Air raid or drone alert: how to take shelter at home, at work or on the road

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, people in Poland, Romania, Moldova and the Baltic states have received phone alerts about drones and missiles near their borders, and several European governments have sent households new advice on what to do in a crisis or war. Sweden’s brochure In case of crisis or war went to more than five million homes. The chance that any particular building is hit stays small, but a few well-used minutes make the difference. What you learn here also helps with accidental explosions, violent storms and any situation where you need cover fast.

How warning systems work and how to find your nearest public shelter are covered in sirens, emergency alerts and shelters. This guide is about what you actually do when the alert comes.

The basic rule: down, inside, away from windows

When the air raid siren sounds or your phone warns of an aerial threat:

1. Stop and take shelter immediately. Don’t go out on the balcony or into the street to look.
2. Go as low as you can: a public shelter, basement, underground garage, pedestrian underpass or metro station.
3. Keep away from windows, glass doors and outer walls. Most injuries come from glass and flying debris, not from a direct hit.
4. Stay there until the all-clear or until officials say the danger is over.
5. Follow official sources: phone alerts, radio, your civil protection agency.

If you can’t reach a shelter: the two-wall rule

A real shelter is best, but often there isn’t time. Ukrainian civil protection uses a simple rule: put at least two walls between you and the outside. The first wall takes the blast and fragments; the second protects you from whatever gets through.

In an apartment that usually means:

• the hallway in the middle of the home, with doors to the rooms closed;
• an interior room with no windows (storage room, walk-in closet);
• the bathroom, only if it’s interior and has no window;
• the stairwell, especially on lower floors.

Avoid balconies, rooms with large windows, the top floor and the space under the roof. Sit on the floor next to a load-bearing interior wall, not in the middle of the room and not under light fixtures or loaded shelves.

In a house, the basement or cellar is best. Without one, choose an interior room on the ground floor.

At work or in a mall, follow staff instructions. If there are none, head for the stairwell or the basement, away from glass façades. Don’t use the elevator.

If you’re outdoors or in a car

• On foot: get into the nearest solid building, underpass or metro station. If there’s nowhere to go, lie face down in a dip in the ground (a ditch, behind a high curb) with your hands over your head.
• In a car: pull over safely without blocking the road, get out and find shelter in a building. A car gives no protection from fragments, and its windows turn into shards.
• On public transport: get off at the next stop and find shelter. In the metro, stay in the station and follow staff instructions.

Set up a shelter corner in advance

Choose now where you would go, at home and at work, and keep a few things there. It doesn’t need to be a bunker, just a spot where you can stay put for an hour or two.

• A few bottles of water and some snacks
• A flashlight or LED lantern with batteries
• A charged power bank and your phone cable
• A small battery radio
• A first aid kit and your daily medication
• Copies of documents and a list of key phone numbers
• Blankets, cushions or camping mats: an hour on a tiled floor is long
• Sturdy shoes by the bed, for broken glass
• For children: their own flashlight, a toy, headphones and something to read
• For pets: a carrier or leash within reach

If you already have a 72-hour emergency kit, keep it in the same place.

Night-time alerts

Many drone alerts come at night. What helps you react within seconds:

• keep your phone by the bed with emergency alerts switched on and the sound up;
• keep a flashlight and shoes next to the bed;
• agree in advance who takes the children and who takes the pet;
• don’t switch on every light and don’t stand at the window.

After the all-clear

• Come out carefully. Check for broken glass, the smell of gas or smoke.
• If you see drone or missile debris, don’t approach or touch it. It may contain unexploded charges or toxic fuel. Move away and call the emergency number.
• Don’t post photos or the exact location of impacts on social media, and don’t pass on rumors. Share only official information.
• Let your family know you’re safe, preferably by text, so the network doesn’t get overloaded.

With children

Children pick up on adults’ mood. Explain in advance, in words they understand, that the alarm means “we go to our safe spot, like in a drill”. Practice together at home: how long does it take everyone to reach the hallway with the flashlight and the blanket? The more familiar the routine, the smaller the fear.

Don’t go to collect your child from school during an alert. Schools have shelter procedures, and the trip would put you at needless risk. For everything else, put together a family emergency plan.