A pilot project for emergency support points during disasters, such as prolonged power outages, is starting in the municipalities of The Hague and Leidschendam-Voorburg. The trial with help and information points is necessary to determine the best way to set up these locations for all nine municipalities in the Haaglanden Safety Region. In the event of a major power outage, residents will soon be able to go to nearby locations to report an emergency and obtain information if this is no longer possible via regular means of communication, such as telephone, social media, and the internet. The General Board of the Safety Region discussed this today.
“Prolonged power outages affect us all. With the emergency support points, we are organizing places in the neighborhood where people can go to ask for help when calling and online contact are no longer possible. It also involves places where residents can find and help each other. By thinking ahead now, we will be prepared for the future. Together, we are working on a resilient region and the self-reliance and collective resilience of residents,” said Mayor Jan van Zanen of The Hague, Chairman of the Haaglanden Safety Region.
Staying safe in the Haaglanden
Since the end of 2025, households throughout the Netherlands have received an information booklet from the central government as part of the Denk Vooruit campaign, containing tips and advice for proper preparation for emergency situations. The Haaglanden Safety Region is building on this campaign with all 9 municipalities through Haaglanden Veilig . On this website and via a newly developed app, residents can read how to properly prepare for risks and what they can do themselves in the event of a major power outage, cyberattack, or extreme weather.
Martijn Vroom, Mayor of Leidschendam-Voorburg, emphasizes the importance of being prepared: “That way, you can better help yourself and others in your neighborhood when needed, because help can sometimes take a while to arrive in emergency situations. Especially if essential services fail and there is no power due to a major outage or, for example, a cyberattack. That is why it is wise to prepare for this.”
Where and how
Through this pilot, the municipalities are investigating this year what is needed to deploy emergency support points throughout the entire safety region during emergencies and disasters. Among other things, they are examining the suitability of locations, the layout of the support points, staffing, management, communication, and cooperation with involved organizations and volunteers. They must become physical, familiar places in the neighborhood providing reliable information, where residents can help each other and report emergencies.
The Haaglanden Safety Region is also testing the organization of a regional coordination point. This point will manage the coordination for the emergency support points: it will bundle information and ensure the connection with the emergency services within the regional crisis organization. During the pilot, the safety region is investigating what support the local emergency support points need during a crisis and how emergency services can be deployed if, for example, power and mobile telephony are limited or completely unavailable.
National strategy
The pilot is part of a national assignment to gain experience with emergency support points in all 25 safety regions in the Netherlands. This allows for a practical investigation into the organization, manpower, equipment, and financial resources required for structural implementation and nationwide coverage.
Mayor Van Zanen and Chairman of the Haaglanden Safety Region: “With this study, we can clarify to the national government what resources are needed for emergency support points in all municipalities. The world around us is changing. Major power outages, cyberattacks, and extreme weather can have major consequences. That requires action from everyone. Investing in the self-reliance and collective resilience of our residents is not a luxury; it is a dire necessity.”
The Hague and Leidschendam-Voorburg
In the Haaglanden Safety Region, a somewhat larger and a somewhat smaller municipality were selected for the pilot to investigate how emergency support points can be set up to be as accessible as possible. This aligns with established locations within social and municipal networks in The Hague and Leidschendam-Voorburg. The focus is on trusted and low-threshold locations, such as service points, district centres, and community centres, where professionals and volunteers are active and residents already know how to find and support each other in daily life.
Text & image: Gemeente Den Haag
Translation to English: The Hague Online
