Authorities chief Unger should apparently be replaced after Warning Day breakdowns

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BBK boss Christoph Unger

Photo: Rolf Vennenbernd / dpa

The first nationwide warning day last Thursday went differently than planned: Among other things, the message from the warning apps NINA and KATWARN only arrived on smartphones a good half an hour late.

If it had actually been an emergency, many citizens would not have noticed.

Now it became known: The breakdown warning day has personnel consequences.

The President of the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief (BBK) in Bonn, Christoph Unger

is to be replaced.

The dpa news agency learned this from the Union faction.

After the breakdowns, there was also criticism of the authority.

The rbb had previously reported on it.

Interior State Secretary Stephan Mayer (CSU) said on Wednesday in the interior committee of the Bundestag when asked whether Unger was still head of the authority, he did not want to comment on personnel matters in this group.

The dpa learned this from participants in the non-public meeting.

The Federal Ministry of the Interior had therefore described the test alarm as "failed".

The reason was a technical problem.

"The processes are now being processed comprehensively," the ministry announced.

Unger blamed various control centers for the fact that the warning apps on the cell phones did not work.

"You didn't stick to the agreements," he said.

It had been agreed that the Federal Office would operate the apps from Bonn alone.

Instead, around 30 other warning messages went out almost simultaneously.

"The system couldn't cope with that," said Unger.

The deficits would have to be corrected by the next warning day in September 2021.

Unger has headed the Federal Office since it was founded in 2004.

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wit / dpa