A duo from the ranks of the Greens has thought about how the federal and state governments could improve warnings of natural disasters and other acute dangers.
In the event of future disasters, the population should be warned in a timely, reliable and understandable manner – but according to Green Party politicians, a lot still needs to be done to achieve this. Especially when there is a power failure in a disaster area, it is still difficult to reach a large number of people with warning messages.
Extensive financial resources are needed “to bring the long-neglected warning infrastructure up to a sustainable standard,” says a ten-point plan drawn up by Leon Eckert, a member of the Bundestag, and Katharina Schulze, the leader of the Bavarian Greens parliamentary group. “During the siren test in Bavaria in May 2022, it became clear that investments in the siren infrastructure were needed,” says Schulze.
Some of the core demands of the plan coincide with plans already published by Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD). This includes the introduction of a nationwide “Civil Protection Day”. The Greens politicians, on the other hand, are dissatisfied with the confusion and the small state system that prevails when it comes to warning signals: “The decision made in 2019 by the conference of interior ministers for uniform siren signals in an emergency was a minimal consensus and has not yet been fully implemented.”
They demand: In the medium term, the use of sirens to alert the fire brigade, which is common in some places, should be abolished. Instead, as in other regions, the firefighters should be called to action with message receivers (so-called beepers). Because then the citizens would automatically know: When the siren sounds, everyone has to listen. Eckert and Schulze believe that the siren signals for warning, all-clear and tests as well as the date of tests should be standardized across Germany.
Many warning devices rely on electricity
From their point of view, another weak point is that many sirens, but also other warning devices, are dependent on electricity. However, it can fail due to a natural disaster or as a result of a hacker attack. Warning devices should therefore be designed to be energy efficient and remain functional in the event of low power availability or a total failure. “In Germany, we also have to think about a blackout and increase battery buffering for all relevant warning devices,” Eckert demands.
The fact that there are general risks here is also shown by a response from the federal government to a request from the AfD parliamentary group. In it, the government states: “Due to the changing climatic and geopolitical framework conditions and the associated vulnerability of vital infrastructures, the THW is also optimizing its capabilities and capacities in the area of power supply.” The THW has adjusted its range of services in the area of emergency power supply and increased capacities.
The federal program launched in 2021 to strengthen the siren network with 88 million euros provides as a minimum requirement that a siren has a battery that ensures that it can still issue four warnings and four all-clears after a power failure. Modern sirens sometimes last longer and allow voice messages to be spread. Several federal states have criticized the fact that although the period for accessing funding from the program is being extended, no new funds are planned for the 2023 federal budget. “Many municipalities have so far received nothing, but would like to install sirens,” says Eckert. He pleads for a 50/50 split of costs between the federal and state governments.
Nationwide warning day on December 8th
According to the Basic Law, the federal states are responsible for civil protection. The federal government is responsible for protecting the population in the event of war or tension. Some experts consider this separation to be outdated.
On December 8th there should be a nationwide warning day, on which the various warning channels will be tested – for the first time also the cell broadcast system, in which all mobile phone users who are in the area of a radio cell at a certain time will receive a message that what a text message looks like. Unlike the warning apps Nina and Katwarn, this not only reaches smartphone users.
Also with a view to the problems with warning the population during the flood disaster in western Germany in the summer of 2021, Eckert says: “If the expansion of the warning infrastructure continues at this slow pace, we will experience a warning day full of deficiencies and not all people in a real disaster can warn.”
Alerts in sign language encouraged
André Hahn, responsible for civil defense and disaster control in the left-wing parliamentary group in the Bundestag, believes that official severe weather warnings should also be broadcast regularly in the national news programs of the public TV stations, not just in the third programs. Because otherwise it would be “pure coincidence how many people are reached by a warning”. At the same time, the need to issue warnings quickly and effectively increases with the occurrence of heavy rain events, forest fires and storms.
So that everyone is not only technically reached, warnings in sign language and in easily understandable language must also be considered, according to the Greens’ plan. Multilingual warning messages must be offered to people who do not speak German. A spokeswoman for the Federal Ministry of the Interior said on request that the cell broadcast system would warn in German and English. The warning app Nina provides all menu elements and important content of warning messages in seven additional languages, including Arabic, Russian and Turkish.
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