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Siren at a fire station in Leverkusen: In some places there are no longer such reporting systems
Photo: Rolf Vennenbernd / dpa
All over the country, the sirens should wail at the same time and warnings should be sent via email or app: But on the nationwide warning day on Thursday, not everything went smoothly, as the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Aid (BBK) admitted.
Accordingly, there were problems with the spread of the test alarm.
The office had distributed a nationwide hazard report in the morning, but about half an hour later than planned.
The trial all-clear followed around ten minutes later.
For the first nationwide warning day, sirens and other warning systems should actually be triggered across the country at 11 a.m.
The all-clear should only be given 20 minutes later.
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Among other things, the test warning should take place via radio and television as well as warning apps such as the Nina application.
But Nina stayed silent with many users.
"The nationwide MoWaS notification could only be delivered with a delay," because of the "non-scheduled simultaneous triggering of a large number of warning messages" via the MoWaS system, the BBK announced on Twitter.
The release concept discussed in advance provided "a pure release by the federal government" and not by the states and municipalities.
With MoWaS, official warning messages for the population are recorded and securely distributed to a large number of warning multipliers, including media and warning apps such as Nina.
The authority wants to learn from the breakdown.
They provide "important findings for the expansion" of the reporting system and the necessary further coordination between the federal and state authorities involved, "said the BKK.
"It's not about creating hysteria"
In the future, a warning day is planned every second Thursday in September.
Background: Citizens should get to know the processes in order to be able to correctly perceive and classify warning messages in an emergency, for example in the case of earthquakes, floods or the occurrence of radioactive radiation, said the Bonn authority.
The Federal Office also warns of pathogens such as the coronavirus via the Nina warning app in special situations.
Other warning apps are Biwapp or Katwarn.
"It's not about stirring up fear and hysteria," said BBK President Christoph Unger in advance.
"That would be counterproductive."
But neither should one lull the population.
The fact is that the Germans are not very familiar with the topic, and that carries risks.
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Fok / AFP / dpa
