immediate danger where you are (rising floodwater, major fire, chemical accident downwind), or supplies have broken down permanently and the destination can be reached safely and is better supplied.

Rule: never flee into the unknown. A destination (relatives, friends, official reception point) must be fixed — otherwise stay.

Grab bag (per person, max. ~10–12 kg)

• [ ] Document folder (see guide 09) + cash
• [ ] Water (1.5 L) + water bottle, energy bars/nuts for 2 days
• [ ] Medication (your own!), mini first-aid kit
• [ ] Weatherproof clothing, sturdy shoes, 1 change of underwear, hat
• [ ] Sleeping bag/emergency blanket, small sleeping mat
• [ ] Head torch + spare batteries, pocket knife, lighter
• [ ] Power bank + cable, radio (small), PMR walkie-talkie
• [ ] Minimal hygiene kit, toilet paper, bin bags
• [ ] Paper map of the region + this folder on a USB stick
• Children: baby carrier, favourite toy, snacks. Pets: lead/carrier, food.

What to do when an evacuation is ordered

1. Stay calm, follow the instructions of the emergency services
2. Turn off cooker/water/electricity (main switch), close windows, lock up
3. Note on the door: "Home evacuated, [number] persons, destination, date/time"
4. Inform neighbours/take them with you (especially older people!)
5. Use the official routes — no "shortcuts" (they may be closed or dangerous)
6. If there is danger from chemicals/smoke: leave the danger zone at right angles to the wind direction

Route planning without internet

• Offline map app (Organic Maps/OsmAnd, download maps beforehand!): real road navigation with GPS — GPS also works without a mobile network
• Paper map as a backup (battery!)
• The widget above gives direction, distance and destinations — detailed navigation is done by the map app
• On foot: 4–5 km/h, with luggage/children more like 3 km/h → 30 km = a very long day's march
• Bicycle: 3–4× faster than walking, independent of traffic jams and fuel
• Car: only with a full tank and while roads are clear — in a mass exodus, motorways are quickly blocked; prefer country roads

What is a "safe area"?

It depends on the situation — rules of thumb: - Away from: large cities (collapse of supplies, unrest), industrial/chemical plants, rivers (flooding), military installations - Towards: small rural towns/villages (short supply chains, wells, farming), higher ground in case of flooding, people you know (the best "safe area" is one where you are expected!) - Chemicals/smoke: across the wind; flooding: uphill; unrest in town: out into the countryside

Living near a national border

A destination in the neighbouring country can be an option — but no guarantee: - Know the nearest border crossings (including smaller ones away from the motorway) and have them available offline in your map app - ID cards/passports of everyone ready to hand (document folder!), some cash in the neighbouring country's currency - Pets: pet passport, microchip, valid rabies vaccination (check the entry rules of the destination country beforehand) - In a real major crisis, borders can be controlled or closed; for people liable to military service, leaving the country may be legally restricted (guide 19) - Arrange a contact in the neighbouring country beforehand — otherwise the rule applies: never flee into the unknown

Households with pets

Pack one grab bag per person (lighter for children). Pets: carrier/lead, food for 3+ days, water bowl, vaccination record. Never leave animals behind during an evacuation — official emergency shelters often do not accept animals → a private destination (relatives, friends) is then especially important.

Prepare now (fill in!)

Choose two destinations in different directions — the danger decides which one can be used.

📚 Offline Wikipedia & More (Kiwix)

Kiwix reads knowledge archives (.zim files) completely offline — no internet needed once the data has been downloaded.

What is available?

Exactly what is on your PC depends on the profile you chose in DATEN-LADEN.bat (guide 12). The program downloads content matching your language and region:

Folders: - kiwix\ — programs: Kiwix Desktop (reader) and kiwix-serve (server). Portable, they also run from a USB stick. - downloads\zim\ — the knowledge archives (.zim)

If something is missing or the folder is empty: run DATEN-LADEN.bat (again) — interrupted downloads are resumed.

Two ways to use it

1. KIWIX-START.bat — desktop app (this PC only)

Opens Kiwix as a program with all packages from downloads\zim\. Full-text search at the top, random article, bookmarks. If a DLL error appears the first time you start it: install the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable (x64) once (free from Microsoft — best download it now and put it on your "Software" USB stick).

2. KIWIX-SERVER-START.bat — server for your whole home network ⭐

Starts a small web server (port 8090 by default). Then, in a browser:

• This PC: http://localhost:8090
• Any device on your home network/Wi-Fi (phone, tablet, other PCs): http://<IP-of-this-PC>:8090 — the server window shows the exact address. The router needs power, but internet is NOT required (see guide 08)

First start: confirm the Windows Firewall prompt with "Allow". Keep the window open = the server is running.

Tips

• Searching in Kiwix is a full-text search across the entire Wikipedia — like a search engine, only offline
• Phone browser: save the start page http://<IP>:8090 as a bookmark/home-screen icon — ready to hand in an emergency
• Combine with local AI (guide 07): look up facts in Kiwix, let the AI explain/summarise (an AI can make things up, the reference work does not)
• Update the packages (every 6–12 months): run DATEN-LADEN.bat again; delete older .zim files once a newer edition has been fully downloaded
• Also worthwhile on backup power: laptop + router ≈ 25–40 W for Wikipedia in the whole house

Troubleshooting

🛰️ OSINT Threat Analysis (local)

A defensive early-warning tool: the local AI evaluates public news and official warnings and reports when something points to war, attack or crisis that could become dangerous for you. Everything runs locally, public sources only, no surveillance.

What it does

Every 30 minutes it:

1. Fetches official warnings and sources worldwide: - Official warnings for your country, where an open interface exists — e.g. Germany: NINA (MoWaS, KATWARN, BIWAPP, DWD weather service, floods, police); Switzerland: Alertswiss. If there is no such source for your region, the report says "Not available in your region" — the other sources keep running. - News matching your language (German-, English- or French-language outlets) plus international sources (e.g. BBC, Al Jazeera, DW, France 24) - UN disaster alerts (GDACS, ReliefWeb), USGS earthquakes, cyber-security warnings (e.g. CERT-Bund/BSI in Germany)
2. Automatically scans for 8 threat categories: war/military, attack on your own country, CBRN (chemical/biological/radiological/nuclear), cyber attack, critical infrastructure, terror/attack, unrest, natural disaster
3. Has the local AI (Ollama) produce a structured analysis: overall situation, top threats, level 🟢🟡🟠🔴, concrete recommendation — with your location in mind
4. Writes osint-analyse\osint-report.html and warns from ORANGE upwards with a Windows notification (and by phone push, if set up — guide 18)

Setup

1. Run EINRICHTEN.bat in the main folder once — your home location, region and language come from there; nothing needs to be entered in the script
2. Install the local AI and download a model (guide 07). Without AI there is no assessment, but the sources are still collected
3. Run osint-analyse\osint-autostart-einrichten.bat as administrator → runs every 30 minutes
4. Test: osint-analyse\osint-START.bat → then open osint-report.html (it only exists after the first run)

Threat levels

Customising the sources

osint-analyse\quellen.txt — one RSS address per line, # = comment. Simply add your own feeds (local newspaper, county/district, specialist topics). The more sources, the better the coverage — but the slower the scan.

Limits & honest assessment

• It needs the internet — it is the early-warning system WHILE the network is running. If the internet fails, the last report applies (check the timestamp!) → then radio + offline knowledge (guide 13).
• The AI can be wrong (false alarm or missed event). At RED always cross-check with official sources: your country's warning app, radio, sirens.
• It only reads what is public in the feeds — no "secret knowledge", no prediction. It only speeds up recognising patterns across many sources.
• Relation to the situation monitor (lage-monitor\): the situation monitor is the simple traffic light, the OSINT analysis the deeper evaluation with categories and top threats. Both can run in parallel; for "well informed", the OSINT analysis alone is usually enough.

Useful combinations

OSINT reports ORANGE/RED → evacuation widget (guide 14) for direction, Kiwix (15) for background, local AI (07) for detailed questions, the other guides for concrete preparation.

🗺️ Risk Map & Public Webcams

Risk map (war / attack / escalation)

Open: risiko-karte\risiko-karte.html (double-click). Shows a schematic map of Europe in which the local AI colours the risk of escalation/war for each region daily (level 1–5), with a one-sentence explanation each. Your home location from the setup is marked.

Regions assessed: Germany, Switzerland/Austria, Poland/Baltic states (NATO eastern flank), Ukraine/Russia, Scandinavia/Baltic Sea, Benelux, France, Middle East.

Setup:

1. Nothing to enter in the script — location and language come from EINRICHTEN.bat, the news sources from the OSINT analysis (guide 16)
2. risiko-karte\risiko-autostart-einrichten.bat as administrator → updates daily at 07:00
3. Test/now: risiko-karte\risiko-karte-START.bat (the local AI/Ollama must be running, guide 07)

Basis: public international news (e.g. BBC, Al Jazeera, France 24, DW) + official warnings. Not a substitute for official situation reports — at a high level, check your warning app/radio and use the evacuation widget (guide 14). Updating needs the internet; the latest state remains readable offline.

Clickable webcam map

Open: webcam-karte\webcam-karte.html. Interactive map of public webcams without an API key, collected by webcam-karte\webcam-scan.ps1 (automatically at start-up and every 2 hours):

• Panomax (panorama cameras, mainly in the Alpine region)
• foto-webcam.eu (high-resolution cameras, mostly in the Alps and the Alpine foothills)
• OpenStreetMap (public cameras mapped in OSM around your home location)

Density varies a lot: many cameras in the Alpine region, often only a few elsewhere.

• Offline images: the ~40 camera images closest to your home location are saved locally (webcam-karte\cache\). Without internet, the map automatically shows this last image with a timestamp.
• On the right, the list of the nearest cameras (click to jump to the camera). Layers for each source can be toggled at the top right.
• Official traffic portals as link markers (see table below).
• Optional Windy: only with a free key for the Webcams API (api.windy.com/keys). A key for "Map/Point Forecast" is rejected — the map also works without it. Enter the key as described under "Accounts & keys" on the website, or with sicherheit\SCHLUESSEL-EINTRAGEN.bat (stored encrypted).

Live images need the internet; without a network, the map, locations and saved images remain usable. Use: before a journey/evacuation, see the real situation along the route and at border crossings. Legally sound — only cameras that were deliberately made public are shown (operator platforms and official portals).

Public traffic webcams (official, as bookmarks)

Examples — in other countries, road operators and traffic authorities often offer their own cameras:

Use in an emergency: before a journey/evacuation, check the traffic situation on your planned route and at border crossings (traffic jams, closures) — while the internet works.

Why not "all accessible surveillance cameras"

Tools that list unsecured third-party cameras (the Insecam/Shodan principle) access private and company cameras that are not meant for the public. This violates other people's privacy; in Germany, for example, it is generally a criminal offence (unauthorised access, § 202a StGB; data protection law), and unauthorised access to other people's IT systems is prohibited in most other countries too. It also does nothing for your preparedness — only official, deliberately published cameras can be used legally, and they are listed above.

🛡️ Supply Radar & Phone Alerts

Open: versorgung\VERSORGUNG.html (also in the DASHBOARD). The radar shows a traffic light for each of several supply areas and tells you what to do now:

Also for fuel: the Brent oil price (world market, with a delay of a few days) — it drives petrol, diesel and heating oil prices with a lag of 1–2 weeks.

Not every source exists everywhere. Country-specific sources (e.g. Tankerkönig, Federal Network Agency, BfS and PEGELONLINE only in Germany, ENSI only in Switzerland; Eurostat and AGSI+ only for Europe) appear as "Not available in your region" elsewhere. The other areas still work.

Levels: 🟢 GREEN normal · 🟡 YELLOW be alert, check supplies · 🟠 ORANGE act now · 🔴 RED emergency mode · ⚫ NO DATA (source missing — never treat it as "all clear").

Important: the traffic lights are calculated only from measured values and fixed thresholds, not by the AI. Thresholds and instructions are in versorgung\versorgung-regeln.json and can be adjusted there. Reports that mention your home town or the nearby places from the setup carry more weight.

Grid frequency — the best early indicator of a blackout

The continental European power grid runs at 50.000 Hz. Normally it fluctuates by less than 0.1 Hz (100 mHz). (Great Britain and Ireland have their own grids; North America uses 60 Hz — there this reading says nothing about your grid.)

• from 200 mHz deviation: grid operators start emergency measures → ORANGE: charge batteries, fill up water.
• from 800 mHz (49.2 Hz): the grid is close to automatic load shedding (from 49.0 Hz whole areas are disconnected step by step) → RED: blackout guide (04).

Setting up phone alerts (once, 3 minutes)

1. Install the ntfy app (Android: Google Play/F-Droid, iPhone: App Store).
2. Double-click benachrichtigung\PUSH-EINRICHTEN.bat — it shows your secret topic.
3. In the app, tap + → enter the topic → subscribe → press a key in the window → a test message arrives.

After that you receive:

• an immediate warning when an area jumps to ORANGE/RED (with the reason and "do NOW"),
• an immediate warning when the OSINT threat level rises to ORANGE/RED or the war risk for your region on the risk map reaches level 4,
• an all-clear when things calm down again,
• a situation briefing every morning from 7 a.m. (all traffic lights + what to do today).

The topic is like a password — do not share it. Without internet, no push messages arrive; then rely on the radio (stations for your region, see the region box) and sirens/loudspeaker announcements.

More accurate with free keys (recommended where available)

How to create the accounts and enter the keys is explained in the "Accounts & keys" section of the website. To enter them: double-click sicherheit\SCHLUESSEL-EINTRAGEN.bat (input is hidden and stored encrypted — never pass keys on by chat, e-mail or file):

• Tankerkönig (real fuel prices + open petrol stations, Germany only): onboarding.tankerkoenig.de
• AGSI+ (gas storage levels, Europe): agsi.gie.eu → account → API key

Without keys, the radar shows these fields as "NO DATA" — everything else works.

Updates

Automatically every 30 minutes and at Windows start-up, once the monitors have been set up with AUTOSTART-EINRICHTEN.bat. Right now: versorgung\VERSORGUNG-START.bat. If the data is older than 90 minutes, the page shows a red notice. Before the first run it says "No data yet".

Supplies calculator — what your household needs

Open: vorrat\VORRAT.html (also in the DASHBOARD). This is where you enter your household (people with age/sex, dogs with weight — add, or remove with ✕). This information is also used by the shelter shopping list, the emergency folder and the scenarios page. The calculator:

• calculates requirements based on the recommendations of the German Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK) for any number of days (input field, quick selection 3/10/14/30/90) — food quantities adjusted to energy needs by age/sex, dog food and water by body weight,
• records your stock (quantity + best-before date) and shows in large type: "You are self-sufficient for X days" (water, food, dog food separately),
• warns about items that expire in less than 60 days,
• creates, with "📄 Shopping list as PDF", a tick-off list of only the missing items (works offline),
• saves in the browser; use "Export" to create a backup file (e.g. on a USB stick).

Shopping, offers & price book

In the supplies calculator under 🛍️ Shopping (also on the start page):

• What is missing → find offers: for every gap, search links to current offers and brochures (in Germany e.g. Marktguru and Kaufda with your postal code, plus brochures of large retail chains).
• Price book: when shopping, enter price, quantity and shop. The page converts to price per kg or litre, shows the cheapest shop of the last 90 days and the price trend in the same shop. If a price rises by more than 15 %, it is marked yellow — an early, local sign of scarcity.
• Official price trend: for each product, the monthly price change in your country (Eurostat — only for countries covered by Eurostat). The supply radar evaluates 22 stockpile products plus liquefied petroleum gas (propane): YELLOW from +15 % a year or +5 % a month, ORANGE when at least two products reach +30 %/year or +10 %/month.

Honestly: up-to-date prices and stock levels of individual shops are not available as open data; retailers block automated queries. That is why the radar combines links, your own price book and official statistics. Empty shelves and panic buying are detected by the radar via regional news.

⚔️ War, Air-Raid Alerts & State of Defence

Warning signals — what they mean

Siren signals and warning channels differ from country to country. The signals that apply to you are published by the official civil-protection authority of your country (see the region box). Example Germany:

In Germany there is no separate air-raid signal — the warning signal applies to all dangers. What is happening is announced on the radio (e.g. the regional public broadcasters, Deutschlandfunk), by cell broadcast and in warning apps such as NINA.

The air situation monitor in this package (luftlage\LUFTLAGE.html, guide 24) shows official air-raid warnings only for countries that publish them openly (e.g. Germany, Switzerland); otherwise it shows "Not available in your region". In an emergency, always rely on sirens, cell broadcast and the official warning app.

Air-raid alert / missile or drone attack — action card

1. Go into the nearest solid building immediately. Do not stay in the street, do not film.
2. Indoors: go to the cellar/basement — otherwise to an inner room without windows (hallway, bathroom). Put as many walls as possible between you and the outside.
3. Keep away from windows and glass (splinters are the most common injury).
4. Outdoors without a building: lie flat on the ground, in a hollow/ditch, protect your head and neck with your arms.
5. In a car: stop, get out, take cover (underpass, ditch) — do not stay in a tunnel if there is smoke.
6. Pets on the lead or in a carrier and into the shelter with you. Bring people who need help (older people, children, people with disabilities) to safety first.
7. Stay inside until the all-clear (all-clear signal or announcement). After impacts: expect further impacts, do not go out to look.
8. Afterwards: check for smell of gas/fire, treat the injured (guide 01), call the emergency number only in a real emergency (network overloaded).

Public shelters exist to very different extents depending on the country (in Germany, for example, hardly any remain). Authorities sometimes plan places of refuge (underground car parks, underground stations, solid cellars) — ask your municipality/town what is planned and write it down below.

Preparing your own shelter (cellar or inner room)

• Water (3 days), food that needs no cooking, torch + batteries, wind-up radio
• Blankets/sleeping bags, seating for older people or people with limited mobility
• First-aid bag, medication, bucket with lid + bin bags (emergency toilet)
• Power bank, phone list on paper, document folder
• For pets: bowl, water, food, lead/carrier (a muzzle for dogs if needed)
• Fire extinguisher or fire blanket

If war threatens — warning signs and what to do

The early warning (guide 24) reports: mobilisation, state of tension/state of defence, NATO collective defence (Article 5), travel warnings for neighbouring countries, an accumulation of reports of attacks. Then, within one hour:

• Fill up the tank, get cash, secure 4 weeks of medication
• Fill up water, check supplies (supplies calculator)
• Call family and friends, confirm the meeting point
• Packed grab bags next to the door (guide 14)
• Prepare the decision stay or go — do not take to the roads in a panic at the same time as everyone else

State of defence — what the law may require of you (Germany)

The following rules apply in Germany. Other countries have different laws — the competent authority of your country can tell you what applies.

• Compulsory military service: in a state of tension or state of defence, compulsory military service applies to men until the end of the year in which they turn 60 (Section 3(5) of the Compulsory Military Service Act, Wehrpflichtgesetz). This affects every man in the household up to 60 (the emergency folder can include this note if such a person is entered). Call-up notices are issued via the Bundeswehr career centre (Karrierecenter).
• Longer stays abroad: men generally need approval from the career centre for more than 3 months abroad (Section 3(2) WPflG). In peacetime it is currently deemed granted; in a state of tension/defence it can be refused. Leaving the country is then legally not straightforward for those liable to military service — clarify the situation early.
• Work obligations: the Labour Safeguarding Act (Arbeitssicherstellungsgesetz) allows people in vital sectors (supply, health, transport) to be obliged to work in a state of defence.
• Requisitioning of property: under the requisitioning laws (Leistungsgesetze), authorities can, for example, requisition vehicles or fuel.
• Women cannot be obliged to serve with weapons under the Basic Law (Grundgesetz); in a state of defence, women aged 18 to 55 can be called up for civilian services in the medical and healthcare sector (Article 12a(4) of the Basic Law).

Legal situation as of: September 2026. Laws can change quickly — in an emergency, the current announcements and official notices apply.

Our places of protection (fill in)

☢️ Nuclear accident & chemical accident

Find out now: How far away is the nearest nuclear power plant — including across the border? (The risk map helps.) In a serious accident, wind can carry radioactive material from 50–65 km away to you within 1–3 hours. Chemical accidents (industry, hazardous goods on motorways, main roads or railways) are possible almost anywhere.

The most important difference:

Nuclear accident / radioactive release — action card

1. Get indoors immediately. Anyone who was outside: take off outer clothing at the door, put it in a bin bag, tie it up, put it outside. Shower, wash your hair.
2. Close windows and doors, switch off ventilation/cooker hood, close the chimney/flue.
3. Go to the basement or an inner room. Turn on the radio (regional public broadcaster), watch for warnings on your phone (Cell Broadcast, your country's warning app — in Germany: NINA; see region box).
4. Keep pets indoors. If they were outside: wipe their fur with a damp cloth, wash their paws, dispose of the cloth.
5. Eat nothing from the garden, no rainwater; tap water only once the authorities say it is safe (use your supplies).
6. Stay indoors until the authorities say otherwise — this can be hours to a few days. Evacuate only when ordered.

Iodine tablets — CAUTION, rules differ by country

• Iodine tablets protect only the thyroid against radioactive iodine, not against other radiation.
• Take them only when the authorities explicitly tell you to (radio, warning app) — not before, not "just in case".
• Distribution, age limits and dose are decided by each country. Follow the official civil-protection authority of your country (see region box).
• Example Germany (do not apply elsewhere without checking): the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) advises that people over 45 should not take iodine tablets, because the risk of side effects outweighs the benefit; adults aged 18–45 take 130 mg potassium iodide once (e.g. 2 tablets of 65 mg) — exactly as instructed by the authorities. The emergency folder counts this out automatically for the household you entered (German rule).
• Anyone with a known thyroid condition: clarify with your doctor beforehand and note it here: ……
• Pets: do not give them human iodine tablets.

Chemical accident / toxic cloud — action card

1. Get into the nearest building immediately. If you notice a smell or irritation outdoors: move away crosswind, not through the cloud.
2. Close windows and doors, switch off ventilation, seal gaps around doors with damp cloths.
3. Go to an upper floor, into a room on the side facing away from the wind. Not into the basement.
4. Improvised respiratory protection: a damp cloth over mouth and nose.
5. After contact with substances: remove clothing, rinse skin and eyes with water for 15 minutes. Symptoms (breathlessness, burning, nausea) → 112 (EU-wide; other countries see region box).
6. Follow radio and warning app; ventilate only after the all-clear.

Prepare (once)

• Iodine tablets according to your country's rules (Germany: only for people up to 45, pharmacy, 65 mg) — not for older people
• Have a roll of tape, plastic sheeting, bin bags and damp cloths ready
• Know how to switch off the ventilation system, air conditioner and cooker hood: ……
• FFP2 masks (help against dust/particles, not against gases)

🦠 Pandemic & severe wave of infection

A pandemic is a crisis in slow motion: it gives you weeks of lead time — if you act early, you can stay calm while everyone else is out shopping. The early warning (guide 24) reports clusters of news about outbreaks.

Early phase (first reports of a new pathogen that is spreading)

• Bring supplies up to 14 days (set the supplies calculator to 14), medicines for 4–8 weeks
• FFP2 masks (at least 30 per person), hand sanitiser, disposable gloves, fever thermometer
• Fever reducers/painkillers, electrolyte powder, cough medicine (guide 10)
• Clarify with your doctor: repeat prescriptions, phone/video consultations
• Older people in the household (from about 70) are particularly at risk — check vaccination status (doctor), agree on rules for visits

When it spreads in your own country

• Reduce contacts, bundle shopping (once a week, one person, mask)
• Protect older people: whoever goes out wears a mask and washes their hands first when they get home
• Ventilate, clean surfaces in the entrance area
• Follow official rules via radio, warning app and authorities (see region box); do not follow rumours

When someone in the household falls ill

• One room as the sickroom, ideally with its own bathroom; one person does the caring
• Carer: FFP2 mask, gloves, wash hands afterwards
• Record fever, fluid intake and breathing (with the time)
• Get help immediately (112 or your country's emergency number): breathlessness, bluish lips, confusion, chest pain, hardly any urine; with older people, any marked deterioration
• Pets can usually be cared for as normal; wash your hands after contact

Numbers

🐕 Dogs in an emergency

Applies to the dogs entered in the supplies calculator — it also shows the exact amounts of food and water, calculated from each dog's weight.

Emergency kit per dog (next to the grab bags)

• Food for 10 days (amounts: supplies calculator)
• Water 60 ml per kg of body weight per day — examples: small dog ~10 kg ≈ 0.6 l, medium dog ~20 kg ≈ 1.2 l, large dog ~40 kg ≈ 2.4 l per day
• Collapsible bowl, lead + spare lead, harness, muzzle (often mandatory in emergency shelters and on public transport)
• EU pet passport with a valid rabies vaccination (mandatory when crossing borders within the EU and into Switzerland), copy of the vaccination record
• Microchip number + registration in a pet registry (in Germany e.g. TASSO or FINDEFIX) — note the number: ……
• A current photo of each dog (on paper and on your phone) in case it gets lost
• Regular medication for 4 weeks, worming treatment, tick protection
• Poo bags, towel, blanket, favourite toy (calming)

Canine first aid — the most dangerous cases

Normal pulse: large dog 60–100/min, medium dog 70–120/min (inside of the thigh). Temperature 38–39 °C.

What to do in danger

• Siren/air-raid alert: put dogs on the lead and take them into the shelter — dogs bolt in panic at loud bangs.
• Nuclear accident: keep dogs indoors; if they were outside, wipe their fur with a damp cloth and wash their paws.
• Chemical accident: like people, go upstairs, close the windows.
• Blackout: food that needs no refrigeration (dry food), don't forget water, walks in daylight.
• Evacuation: many emergency shelters do not accept animals. Agree on a plan B: friends/relatives elsewhere who would take the dogs: ……
• Stress: fixed routines, a blanket as a retreat, speak calmly.

Contacts (fill in)

👵 Older person in the household (from about 70)

Applies when a person aged 70 or over is entered in the supplies calculator — the emergency folder then includes the relevant notes automatically.

Older people are the most at risk in any crisis: heat, cold, dehydration, missing medication and slower evacuation. Planning here means: them first.

Medication & health

• Printed medication plan (name, dose, time, what for) — in the emergency folder
• Supply for 4 weeks, better 8; get repeat prescriptions in good time
• Medicines that need refrigeration: plan for a power cut (guide 10)
• Aids: spare glasses, hearing aids + batteries, walking aid/rollator, incontinence products for 14 days if needed
• Emergency medical card/medication list, advance directive and lasting power of attorney (copies) in the document folder
• Family doctor and care service (if any) on the paper phone list

Drinking, warmth, heat

• The sense of thirst declines with age → fixed drinking amounts (1.5 l/day, keep a glass in sight), more in hot weather
• Cold (winter blackout, heating fails): older people cool down faster → warmest room, hat, several layers, hot-water bottle (heat water on the camping stove)
• Heat: coolest room, darken it during the day, wet cloths, light food
• Warning signs: confusion, dizziness, very little urine → encourage drinking plenty; if things get worse, call 112 (or your country's emergency number, see region box)

The warning must reach them

• Sirens and phone alert tones are often not heard → always tell them in person
• Clear agreement: who fetches the older person during an alert if the others are not at home: ……
• Neighbour as contact person: ……

Evacuation & leaving home

• Older people need more time → set off earlier than everyone else (that is exactly what the early warning is for)
• Their own light backpack (max. 3–4 kg), or someone else carries their luggage
• A fixed seat in the car, medication on the body, not in the boot
• In emergency accommodation: close to the ground floor, toilet nearby
• If they cannot come along: organise help in good time (report to emergency services / civil protection via 112)

State of mind

• Older people have often lived through crises before — make use of their calm and experience
• Keep the same daily structure, give them fixed tasks (e.g. listening to the radio and reporting), don't leave them alone

⚡ Early warning — know before the crowd

Goal: you and the people close to you should be able to act before everyone else starts filling up their cars, shopping or taking to the roads at the same time. That is why the rapid monitor runs every 5 minutes and sends a warning to your phone.

Regional note: Which sources are used depends on the region chosen in EINRICHTEN.bat. Official German sources (NINA/MoWaS, federal authorities, German government channels) exist only in Germany, Alertswiss only in Switzerland. If a source is not available in your region it is skipped and the page shows "Not available in your region". In that case your country's official warning channels apply (see region box). Worldwide sources (news, GDACS, earthquakes, air traffic, Ukrainian air-raid alerts) work everywhere.

What the rapid monitor watches

The wider world included: it also detects events anywhere in the world that reach us through chains of effects — closure of Hormuz/Suez/the Red Sea, oil-price shock, gas supply stop, use of nuclear weapons, reactor accident, attack on NATO's eastern flank, Taiwan blockade, WHO pandemic emergency, financial and global IT crises, grain export bans, volcanic ash clouds, severe solar storms (NOAA) and red-level disasters in and around Europe (GDACS). Additional sources: BBC World, Al Jazeera.

Forecast: every warning includes "What can happen now" (timeline from earlier crises), the typical duration and the concrete action. The page 🔮 Scenarios & outlook (fruehwarnung\SZENARIEN.html) calculates for each scenario whether your supplies are enough and shows the gap in days.

Government comparison (every 15 minutes, page 🏛️ fruehwarnung\ABGLEICH.html):

• Travel advice from four governments (German Federal Foreign Office, US State Department, UK government, Canada) for your own country, its neighbours and NATO's eastern flank side by side. If several governments tighten their advice at the same time, that is a strong early signal — before the Russian invasion in 2022, embassies withdrew staff days in advance. Calls to leave a country trigger RED. Especially serious: when foreign governments warn about your own country.
• Official channels (Germany): Federal Government, Federal Foreign Office, Ministry of the Interior, Federal Network Agency, BSI (IT security), Federal Office for Radiation Protection, RKI (public health), THW (technical relief), DWD (weather) — official accounts on social.bund.de. For all regions: the UK's NCSC (civilian arm of the intelligence agency GCHQ).
• Russian state sources (Kremlin, TASS, RIA, Interfax) as a cross-check: announcements of escalation against NATO or individual NATO states. On their own only YELLOW (propaganda); together with a Western reaction ORANGE.
• YouTube: the rapid monitor reads the official channel feeds of major news broadcasters (German-language e.g. tagesschau, ZDFheute, WELT, phoenix, DW, SRF News, plus the German Federal Government and Bundeswehr; international e.g. DW English, Reuters, AP, BBC News) — video titles only, no comments. All YouTube channels together count as only one source for the "cluster" — sensational titles alone do not trigger an alarm.
• Limits: intelligence services do not publish real-time assessments. X/Twitter and Telegram are not included (X only with paid access, and unconfirmed social-media reports are the most common source of false alarms and panic).

In addition there is the supply radar (every 30 minutes, guide 18) for fuel, gas, electricity, food, money and water.

Air situation monitor — missiles, drones, air-raid alerts

Page ✈️ luftlage\LUFTLAGE.html (also in the dashboard). Runs every minute, invisibly in the background.

Sources: NINA/MoWaS (Germany only), Alertswiss (Switzerland only), official Ukrainian air-raid alerts per region, news from Poland (TVN24, Polsat, RMF24, Notes from Poland), Lithuania (LRT), Estonia (ERR), Romania (Digi24), Ukraine (Kyiv Independent, Ukrinform, Ukrainska Pravda), tagesschau; military flights via adsb.lol.

Push: RED and ORANGE immediately; YELLOW only for jets/airspace closures or when several YELLOW signals coincide (otherwise there would be a message almost every day). All-clear after 30 minutes without ORANGE/RED. From ORANGE upwards the risk map is also re-assessed.

Honest limit: only military satellites (secret) detect missile launches. Depending on distance, a ballistic missile is in flight for only a few minutes (to southern Germany about 8–12 minutes) — for that, only sirens, Cell Broadcast and your country's warning app count. So on every phone: the warning app with your home location + current location (Germany: NINA), and under Settings → Emergency alerts switch on all levels. Cruise missiles (1–2 hours) and drones (hours), on the other hand, often announce themselves on the eastern flank — exactly what the monitor watches.

Rules and thresholds: luftlage\luftlage-regeln.json. Check immediately: luftlage\LUFTLAGE-START.bat.

Middle East (separate box in the air situation monitor, separate traffic light)

A war between Israel/the USA and Iran does not hit Europe with missiles, but through oil, gas and fuel prices (Strait of Hormuz, Suez Canal). That is why it has its own traffic light, which does not raise the Europe level:

What to do at ORANGE: fill up the tank, fill jerrycans, check heating oil/gas, cancel trips to the region, watch the supply radar (fuel). The rapid monitor additionally watches the Strait of Hormuz.

Limits: there are hardly any ADS-B receivers over Iran and Iraq — "0 aircraft" there usually means no coverage. US combat aircraft do not transmit ADS-B on missions. The Israeli Home Front Command's alert data is blocked for data centres — this signal only works from a home PC.

Air traffic over your own region (situation map)

weltlage\LAGEKARTE.html shows all aircraft (civil + military) within a radius of up to 463 km (250 nautical miles) around the home location you entered. The air situation monitor fetches the data every 3 minutes (adsb.lol, free open data, ODbL licence, permitted). The open page reloads itself every minute.

• Arrow = direction of flight · grey = civil · red = military · flashing yellow = emergency squawk code (7500 hijacking, 7600 radio failure, 7700 emergency)
• Hover over an aircraft: callsign, from → to, altitude
• Click on an aircraft: airborne / on the ground, climbing / descending / cruising, from and to (airport, country), km flown and still to fly, departure time ("observed" if the take-off was within view, otherwise estimated) and approx. arrival, plus a line departure → aircraft → destination on the map. Clicking on the empty map removes the line.
• Flight tracks: behind each aircraft a line shows the path actually flown (blue civil, red military; one data point every 3 min, up to 2 hours back). Dotted grey from the departure airport to the first sighting (assumed), dashed yellow for the remaining route to the destination (according to the flight plan). When clicked, the aircraft's own track is highlighted in white. All lines can be switched off individually at the top right.
• Yellow dot = transponder signal lost: an aircraft was at cruising altitude (from 6,000 m, military from 3,000 m), at least 120 km from the edge of the observation area and not on approach to its destination — and suddenly can no longer be seen. The dot stays at the last position for 60 minutes, with a dashed yellow track. Usually harmless (reception gap, military switching off). Light aircraft in mountains disappear all the time and are therefore not counted. Only when 5 or more disappear at the same time does the box mark this in red — then check the news (jamming, closure).
• Search field: callsign, airport or city (e.g. a city name, an airport code such as "FRA" or an airline code such as "DLH") — only matching flights remain visible.
• Departure/destination come from a flight-plan database (adsbdb.com). If the route does not match the position, "uncertain" is shown instead of wrong times. Military aircraft do not report a route. After a restart, departure/destination fill in within about 30 minutes.
• Box at top right: current count, normal value for the same time of day (learns over 3 days), 24-h history, "Map to region" button, link to the live map with second-by-second updates
• Airspace conspicuously empty (≤ 40 % of the normal value) → YELLOW in the air situation monitor, without push: may be an airspace closure, but also a receiver outage. Then check the radio (regional station) and warning app.
• Without internet the last state remains visible, marked "x min old". Data volume about 0.5 MB per request (around 250 MB per day).

Honestly: how much lead time is realistic?

• Shortages (fuel, food, cash): hours to days — the signals (prices, reports, clusters) come before the rush.
• Political escalation (travel warning, mobilisation, collective defence): hours before the general reaction.
• Blackout: minutes, sometimes none at all.
• Waves of drones/cruise missiles: often hours — recognisable by air-raid alerts in western Ukraine and jets scrambling in Poland (air situation monitor).
• Ballistic missile, surprise attack, accident: no lead time ahead of sirens/Cell Broadcast — then what counts is that you already know the plan.

The lead time is only useful if you act immediately.

The 1-hour rule

Don't debate whether it will "really be that bad". A full tank and cash never hurt — being too late does.

Setting up phone warnings

1. You: benachrichtigung\PUSH-EINRICHTEN.bat (app "ntfy", subscribe to the topic).
2. Family and friends: benachrichtigung\EMPFAENGER-HINZUFUEGEN.bat — everyone gets their own secret topic. They only need the ntfy app, no PC. You decide from which level someone is warned (recommended: ORANGE).
3. Test: the script sends a test message.

The secret topic is stored encrypted on your PC, not in the configuration file. The default is the public ntfy.sh service; if you run your own ntfy server, you can enter its address during setup.

Limits

• Push warnings only arrive while the PC is running and online. The phone needs internet too. If the network fails, sirens, radio and Cell Broadcast apply.
• With satellite internet (if you have it) you stay online when DSL and mobile networks fail: power the satellite router (power station/generator/battery storage), connect the PC running the monitors and the phones to that router's Wi-Fi — then the air situation monitor, rapid monitor and push keep running. Details: guide 04 (power & blackout).
• Pages, maps, offline Wikipedia and the local AI need the PC.
• Rules and keywords: fruehwarnung\schnellwaechter-regeln.json. Logs: folder logs\.

Without a PC: everything on your phone

1. Fill in everything in the emergency folder (notfallmappe\NOTFALLMAPPE.html) → "Emergency folder as PDF".
2. In the supplies calculator → "Shopping list as PDF".
3. Double-click HANDY-PAKET-ERSTELLEN.bat → folder HANDY-PAKET on the desktop (knowledge portal as a single file + both PDFs + instructions).
4. Copy to the phone via USB cable, open it once in flight mode and check it.
5. Print the emergency folder: one copy in each grab bag, one on the fridge door, one in the car.

🏚️ Shelter in the basement — conversion & protective ventilation

Honestly, up front: a converted home basement is not a bunker. It protects well against fragments, debris, blast waves at some distance, radioactive fallout and cold — not against a direct hit. The steps are sorted by effect per effort.

1. Choose the room (free)

• Deep and inside: as much earth and as many walls as possible between you and the outside, no or few outer walls, no windows.
• Away from hazards: heating-oil tank, gas pipes, gas boiler, chemicals, heavy shelves.
• Check for flooding (nearby streams and rivers, groundwater) — a basement that fills with water is a trap.
• Space: Swiss shelters plan with about 1 m² per person, pets in addition; with places to lie down, better double that.

2. Secure the openings (biggest effect)

• Basement windows/light wells are the weak point: on the inside a wooden board + sandbags, or fill the light well from the outside with sandbags/gravel and cover it with a board. Around 50 cm of sand/earth stops fragments and greatly reduces radiation.
• Door: solid (steel or solid wood), opening outwards.
• Second exit: emergency exit via a light well, openable from the inside. Tools in the room: crowbar, hammer, saw.

3. Ceiling & structure — only with professionals

Propping up the ceiling with building props and cross beams against falling debris is possible — ask a structural engineer first, do not alter load-bearing walls. In Switzerland, shelter construction is standard: Swiss shelter companies also advise on retrofitting.

4. Protective ventilation — air is the often forgotten problem

In a sealed room, people and animals use up the oxygen within hours, and CO₂ rises. Protective ventilation should do three things:

1. supply filtered fresh air,
2. create a slight overpressure in the room so that no unfiltered air gets in through gaps,
3. keep running without mains power (hand crank or battery).

The most important rule

Never build the NBC/CBRN filter yourself. Home-mixed activated carbon, vacuum-cleaner, car or household filters do not protect reliably. What you can build yourself is the airtight ventilation line with overpressure around a purchased, certified NBC/CBRN shelter filter.

Layout (order of the airflow)

Outside air → weather protection/insect screen → blast valve → pre-filter (coarse filter) → certified NBC filter → radial fan (power + hand crank) → check valve → shelter (overpressure) → overpressure/blast valve on the opposite side → outside. In normal times fresh air runs through a bypass around the gas filter; only in an emergency do you switch over to filter mode.

Our own, improved drawing. Corrected compared with the original: exhaust on the opposite side (not back to the intake), blast valve added at the intake, fresh-air bypass for normal times, sizing for your household. Original infographic: blog.hennweb.de (link below).

What happens in the NBC filter

How much air do you need?

Rule of thumb: 3 to 10 m³ of filtered air per person per hour — measured after the filter, not the fan's output without a filter.

→ In the example: a system for 25–40 m³/h of filtered air. Your exact values (shelter places, air volume, quantities) are calculated by the shelter shopping list from the household entered in the supplies calculator — large dog ≈ ½ place, small dog ≈ ¼ place.

Battery for the fan

Fan power (watts) × hours = watt-hours. Example: 40 W × 24 h = 960 Wh — with losses, plan 1.2–1.5 kWh of battery per day. Plus a hand crank as a reserve.

Installation notes

• Air intake not at ground level (many toxic gases are heavier than air), protected from rain, away from exhaust gases, the garage and the basement drain.
• Wall duct airtight with pipe sleeve, collar, EPDM seal and bolted flange — not just expanding foam.
• Filter housing completely airtight — no air may flow past the filter.
• Radial fan or a ready-made shelter unit — not a bathroom or PC fan (the NBC filter strongly restricts the airflow).
• Check the overpressure with a differential pressure gauge; the room must be slightly positive relative to the outside. Never underpressure — it sucks unfiltered air in.
• Store the NBC filter in its original packaging, dry and dark, and only fit it in an emergency (follow the manufacturer's instructions). Keep spare pre-filters ready.

Materials list

• certified NBC/CBRN shelter filter + matching filter housing with sealing flange
• pre-filter box with spare coarse filters
• radial fan with pressure reserve (12/24 V or mains voltage) + battery + hand-crank option
• check valve, overpressure/exhaust valve
• metal or pressure-resistant ventilation pipe, wall ducts, EPDM/silicone seals
• differential pressure gauge, CO₂ meter, CO alarm
• data sheet of the filter

Simpler alternative: a ready-made shelter ventilation unit with manual and electric operation (Swiss standard, tested). More expensive, but safer than a DIY build.

🛒 Shopping list with all parts, guide prices and links: schutzraum\EINKAUF-SCHUTZRAUM.html (also in the sidebar).

Final inspection: have the design and installation checked by a ventilation installer, shelter equipment supplier or building-services engineer.

5. Equipment for 2–14 days

With radioactive fallout the 7/10 rule applies: after 7 hours about 10 % of the radiation remains, after 49 hours about 1 %. The first 1–2 days are the most important.

• Water 2 l/person/day + water for animals (amount: shopping list/supplies calculator), food that needs no cooking, can opener
• Bucket with lid, bin bags, cat litter (also for other pets)
• Head torches, LED lanterns, batteries; crank radio — test reception in the basement beforehand, if necessary a throw-out wire antenna to the outside
• Camp beds/mattresses, sleeping bags; for older people a proper chair and a bed
• First-aid kit, medication for 2 weeks, FFP2/FFP3 masks
• Crowbar, hammer, saw, gloves, fire extinguisher/fire blanket
• No combustion in the room (stoves, candles over long periods, generators) — CO alarm!
• Pets: leads, muzzle, blankets, food

6. Practise

• A trial night with everyone (including the animals) — afterwards you will know what is missing.
• Time how long it takes from the alarm to the basement — with the slowest members of the household. Target: under 2 minutes.

7. Public shelters & old bunkers

Germany (as of 09/2026): Germany abandoned public shelter construction in 2007. Nationwide, 579 facilities with around 478,000 places are still designated (less than 1 % of the population) — according to the Federal Office of Civil Protection (BBK), none of them is operational. The federal government is not building new bunkers (Dobrindt, 14 Sept 2026); instead it has municipalities register underground car parks, tunnels and basements of public buildings as "protective locations" by the end of 2026. These are to be shown later in the NINA app. There is no date yet.

• Former Cold War civil-defence facilities (e.g. multi-purpose facilities in underground car parks, former auxiliary hospitals) are mostly used for other purposes today — not operational, no right of access. A directory (as of 2007) is available at geschichtsspuren.de.
• Legal route to the complete list: the Institute for Federal Real Estate (BImA) is responsible for the facilities still designated; Baden-Württemberg has the most, with 220 of 579. Freedom-of-information requests (federal IFG; state laws, e.g. LIFG Baden-Württemberg) to the BImA and to your town/municipality can be made free of charge via fragdenstaat.de.

Switzerland: shelter construction is standard there. Shelters are allocated to the residents of the respective municipality — not to residents of neighbouring countries. You can find out your allocated shelter place from your municipality.

Other countries: information is provided by your country's civil-protection authority (see region box).

Beware of maps and ruins: objects marked as bunkers in OpenStreetMap are often old military bunkers or fortifications — usually locked ("access: no/private"), not shelters for civilians. Castle and fortress ruins are not shelters either. The many "assembly points" of companies and schools are fire assembly points, no protection during an air-raid alert.

What this means for you:

1. Your basement remains protective location no. 1: reachable in under 2 minutes, with everyone in the household, including older people and animals. No public bunker beats that when warning times are short.
2. When out and about during an air-raid alert: go to the nearest underground car park (lowest level, away from entrances), a basement or a solid building — not into the car.
3. Ask once: at your town/municipality (public order office/civil protection) whether and where protective locations or public shelters have been registered. Then note them here: ……
4. Keep your country's warning app up to date (Germany: NINA — the protective locations will appear there once the federal government releases them).

Sources (Germany): BBK protective structures; Münster Aktuell 14 Sept 2026 (Dobrindt, BMI municipal conference); Correctiv 13 May 2026; civil-defence facility directory geschichtsspuren.de (as of 2007).

Order by cost

Source for protective ventilation (section 4): summary and conversion based on "Schutzraum Filter selber bauen DIY", HennWeb blog (blog.hennweb.de/schutzraum-filter-selber-bauen-diy), as of July 2026 (German) — original with diagrams there. Rules of conduct for gases: BBK (Germany).

🔧 Building your own power & electronics — circuit diagrams

Build only extra-low voltage (12 V / 5 V) yourself. Anything with mains voltage (230 V in Europe, 120 V in North America) must be done exclusively by a qualified electrician. That also applies in a crisis, because in a blackout there is no emergency doctor to treat an electrical accident.

Basic tool kit (buy in advance): multimeter, wire strippers, crimping pliers + ferrules/cable lugs, soldering iron (12 V or gas soldering irons also work without mains power), solder, heat-shrink tubing, automotive blade fuses 3–30 A with holders for the outgoing circuits, MEGA/ANL fuses (40–100 A) for the main battery cables, cable 1.5 / 2.5 / 6 mm², insulating tape, cable ties.

Read offline (knowledge packages, once downloaded with DATEN-LADEN.bat): Electronics Q&A (electronics.stackexchange), Energypedia (solar/off-grid systems), Appropedia, Low-tech Magazine, iFixit (repair guides). All via 📚 Wikipedia & knowledge on the start page.

1. 12 V off-grid system (solar → battery → loads)

This is the most important diagram. It runs independently of the house wiring (and of any rooftop PV system with battery storage you may have) and supplies light, phone, radio, router and, if you have one, a satellite internet terminal.

• Order of connection: ① battery to the charge controller, ② then the solar panel. Reverse order when disconnecting. Otherwise the controller can be destroyed (with most models — check the manual).
• F1 and F2 as MEGA, ANL or MRBF fuses (blade fuses do not reliably interrupt the very high short-circuit current of a LiFePO4 battery). Place fuse F1 as close as possible to the positive terminal. A short circuit on a battery without a fuse makes cables glow — a fire hazard. Size: slightly above the controller's rated current (20 A controller → 25 A fuse).
• Always connect the inverter directly to the battery (with its own fuse F2), never to the controller's load output. 300 W inverter ≈ 30 A at 12 V → 40 A fuse, 10 mm² cable.
• Charge controller type: MPPT gets 15–30 % more out of the panel than PWM. It must match the battery chemistry: LiFePO4 and lead-acid charge differently.
• Battery: LiFePO4 (safe, 3000+ cycles, can be discharged almost completely) is the best choice. It must not be charged below 0 °C (buy a battery with low-temperature charge protection or keep it inside the house). Discharge AGM/lead-acid only to 50 %, otherwise the battery will soon be ruined. Never build packs yourself from lithium-ion cells taken from laptops or scooters (fire hazard).
• Car battery as a stopgap: inverter with clamps on the starter battery, engine running (car outside). Without the engine running, do not discharge below 12.2 V, otherwise the car will not start any more.

⚠️ If there is a PV system on your roof: never touch it. The panel strings carry 300–1000 V DC. That is instantly fatal, and an electric arc cannot be extinguished. Use a separate small panel for the off-grid system.

Calculating the cable cross-section

Cross-section (mm²) = 2 × length (m) × current (A) ÷ (56 × 0.36). This applies to copper with a maximum voltage drop of 3 % at 12 V.

Short runs matter more than thick cables: mount the battery, controller and fuse box close together.

Reading the state of charge from the voltage

Measure with the multimeter after the battery has rested for at least 2 hours without load and without charging. The values are guide values at about 20 °C.

LiFePO4 has a very flat curve, so the voltage only gives a rough indication. A battery monitor with a shunt (around €30–60) measures more accurately.

2. Charging a phone from 12 V

Simplest solution: a ready-made car USB charger (USB-C PD, 12–24 V input) in a cigarette-lighter socket on the fuse box (5 A fuse). It is robust and cheap — keep a few in stock.

DIY with a step-down module (e.g. LM2596 or XL4015, adjustable):

1. Connect the module to 12 V without the phone, measure the output with the multimeter.
2. Set it to 5.1 V with the trimmer potentiometer and fix the pot with a drop of nail varnish.
3. Only then solder on the USB socket: pin 1 = +5 V, pin 4 = ground. Connect D+ and D− to each other (standard "dedicated charging port"), otherwise many phones only draw 0.5 A. Choose a module rated for at least 2 A.
4. Fuse the input at 3 A, avoid reverse polarity (red = +).

3. LED light on 12 V with a series resistor

Formula: R = (U_max − sum of the LED voltages) ÷ current. Calculate with the highest voltage that occurs at the battery (lead-acid while charging up to 14.4 V): (14.4 − 9.0) ÷ 0.02 = 270 Ω. At 12.5 V the lamp will then shine a little more weakly, but the LEDs are never overloaded.

Simpler: ready-made 12 V LED lights or 12 V LED strips (resistors built in) connected directly to the fuse box. A 5 W LED light draws about 0.4 A, i.e. 5 Ah per evening (12 hours).

4. Bicycle dynamo → USB charging

This also works without sun and without petrol, but only delivers about 3 W. One hour of pedalling (on a roller/stand) yields around 2 Wh after losses, i.e. about 10–15 % of a modern phone battery — enough for emergency calls and texts. This is the last reserve, not the main source. Simpler and safer: a ready-made USB charger for hub dynamos from a bicycle shop.

• Without a load, a hub dynamo produces well over 6 V at high speed. Therefore: a 63 V electrolytic capacitor, step-down module LM2596HV (up to 60 V input; the normal LM2596 and the XL4015 only tolerate about 36–40 V) and the protection diode D5 (cathode to +).
• The TVS diode only catches short spikes. Under a sustained no-load condition it would burn out. So always keep a power bank connected and don't ride fast with no load connected.
• Best charge a power bank first, not the phone directly: when you stop, the voltage collapses, and the power bank smooths this out.
• Electrolytic capacitor: minus stripe to minus. Fitted the wrong way round, it can burst.

5. Generator to the house — concept only, only with an electrician

The transfer switch ensures that the generator is never connected to the grid at the same time. Otherwise the line outside is live while line workers are working on it, and when grid power returns the generator is destroyed. Installation according to the regulations of your country (Germany: DIN VDE 0100-551), only by a qualified electrician. Until then: connect appliances directly to the generator with an extension cable. Never plug a male-to-male cable into a house socket.

6. Faraday box (protection against surges/EMP)

Useful for spare devices that must work in an emergency: world-band receiver, two-way radios, an old phone, power bank, USB stick with this offline base, multimeter, small charge controller.

1. Metal container with a metal lid: galvanised dustbin, steel ammunition box, biscuit tin.
2. Insulate the inside completely: cardboard or foam, so that no device touches the metal.
3. Close the lid gap conductively: aluminium tape all the way round so that no gap remains.
4. Test: put an FM radio inside, switched on, and close the box. If the noise or the station goes completely silent, the box seals well. (When testing with a phone, a call often still gets through — that is a weak test.)

Honestly: whether and how badly a nuclear EMP damages household devices is disputed. The box costs little and also protects against lightning surges and moisture.

7. Improving radio reception (shortwave)

• Throw-out wire antenna: stretch 5–15 m of insulated wire as high as possible (tree, attic), clip one end with a crocodile clip to the telescopic antenna of the world-band receiver. On shortwave this brings in noticeably more stations, including foreign ones, for cross-checking as in the government comparison.
• During thunderstorms, disconnect the antenna and lay it outside.
• Medium wave (Germany): in Germany most medium-wave transmitters have been switched off, so a home-built crystal radio is hardly worthwhile there; better a crank or solar world-band receiver with FM, shortwave and DAB+. Check the situation in your country.

8. Repair instead of throwing away

• Check fuses first (multimeter on continuity). The most common "defect" in 12 V systems: a loose terminal, a corroded contact, a blown fuse.
• Clean contacts: glass-fibre brush or emery paper, then terminal grease.
• Guides: iFixit (offline) for phones, radios, tools; electronics questions offline in electronics.stackexchange.

🌱 Growing & seeds — producing your own food

The 📷 links open the Wikipedia article with pictures, offline via the local Wikipedia server. The Kiwix server must be running for this (it normally starts automatically). Pictures are only available with the Wikipedia package in the "Complete" profile (with pictures), downloaded via DATEN-LADEN.bat.

An honest calculation first

An adult needs around 800,000 kcal a year (about 2,200 kcal a day). In a home garden, potatoes yield about 2–3 kg per m², i.e. around 1,500–2,200 kcal per m². With potatoes alone you would need around 350–550 m² of well-tended land per person.

So a home garden does not feed anyone completely. It supplements your supplies with vitamins, freshness and variety and makes them last longer. Therefore: supplies first (chapter 3), then the garden, then wild plants (chapter 28).

Right away and without a garden: sprouts on the windowsill. Lentils, mung beans, chickpeas, cress or radish seeds in a jar provide vitamin C after 2–5 days, even in winter. A kilo of seed lasts for weeks. Rinse twice a day. Cook bean sprouts (except mung beans) before eating.

The climate where you live

Frost and planting dates depend heavily on location and altitude. Find out now and note them here:

• Hardiness zone of your home: …… (winter lows: …… °C)
• Last frost in spring: …… · first frost in autumn: ……

Example: mild Central Europe (approx. 400–500 m altitude, hardiness zone ≈ 7b, lows around −13 to −15 °C):

• Last frost: until the "Ice Saints" (mid-May). Plant frost-sensitive crops (tomatoes, beans, squash, cucumbers) outdoors only after that.
• First frost: usually from mid/late October
• Summers warm and often dry, so collect rainwater (water butts, IBC tank) and mulch.

Open-pollinated instead of F1 — the most important point

• F1 hybrids (it says so on the packet) give high yields in the first year. But their seeds produce uneven, often weak plants the following year.
• Open-pollinated (true-breeding) varieties can be propagated yourself every year, so you no longer depend on shops.
• Suppliers (open-pollinated, organic), for example: Bingenheimer Saatgut, Dreschflegel, Culinaris (Germany), ProSpecieRara (Switzerland), Arche Noah (Austria) — or open-pollinated seed suppliers in your country. Build up a stock for 2–3 years now.

Proven open-pollinated varieties

The variety names below come from the catalogues of the (German-speaking) suppliers mentioned above; in other countries, ask local seed savers for regionally proven varieties.

Seed potatoes keep only for a limited time: every year set aside part of the harvest as seed potatoes (egg-sized, cool and dark, 4–6 °C).

Sowing and planting calendar (example: mild Central Europe)

Adapt to your location: later at higher or colder sites, earlier at very mild ones.

Saving your own seed

Storage: dry, cool, dark. In a screw-top jar with a silica gel sachet. Viability (years, roughly): onion/parsnip 1–2 · carrot, lettuce 3 · bean, pea 3–4 · cabbage 4–5 · tomato 4–6 · squash/cucumber 5–6. Germination test before sowing: 10 seeds on wet kitchen paper, count after one week.

Keeping the soil fertile

• Compost: kitchen waste, leaves, grass cuttings, manure → humus after 6–12 months. No dog-poo residues on vegetable beds (parasites).
• Mulching with grass cuttings or straw retains moisture and suppresses weeds.
• Crop rotation: don't grow potatoes, tomatoes and cabbage in the same spot every year.
• Nettle liquid manure (1 kg nettles to 10 l water, ferment for 1–2 weeks, water with it diluted 1:10) is a free nitrogen fertiliser.
• Companion planting: carrots + onions, tomatoes + basil, beans + savory. The plants keep pests away from each other.

Preserving the harvest

• Storing: potatoes, carrots, beetroot, cabbage, apples in the cellar at 2–6 °C. Carrots and beetroot in damp sand. Store apples separately from potatoes, because the ethylene from apples makes potatoes sprout.
• Lactic fermentation (no electricity, very safe): shred white cabbage, 15–20 g salt per kg, knead until juice comes out, press firmly into the jar, keep under the liquid. 1 week at room temperature, then store cool. Also works with carrots, cucumbers and beans. Blanch beans for 5 minutes first and cook them before eating, because fermentation does not reliably break down the bean toxin phasin. Sauerkraut is rich in vitamin C.
• Drying: beans, herbs, apple rings, mushrooms. Airy, shady, below 40 °C.
• Canning/bottling: fruit, jam, acidified tomatoes (1 tbsp bottled lemon juice per 500 ml, because only that has a consistent acidity) and pickled vegetables in a water bath. Beans, carrots, meat and soups (low-acid) only in a pressure canner, otherwise there is a risk of botulism and thus danger to life. Exact times in the knowledge package "USDA Guide to Home Canning" (offline).

Chickens (eggs)

Three to four laying hens produce about 700–900 eggs a year and eat kitchen scraps. Keeping poultry often has to be registered with the authorities, even for a few birds — example Germany: registration with the veterinary office is required for every flock. Check the rules in your country. With dogs in the household: fence the run securely.

Read on offline

Knowledge packages (via DATEN-LADEN.bat): Gardening Q&A (gardening.stackexchange), Gardenology (plant encyclopaedia), Gutenberg agriculture books, Survivor Library (historical instructions on farming, preserving, beekeeping), Wikipedia articles on every variety. German speakers also have the old German gardening handbooks in the library (chapter 30).

🍄 Edible wild plants & mushrooms

The 📷 links open the Wikipedia article with photos, offline via the local Wikipedia server (pictures only with the Wikipedia package in the "Complete" profile, downloaded via DATEN-LADEN.bat). The species below are those of Central Europe.

The three rules that save lives

1. Only eat what you have identified with 100 % certainty. A photo or a resemblance to a picture is not enough. Check every feature (leaf, stem, smell, flower, habitat), ideally with a second person.
2. Pick one at a time, not in bunches. Most fatal poisonings happen because a poisonous leaf gets mixed in with edible ones (wild garlic with lily of the valley).
3. No members of the carrot family (plants with umbrella-shaped white flower heads such as wild carrot or chervil) without years of experience. This family contains the most poisonous plants in Europe.

The "universal edibility test" from survival books (try a small amount and wait) is useless against the most dangerous poisons. These act only after many hours — by then it is too late.

If poisoning is suspected: poison control — see region box (Germany: a different poison information centre is responsible depending on the federal state, e.g. Freiburg 0761 19240 for Baden-Württemberg, 24 h; Switzerland 145) · emergency number 112 (EU-wide). Note your own number here: ……. Keep any plant or mushroom remains and take them with you. Do not induce vomiting.

Safe wild plants for beginners (Central Europe)

Fruits, nuts, seeds (calories!)

Deadly poisonous plants in Central Europe — know them!

Hemlock (Conium maculatum) 📷 · Cowbane (Cicuta virosa) 📷 · Yew (Taxus baccata) 📷 · Deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna) 📷 · Monkshood (Aconitum napellus) 📷 · Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) 📷 · Autumn crocus (Colchicum autumnale) 📷 · Lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis) 📷 · Laburnum (Laburnum anagyroides) 📷 · Mezereon (Daphne mezereum) 📷 · Thorn apple (Datura stramonium) 📷 · Giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) 📷 (sap + sunlight = severe burns)

Think of dogs too: yew, autumn crocus, acorns in quantity and horse chestnuts are poisonous for them as well (chapter 22).

Mushrooms — honestly

Identifying mushrooms from pictures is the most common route to fatal poisoning. The death cap (Amanita phalloides) 📷 causes most mushroom deaths in Europe. The first symptoms appear only 6–24 hours later. After that, things seem to improve while the liver is being destroyed. If there is any suspicion: go to hospital immediately, even without symptoms.

Mushrooms provide hardly any calories (about 20–30 kcal per 100 g). The risk is high relative to the benefit. Suggestion: go on a guided walk now with a qualified mushroom expert (local mycological society or mushroom advice service; in Germany e.g. via the German Mycological Society) and learn only the following species.

Beginner mushrooms with a low risk of confusion

Rules: as a beginner, do not collect gilled mushrooms (blades under the cap) — that is where the deadly species are. Avoid boletes with red pores or a red stem. Cook all wild mushrooms thoroughly (at least 15 minutes) — many are poisonous raw. Take only young, firm specimens.

Deadly poisonous — know them

Death cap (Amanita phalloides) 📷 · Destroying angel (Amanita virosa) 📷 · Fool's webcap (Cortinarius orellanus) 📷 (kidney failure only after days) · Funeral bell (Galerina marginata) 📷 · False morel (Gyromitra esculenta) 📷

Read on offline

Wikipedia with pictures (every species), Gardenology, Survivor Library (historical identification books) — all via DATEN-LADEN.bat. A printed field guide for your region and a mushroom book with look-alike tables still belong in your supplies.

🌿 Medicinal plants & home remedies — make your own

Not medical advice. This chapter reproduces proven home-remedy knowledge (Commission E / ESCOP monographs, traditional home remedies) for minor complaints when no pharmacy can be reached.

What works and what doesn't

• Cannot be made at home: antibiotics, insulin, blood thinners, heart and blood-pressure medication, thyroid hormones, painkillers in a reliable dose. The only precaution for these is a supply (chapter 10). Talk to your doctors now about repeat prescriptions for 3 months, especially for older people in the household (chapter 23).
• Feasible and useful at home: teas, ointments, tinctures, rinses, compresses. They help with colds, coughs, stomach and bowel complaints, small wounds, skin problems and sleep problems.
• Interactions: anyone taking medication should ask at the pharmacy now which of the plants below do not go with it (especially St John's wort and willow bark).

The most important mixtures without plants

Medicinal plants for garden and balcony

Plant these now. Most are perennial and undemanding.

Preparation

Tea (infusion): 1–2 tsp dried herb (or 2–3 tsp fresh) per 250 ml boiling water, steep covered for 5–10 minutes so the essential oils stay in. 3 cups a day. Roots and bark (valerian, willow bark): start in cold water, bring to the boil and simmer for 5–10 minutes.

Marigold ointment (classic):

1. Put 2 handfuls of fresh flowers (or 1 handful of dried) into 250 g lard or 200 ml olive oil.
2. Heat briefly until it foams, do not deep-fry. Remove from the heat, leave covered for 1 day.
3. Warm gently again, strain through a cloth.
4. If using oil, stir in 20 g beeswax so the ointment sets.
5. Fill into clean, boiled jars, store cool. Keeps for about 1 year.

Tincture (keeps, easy to dose): 1 part dried plant to 5 parts alcohol (40–70 %, drinking alcohol only, such as grain spirit/vodka, never methylated spirits or isopropanol) in a screw-top jar, steep in the dark for 2–4 weeks, shake daily, strain. Brown glass bottle, keeps for years. Usual amount: 20–30 drops in water, 2–3 × a day. Tinctures are not for children. Never take arnica tincture internally — only diluted 3- to 10-fold for compresses.

Cough syrup: onion or ribwort plantain in slices, layered with sugar/honey in a jar, leave for 1 day, pour off the juice. Take by the teaspoon. No honey for children under 1 year.

Drying: in a shady, airy place below 40 °C until the leaves rustle. Then store dark and dry in jars. After about 1 year the effect diminishes.

Wounds without a doctor

1. Stop the bleeding: pressure with a clean cloth, elevate (chapter 1).
2. Rinse, rinse, rinse: with boiled, cooled water or saline solution. Remove dirt completely. That is more important than any remedy.
3. Cover with a sterile dressing, change daily.
4. Seek help immediately (even if it is far) if the wound is deep, comes from a bite, red streaks spread, fever develops, or the last tetanus vaccination was more than 5 years ago for deep, dirty or bite wounds (10 years for small clean wounds). Get your tetanus booster now.
5. Medical honey (pharmacy, sterile) is suitable as a wound dressing for small, poorly healing wounds. Ordinary honey is not sterile.

Read on offline

Knowledge packages (via DATEN-LADEN.bat): MDWiki / WikEM (medicine, emergency medicine), Wikipedia (every medicinal plant with pictures), "Field/emergency medicine" (medical handbooks), WikiVet (pets). A printed book on medicinal plants also belongs in your supplies.

📖 Library — old handbooks offline (PDF)

13 German-language handbooks as PDFs, in the public domain (copyright expired), from the Internet Archive (the book store behind openlibrary.org).

The books are not included in the package. They are downloaded with DATEN-LADEN.bat (profile "Complete", German language; around 330 MB in total). After that they are in the folder wissen\buecher\ and open with a click on the PC. As long as they are missing, the links below do not work. They are not available on the phone — the files are too large.

For English and French speakers: the same kind of knowledge is available in English via DATEN-LADEN.bat: Gutenberg agriculture (Project Gutenberg's public-domain books on farming, as a Kiwix/ZIM package, profile "Complete") and the Survivor Library (huge collection of old craft, farming and medical books, profile "Extra", approx. 210 GB — only select it deliberately).

Read first:

• The books are 100–180 years old. Many are printed in Fraktur (German blackletter), which takes some practice.
• Crafts, gardening, fruit growing, bees, bread, soap: much of it still applies today.
• Medicine, dosages, pesticides (formerly often arsenic, copper, nicotine) and canning times are outdated. For canning, chapter 27 applies (botulism!); for medicinal plants, chapter 29.
• Mushroom book: the colour plates are excellent, but some names and classifications are outdated. Some species listed as edible at the time are now considered poisonous. Never forage using it alone (chapter 28).

Medicinal plants

Mushrooms

Vegetables & fruit

Bees

Kitchen, bread, provisions, farm processing

Crafts