Status: 10/25/2022 10:07 am
Overall, Germany could be better prepared for blackouts – this is the result of current research. But how good the precautions actually are varies greatly from municipality to municipality.
It has arrived in the offices of the authorities that it is not mere pessimism to speak of power failures, gas bottlenecks and the resulting emergencies. However, the consequences that are drawn from such crisis scenarios are still very different. More and more cities and communities are preparing very seriously for impending blackouts. And people are becoming more afraid of suddenly being left without electricity – or in a cold apartment. Because nothing works in our houses without electricity: heating, light, communication, stove and refrigerator. For two hours it can be cozy to read a book by candlelight. But what the authorities are increasingly warning about is anything but comfortable: it is menacing.
Most municipalities are working on contingency plans
The Verbandsgemeinde of Winnweiler is one of those who want to be prepared. For eight months, the administration has worked with its specialist departments and the fire brigade on an emergency plan that only has to be pulled out of the drawer and processed. Mayor Rudolf Jacob wants to be on the safe side: “Not even the experts know whether there will be a blackout or not. But one can definitely say: The probability that electricity or gas will become scarce has increased significantly, than was the case before.”
The community association’s emergency plan includes three escalation levels: After half an hour of power failure, those affected could contact the fire brigade in Winnweiler to – if necessary – make emergency calls from there or to inform relatives. Stage two takes effect after two hours: Then the fire stations would be opened to the public and supplied with emergency power. Hot drinks would be offered.
After eight hours at the latest, a total of 17 emergency shelters in the community would then be opened in stage three. Among other things, there would be emergency power generators there, for example for people with oxygen equipment or dialysis patients who would be in danger of their lives without electricity. In addition, people are to be provided with food and hot drinks in several places in the community in community and community centers as well as in fire stations. In the event of a disaster, the retirement home would also be able to be operated with emergency generators.
“People are grateful”
“We have provided appropriate contact points and emergency accommodation for both long-term gas failures and power failures. They are also technically equipped so that we can heat, that we can turn on the light, that we can prepare food for the people “Summarizes Mayor Jacob. “Here you will also be able to find out what’s going on. The uncertainty is already there, and some fears too. But I also see that people are grateful that we have made the appropriate preparations.”
The infrastructure has become more vulnerable
According to the German Association of Cities, it is important now that the municipal employees are first made aware and trained. In order to continuously develop the protection of the digital infrastructure in the cities, there is a lot of help, for example from the Federal Office for Information Security, the interior ministries of the federal states or the computer emergency response teams.
“The more digital cities become, the more important it is to protect their IT systems from cyber attacks,” says Helmut Dedy, General Manager of the Association of German Cities. It depends on the joint effort of the entire population. The goal of saving 20 percent gas can only be achieved if everyone participates. But the increased education of the people is also important. “People in Germany have so far been inexperienced with crises and disasters. That is why continuous, transparent and easily accessible information about possible risks is important. Campaigns for self-protection and the ability to help yourself must be rolled out much more strongly and more broadly.”
Civil protection workers play through temporary power outages. If the power goes out for many days, it affects all areas of the critical infrastructure. Then resources become scarce. Dedy points out that a functioning emergency supply of water and heat is only possible for a maximum of 72 hours. “The extreme situation of a blackout lasting several days could not be managed by municipal civil protection alone. Then it is a matter of fast and well-coordinated cooperation, across departments and across all levels of government.”
Not everyone is well prepared
But several communities are responding to the request of the SWR still very calm. Helping the population to help themselves plays a very important role, and the fire brigade’s open day would raise awareness of this again. Others refer to general information and checklists from the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance, but that doesn’t tell you where you can warm up or get something to eat if the worst comes to the worst.
One community wrote back: “Plans of this type are considered to be relevant to security and are therefore not communicated more specifically to the outside world”. Hopefully the emergency-heated fire stations aren’t waiting in vain for freezing residents who didn’t know anything about the plans.
Disaster relief is not endless
Even well-prepared cities and communities would be dependent on the help of the population in the event of a disaster. The crisis team of the city of Ludwigshafen has drawn up an extensive catalog of measures, will create heat islands in all parts of the city, keep critical infrastructure running with emergency power generators and have 40 emergency water wells in the city area.
Nevertheless, the crisis team emphasizes that the resources of the fire brigades and civil protection workers are limited. Anyone who doesn’t need their help ensures that they can be used elsewhere. Everyone should at least think about supplies for their own family, medication and a quickly accessible collection of important documents. And also to the animal roommates – so that dogs, cats, birds and fish can survive a possible blackout.