With well-filled gas storage tanks, the risk of a major power outage seems to have become much smaller. Nevertheless, after the Christmas holidays at the schools in the district, a letter was sent to the parents about how parents can prepare themselves and their children for such an unlikely event. “The letter was sent with the idea of ’safety first’,” explains the district office. The main goal is that everyone prepares what can be prepared.
“It is very difficult to estimate what problems we will all face in the event of a blackout and how likely it is that it can actually happen,” the letter said. “But it sure as hell doesn’t hurt to think about it a bit.”
It’s about “sending a signal and showing that we care,” explains Fürstenfeldbruck school director Thomas Frey. Even before the holidays, representatives of the school authority, the school department of the district authority and the school management had sat down and discussed the scenario. The schools were advised to coordinate with the parents’ councils.
The letter to parents now says: “In the event of a blackout, your child will be looked after until the regular end of class.” The boys and girls then have to go home, although according to Frey the teachers should stay there until someone else can look after the child, if necessary. The children should know how to get home, even if there is no public transport. And if that doesn’t work, which friends or relatives they can stay with.
That should be clarified in advance, Frey also advises, and the school must document who went home with whom. Because it could well be that parents cannot pick up their children because they cannot come quickly enough themselves, for example due to the failure of the S-Bahn.
According to the letter from the district office, buses would probably continue, but it might take longer than usual. The district office also advises parents that the child should have access to a house key to get into the apartment – without electricity, even the bells don’t work. And cell phones and other telephones probably don’t work without electricity either. The district office therefore advises making arrangements in the event that electricity-dependent communication is no longer possible.
According to Frey, it was also discussed that flashlights and blankets as well as battery radios should be available in the schools in case of emergencies. Because the radio stations could continue to provide information for some time even without electricity.
In December, the Bavarian Ministry of the Interior asked the district administration authorities “to make coordinating preparations in the event of a widespread power failure”. Neither the district office nor the school authority noticed any reactions from parents to the letter. But Frey can well imagine that some will welcome the information and others will shake their heads at it. The message that the letter is supposed to convey, according to him: “Parents should prepare, deal with the topic, and schools should also keep an eye on it.”