Special meeting in the Interior Committee: Failures in civil protection?

Since the flood disaster, civil protection has come under massive criticism. In a special meeting, the Interior Committee now wants to clarify whether there were omissions in the authority – and whether it needs to be reformed.

After the severe weather disaster, the Interior Committee in the Bundestag is meeting for a special session today. In addition to possible omissions by the authorities, the MPs want to talk about whether the federal government should do more for civil protection in the future. Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer and the President of the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Aid (BBK), Armin Schuster, therefore answer questions from the members of the Interior Committee.

The management of acute disaster situations has so far been the responsibility of the federal states and municipalities. For its part, the federal government has the task of protecting the population in the event of a defense. However, some experts consider this division no longer appropriate.

In March, Seehofer and Schuster presented a concept for realigning the BBK, which provides for more intensive cooperation between the federal and state governments in the event of a crisis. Schuster had already admitted errors in the system during the devastating flood disaster. “That didn’t go optimally,” said Schuster.

Greens are demanding responsibility at the federal level

Persistent heavy rain led to floods in Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia on July 14th. At least 179 people died. After the storm, there were allegations that people in the affected areas were not warned quickly enough. Seehofer in particular was heavily criticized.

The Greens called for possible changes in civil protection and disaster relief. The domestic political spokeswoman for the Greens parliamentary group, Irene Mihalic, had previously called for responsibility at the federal level for transnational or special situations. “We know such a model in the police from the Federal Criminal Police Office, which also takes on a coordinating role in special situations,” said Mihalic.

Mihalic thinks a change to the constitution is necessary

The Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief must take on this task. Mihalic also considers an amendment to the Basic Law to reform civil protection to be essential. “But we would like to see more binding force. I predict that we will ultimately need legal changes for this. And that will not work without a change in the Basic Law,” she told the editorial network in Germany.

Lower Saxony’s Vice Prime Minister Bernd Althusmann called for a mix of measures in the event of a possible reform of disaster control. “We have to significantly strengthen our civil protection and the means of warning the population of impending dangers,” Althusmann told the “Rheinische Post”. An effective combination of sirens, loudspeaker announcements, warning apps and a nationwide cell broadcast warning similar to an SMS could protect or even save lives. “A siren has the advantage that it can also be heard at night and without a wireless network. Therefore – yes, we should reactivate the warning sirens. But we should all know the signals and know what to do in the event of an alarm. ”

Mützenich calls for a joint development fund from the federal states

SPD parliamentary group leader Rolf Mützenich meanwhile called on the federal states to participate in a joint development fund to protect against future disasters. “Nobody should pretend that they will be spared such dramatic weather events in the future,” said Mützenich to the RND. The changed climate increases the risk for all federal states of being hit as it is now the case in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate.

The question of what consequences should now be drawn in terms of disaster control must be carefully weighed up. Also whether there is a need for more federal competence in certain areas. This also includes where and how the warning systems have to be readjusted. “It has to get better in any case, but you don’t break such decisions over your knees,” said Mützenich.

Last Wednesday, the federal government decided to provide emergency aid of initially 200 million euros. The affected countries want to contribute more rapid funds in the same amount. A construction fund worth billions is also planned. After the flood disaster of 2013, the federal government and all federal states jointly financed the expensive reconstruction. Several federal states had already indicated their willingness to support the reconstruction aid.