The simulation will test “the country's ability to respond," said one person familiar with preparations for the exercise, adding that it is intended to assess the time needed to restore power and the country’s ability to ensure the continuity of essential services. The exercise was formally confirmed during an interministerial committee on national resilience on July 8. A detailed announcement should come before the end of the year. These include “emergency blankets, generators, medicines, telecommunications equipment, equipment for law enforcement, as well as rare and critical raw materials.” Stress testCrisis preparedness has turned into a political issue in France as record-breaking heat and wildfires are forcing the country to reckon with its ability to respond to emergencies.