Status: 08.12.2022 05:52
How well official warnings work in an emergency is being tested today at the nationwide warning day. The new Cell Broadcast system is used for the first time. What special features apply in Lower Saxony, Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania?
The Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK) will trigger a test alarm of the highest warning level 1 via radio, television, apps and alarm sirens throughout Germany at 11 a.m. today. The all-clear should follow at 11:45 a.m. Because this is a test, no action is required by people who receive the alert.
The importance of functioning warning systems was most recently made clear by the flood disaster in Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia in July 2021. People were not informed in time about the impending danger. After that, a debate about improvements arose. Among other things, the federal government launched a program for the construction of new siren networks. It was also decided to set up a nationwide system for so-called cell broadcasting.
Cell Broadcast: No app needed
On the nationwide warning day, the new warning system, which is to be launched as an additional warning channel at the end of February 2023, will now be tested extensively for the first time. Many mobile phone owners have already received a text message referring to the test. However, there are many end devices that cannot receive cell broadcasts or for which the function still has to be activated by the users.
Further information
Today, on the occasion of the nationwide warning day, the federal government is rehearsing the emergency. The so-called cell broadcasting is new – warning messages on the mobile phone. more
With cell broadcasting, text messages are transmitted to all compatible devices that are registered in a mobile radio cell to which the warning applies. In addition, the devices should emit sound and light signals to indicate dangers such as extreme weather conditions. In contrast to other warning systems such as Nina or Katwarn, users do not need to have an extra app to be alerted. Cell broadcast is already in use in other EU countries.
Warnings also via app, radio – and with loudspeaker announcements
However, other warning systems are also tested on the warning day. The warnings formulated by the authorities are to be read out on the radio and uploaded to media sites on the Internet. They also appear as push messages on smartphones or on billboards in the cityscape and at train stations. In addition, local civil protection authorities activate local warning systems – such as sirens or loudspeaker trucks – if necessary.
Nationwide warning day: breakdowns at Premiere 2020
On the first nationwide warning day two years ago, there had been significant breakdowns. The test warning from the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance was delayed by 30 minutes. The then head of the authorities had to vacate his post, the office and the processes should be realigned. There was no warning day last year because some of the changes that had been decided on had not yet been implemented.
SH Minister asks the public for help
Against the background of the Ukraine war and the energy crisis, Schleswig-Holstein’s Minister of the Interior, Sabine Sütterlin-Waack (CDU), appealed to people to help improve civil protection in order to identify and eliminate weak points. For this, as many people as possible should give the authorities feedback, Sütterlin-Waack asked. For feedback, the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Protection will then be on a activate a special website and a form in the warning app Nina. Since only about every second device is expected to trigger on the warning day, the feedback is all the more important, said Sütterlin-Waack. In Schleswig-Holstein, for example, almost all of the around 2,600 installed sirens are considered outdated. They are to be upgraded and increased – but apparently there is not enough money for that.
Further information
After the flood disaster in the Ahr Valley, it was clear: Germany must do better when it comes to civil protection. The warning systems are to be tested nationwide on Thursday. How they work and what to look out for. external
The storm surge sirens are also howling in Hamburg
In addition to the general federal measures, Hamburg also triggers the storm surge sirens on the Elbe. These stand near the river in the districts of Altona, Hamburg-Mitte including Wilhelmsburg and Finkenwerder, in the Bergedorf and Vier- und Marschlanden districts, and in the Harburg district. The siren signal – a one-minute, rising and falling howl – means in an emergency: “There is a danger! Find out more!” The all-clear is signaled at 11.45 a.m. with a one-minute continuous tone.
MV: No siren alarm in the state capital Schwerin
According to the Ministry of the Interior in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, only 60 percent of the population can be warned by sirens in the event of a disaster. There are currently 1,600 sirens in the northeast, the ministry announced on Tuesday. There will be no sirens on December 8th in the state capital of Schwerin. In the city, which has almost 100,000 inhabitants, there are only two locations with sirens and these are only used to alert the volunteer fire brigade, the city administration said. The city council had decided to install a total of 17 sirens again, but that was “not yet complete”.
Interior Minister Christian level (SPD) said that the warning day would also be used in MV for other internal exercises. In some selected areas, tests are being carried out to determine whether communication between civil protection units, districts, cities and the country can also be achieved without electricity.
Lower Saxony’s cities and communities are demanding more money for new sirens
Lower Saxony’s Interior Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) said that the warning day was “mainly about preparing for specific emergencies and becoming aware of various warning scenarios”. Cities and municipalities demanded more money for the siren network: “The efforts of the federal and state governments to expand the warning infrastructure are undersized,” said the President of the Lower Saxony Association of Towns and Municipalities, Marco Trips, the “Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung”. With the annual funds of almost ten million euros, the existing needs could only be met to a limited extent.
The sirens will also remain silent in Osnabrück today. The city announced that not all of the planned 27 sirens had been installed. The assembly company repeatedly postponed the completion date due to supply bottlenecks and a lack of staff. The sirens were originally supposed to be operational since March 2021.
“No emergency”: Oldenburg control center tests reporting portal
The Oldenburg control center uses the nationwide warning day to test a new reporting system. About the site Keinnotfall.de should in future be able to report important events such as storms that are not a matter of life or death – for example a flooded basement. The emergency numbers 112 and 110 are to be relieved.
Further information
Today, on the occasion of the nationwide warning day, the federal government is rehearsing the emergency. What is new this time is the so-called cell broadcasting – warning messages on the mobile phone. more
Apps such as NINA and KATWARN or Cell Broadcast warn of dangers such as storms. What do they report and how do they work? more
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