Warning day in Germany: Ministry admits embarrassing breakdown - politicians make clear demands

On the first nationwide warning day, Germany wanted to practice the emergency.

A test alarm should have been triggered across the country at 11 a.m. to familiarize citizens with the warning systems.

Would have...

• On Thursday,

  September 10,

  the first nationwide warning day * since reunification took

  place in

  Germany

  .

  Or better: should have.

• Namely, little worked.

  The reasons are now clear (see update from 4:01 p.m.).

• In the future, the

  warning day

  will be

  carried out

  annually on the

  second Thursday in September

  .

Update from September 11th, 10.45

first time since reunification, a

took

place on Thursday

.

By means of sirens, radio and television as well as the well-known

and

, people should receive warning messages at 11 a.m. at the same time.

While the sirens wailed and the radio and television warned in some cities, the warning apps remained silent - and some sent their warnings over half an hour too late.

Christoph Unger

, President of the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK), which was responsible for the alarm on the apps, spoke of "a clear, excessive delay" caused by overloading the transmission technology.

“The process agreed with the BBK has not been adhered to,” as the managing director of the Marktplatz agency, which Biwapp operates, told the

.

A total of 52 reports were received, only one was planned.

Warning day in Germany: After an app breakdown, politicians are calling for the test alarm to be repeated

While there was heavy criticism from many sides,

(CSU), parliamentary state secretary in the Federal Ministry

, judged

the breakdown as "annoying" and put it into perspective: "But the test run was intended to identify and correct errors."

Tobias Lindner

(Green), however, sharply criticized: "It is unbelievable that millions have been invested in a warning system that would have failed miserably in an emergency." Lindner wants a timely repetition of warning tags and also calls for

, FDP Vice, "Having the system has failed, the NINA test alarm has to be repeated. ”“ It was a failure, ”continued the politician in an interview with the

.

Now you have to "work as quickly as possible to set the system in time so that it can be used at any time."

Meanwhile, a Twitter user made fun of the failed warning day: “Everyone who does not hear a siren will receive the warning signal by fax or post within the next 14 days.” Another user seemed less amused: “Warning day 2020 or: 'How we manage to make ourselves completely ridiculous nationwide in just 20 minutes.' "

Warning day in Germany: Ministry admits embarrassing mishap - "fiasco"

Update from September 10, 7.47 p.m.:

After the

, which was

unsuccessful in many areas

, the malice on the Twitter social network is of course great.

Many write that they have prepared for loud sirens and tinkling cell phones.

But then came: nothing.

Probably the funniest tweet on Warning Day 2020 came from the

.

"Well, we didn't hear anything," wrote the association and earned over 20,000 likes by the evening. Later, the Deaf Association took advantage of the increased attention and pointed out the lack of a barrier-free solution for

calls

and

for the deaf. The promised app Solution is still not in sight, so the association on Twitter.

Well, we didn't hear anything.

- German Deaf Association (@gehoerlosenbund) September 10, 2020

Update from September 10th, 6:01 p.m.:

The first nationwide

clear loopholes in alerting the population on Thursday.

On the one hand, it became clear that there were no sirens at all in many places, and on the other hand, the message from the warning apps

and

only

arrived

on the smartphones a good half hour late.

As a result: if it had been an emergency, many citizens would not have noticed.

The

openly described the test alarm as “failed”.

The reason was a technical problem.

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

The knowledge gained should be

taken into account

in the further development of the

.

The deputy chairman of the FDP parliamentary group,

, described the

as a "fiasco".

Instead of making the population familiar with the warning systems, the day showed that they were not working properly.

"In the area of

there is an urgent need for action in practically all of Germany," said Theurer.

The federal government must now deal with the failure of the various systems and present concrete solutions.

Warning day in Germany: Ministry admits embarrassing mishap - attempts to explain let us look deep

Update from September 10, 4:01 p.m.:

According to an image research, it is now clear why neither

nor

triggered in time.

Apparently there was a

between the

and

.

Actually, the warning system should be triggered with a single message, sent by the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief (BBK) at 11 a.m. sharp.

Warning app breakdown throughout Germany: Authorities with first attempts to explain

Katwarn, NINA and other warning apps would have received and played the same test warning at 11 a.m.

But that didn't happen.

For example in the Upper Bavarian districts of Miesbach * and Freising.

Many sirens did not sound either, but that was the plan *.

The background here: there are hardly any disaster sirens left.

Most of them have long since been dismantled.

The fire brigade sirens were deliberately not activated.

But why didn't the apps work then?

Apparently, many local control centers also sent out warning messages.

These then clogged the channels that should have directed the messages in the direction of warning apps.

So in the end nothing arrived at all.

This in turn made many local control centers even more nervous, which then chased further warning messages - and thus exacerbated the problem.

These are the first attempts at explanation by the BBK.

Warning app breakdown in Germany: BMI openly speaks of "failure"

The Federal Ministry of the Interior speaks quite openly of a "failure" from which one now has to learn.

The sirens, however, would have rung on time in many places.

At least something.

Update from September 10, 2:37 p.m .:

On the nationwide warning day, there were probably not only problems with the

(see update from September 10, 11.55 a.m.), but also with the

.

Tweets are gathering on Twitter expressing amazement at the apps' problems.

“No push and no message in the app itself.

At 11:40 am I got the all-clear, again without a push.

I am very confused, "wrote a Twitter user.

An explanation can now be found on the official KATWARN Twitter page.

The federal

from the

only

delivered

to the

at 11.30 a.m. - half an hour after a warning message was supposed to appear in the app

.

The forwarding to the Katwarn apps was then carried out immediately, as it continues.

However, several users already wrote under this tweet that they would not have received any notification at a later date.

“I received no warning.

Not at 11 a.m., not at 11:30 a.m.

Not even at 12:51! ", Informed a user.

#Warning day - the federal report from the MOWAS system was only delivered to the # KATWARN system at 11:30 a.m.

(Forwarding to the KATWARN apps followed immediately).

- KATWARN (@katwarn_de) September 10, 2020

Warning day in Germany: Authorities admit huge breakdown in the test alarm

Update from September 10, 11.55 a.m.:

During the first nationwide test alarm on Thursday, the

remained silent for many users, contrary to expectations.

The

announced for 11 a.m.

initially did not appear, as some users

announced

on Twitter.

"We know that it worked partially," said a spokeswoman for the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief (BBK) in

.

In some cases, however, the modular warning system was overloaded.

As the "Tagesspiegel" reports, there was a delay of 30 minutes in Berlin.

Problems also arose in Potsdam.

Warning day in Germany: Videos show siren alarm - the all-clear has already been given

Update from September 10th, 11:22 am:

At 11:20 am, the signal to give the all-clear came.

As one Twitter user reported, the

already given the all-clear.

However, according to a tweet, the app should not have sent a warning signal at 11 a.m. as announced, but only at 11:17 a.m.

One or the other user

also found the warning on the

be insufficient.

For example, the radio station

"only mentioned it briefly in the news".

Update from September 10,

The nationwide

has been running for a few minutes

and the comments on Twitter are already piling up.

“So everything is quiet here,” writes one user and continues, “Are all sirens defective?” Another user says: “That's kind of lame.

If I had slept, I would not have woken up. ”Another Twitter user writes apparently angry:“ The

is already a total success: no sound can be heard despite the siren, no interruption on the radio, the

also has not posted.

If something happens, you better just give me a call! "

But some videos already prove the opposite, because

can be heard clearly

in some cities

.

Warntag2020 I was there.

pic.twitter.com/ARSY6pKqQT

- Eva “I'm very tired” Horn (@habichthorn) September 10, 2020

In North Rhine-Westphalia, however,

insisted on

the button for the

himself

, as announced on the official Twitter page through a picture of the public.

# NRW Interior Minister @hreul triggers the warning signal at # Warntag2020 at the @Feuerwehr_Lev.

@landnrw pic.twitter.com/QPUaMK7wz1

- Ministry of the Interior NRW (@IM_NRW) September 10, 2020

Warning day in Germany: Now sirens are wailing loudly everywhere - Munich is surprisingly an exception

Update from September 10, 10:52 a.m .:

In a few minutes at 11 a.m., the

start.

The emergency should be

simulated

by means of a warning from

,

, the

and other channels.

The signal for the all-clear should then be given at 11.20 a.m.

ALAAAAARM!

Please do not be alarmed: Today at 11.00 a.m. sharp (for the first time since reunification) there will be a nationwide test alarm - e.g. with sirens, on radio / TV, social media & in the official warning app NINA.

Always stay awake!

# Warntag2020 pic.twitter.com/0wimLexgJF

- CDU / CSU (@cducsubt) September 10, 2020

Warning day in Germany: sirens wail fearfully today - Munich is surprisingly an exception

Update from September 10, 9.45

a.m

On the nationwide warning day, all

sound nationwide

on Thursday

- with two exceptions.

As reported by the "Tagesspiegel", among others, there will be

no sirens as a warning

in the federal capital

. Instead, there will be silence. However, cell phones should vibrate and radio broadcasts will be interrupted. In Berlin there have been no civil defense sirens since the 1990s due to the dense population In

, as the police said, no sirens will be heard because there are none. In a Bavarian town, too, it will remain silent on the nationwide warning day. *

On Twitter, however,

numerous tweets

under the hashtag

.

One user wrote apparently ironically: “Cool, Berlin has no means of warning the civilian population.

Everything was dismantled in 1990. ”Meanwhile, the preparations for the warning day are in full swing, as reported by the city of Bad Homburg on Twitter.

Good morning to # Warntag2020!

The final preparations at the fire station are in full swing.

We are available for feedback or suggestions during the warning day.

Give us feedback via social media or email: warnung@37.bad-homburg.de!

pic.twitter.com/QcHnEiLygl

- City of Bad Homburg (@BadHomburgStadt) September 10, 2020

Nationwide warning day today: the population should be made familiar with warning systems - sirens sound

Update from September 10th, 6.30 a.m.:

Around eleven o'clock on Thursday morning, all

should

sound nationwide,

the test alarm is also triggered

in

.

Read here * what citizens in the Bavarian

have to be

prepared

for.

The reason for the

that is triggered throughout Germany: the population should be made familiar with all warning systems.

Warning day in Germany today: Don't be frightened - sirens wail frighteningly

Update from September 9th, 9:19 pm

: On the nationwide warning day on September 10th, the warning app NINA will also play a central role.

But what is it all about *?

Warning day on Thursday in Germany: Don't be frightened - sirens wail frighteningly

First report from September 9th

: Munich - Thursday, September 10th, will be

the first

in

since reunification.

Throughout the country, the

triggered

with a test alarm in

order to

familiarize

the

with the warning systems.

At

, the emergency should be

simulated

with a warning from

,

, the

and other channels.

Nationwide warning day: population should be sensitized

"A timely warning of dangers from major damaging events such as floods, storms, fires or attacks can save lives," says the

website

.

The nationwide

is intended to

the population to the topic in

order to increase knowledge for

and the ability to

.

Attention: The sirens will wail on Thursday from 11 a.m.

We rehearse the emergency.

# Warntag2020 - We warn Germany.

- Steve Alter (@BMI spokesperson) September 8, 2020

First warning day: a large number of warning devices in use

"The federal, state and local governments can use the federal modular warning system (MoWaS) to trigger a large number of warning devices," reports the

.

At present, warnings can be issued via various

, such as "NINA" or "KATWARN".

In addition, the population should be

warned of

a

situation

via

, as well as

, for example via social networks

.

,

,

and

are among the communal

that can be triggered directly on site.

In Bavaria, too, sirens wail and the KATWARN is triggered - but it will not be the same everywhere in Free State.

Nationwide warning day: Warning for an emergency should be tested

On

, the

now is

to check

the

and

to make

the available

known and to test them for emergencies.

should also be drawn to the

,

which are now standardized

Germany

.

In the event of a warning by sirens, a 

 used, and a

to give the all-clear 

.

Possible

in which a warning could be given are natural hazards * - for example storms, floods, or earthquakes -

,

,

or

.

Possible scenarios also include 

and

.

In an emergency, mandatory instructions could also be

issued

via the

.

Warning day: In future every second Thursday in September every year

At the federal level, the

, at the state level the respective

and at the municipal level, the

authorities are generally

responsible for warning the population.

The

declares: "The federal and state governments are preparing the nationwide warning day together with local representatives."

Don't forget: On the occasion of the # Warntag2020, sirens will wail nationwide from 11 a.m. on September 10, 2020, apps will beep and broadcasts will be interrupted.

This is an exercise!

The signal for the all-clear will follow at 11:20 a.m.

@BBK_Bund pic.twitter.com/EloRHtxhRj

- Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Home Affairs (@BMI_Bund) September 6, 2020

However, due to the various responsible bodies,

details may differ nationwide

on the

.

In

, for example,

should

sound.

The signal for complacency on the first

want to

done.

In the future, the

day will take place

every

.

Due to the end of the summer holidays in all federal states, the largest part of the population can potentially be reached in everyday life at this time.

The NINA * app is recommended for the warning day - we will introduce it.

List of rubric lists: © Moritz Frankenberg / dpa