Ex-FBI boss tells Americans to take warnings to stock up seriously: 'Get your stuff today'

The former Deputy Director of the FBI has issued an urgent warning to Americans as countries worldwide start stockpiling supplies for a potential crisis. Dan Bongino, who left the bureau in January, said the public needs to do what the UK and European governments are telling citizens '30 days of preparedness and have food ready and power.''Have yourself an emergency radio, have yourself some batteries, get yourself some emergency food, get yourself a rain collection and water filtration, some filtration tablets,' he said on Monday.'Get your stuff today. Please. Do it for your family,' Bongino added.Governments in the UK, Sweden, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and France have encouraged households to keep food, water, medicines and other essentials available for emergencies.The UK’s updated guidance released this month recommends enough supplies for three days, helping families cope if severe weather, cyberattacks or other disruptions interrupt essential services.Bongino said preparing in advance could reduce anxiety and prevent families from finding themselves without essentials when a crisis strikes.‘There’s nothing wrong with being prepared. It’s not panicking or anything like that,’ he said.Countries across Europe have issued public warnings for citizens to begin storing emergency food and water in case of a crisis (Stock Image) former Deputy Director of the FBI Dan Bongino is urging Americans to stockpile supplies for a potential disasterThe former FBI chief, Secret Service agent and police officer explained that the US military is already preparing for a potential crisis to cut off access to food, water and emergency supplies - and the public needed to do the same.Bongino's warning came just hours after details of FORTRESS were revealed, a plan to keep US forces fighting and military bases stocked for at least 90 days, even if civilian infrastructure fails.'The Pentagon’s doing its job to keep our national security safe and make "Fortress America." You have to make "Fortress my house," "Fortress my apartment." Please, do it for everyone. Your neighbors are not going to have any extra food,' he added on his podcast.The Pentagon's emergency plan comes as some European countries have issued urgent pleas to begin stockpiling supplies for a potential disaster, although the alerts have not given specific details of what the emergency is.Bongino, 51, said that 'panic kills' and the best way to avoid disaster is to be prepared for the worst-case scenario.The FORTRESS plan is calling for portable nuclear reactors, large battery systems and independent local power grids to keep US military bases running during blackouts.Civilian factories would also be prepared to switch to defense production, backed by stockpiles of ammunition, fuel, critical minerals, electronics, spare parts and medical supplies. Every major military base in the continental US is expected to maintain essential operations, including independent access to electricity, water, fuel and communications for 90 days British officials have launched the Be Ready campaign, urging the public to prepare for a possible disaster by stockpiling suppliesCritical military needs would require at least two qualified supply or production options to prevent the loss of a single supplier from disrupting operations.Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell told Fox News: 'We don't want to rely on standard civilian municipal infrastructure to run our national defense.'The warnings from Bongino and the Pentagon came after boiling tensions across Europe devolved into mass civil unrest, with riots and protests breaking out in Paris, Rome, Milan, Barcelona, and Albania's capital of Tirana.In the UK, government officials launched its 'Be Ready' campaign on October 22, urging households to keep a three-day supply of essentials in case a crisis temporarily disrupts everyday services.