The district of Erding is preparing for a possible blackout

Created: 12/27/2022, 07:00

By: Hans Moritz

Emergency generators, such as this one from the Altenerding fire brigade, would play a central role in the event of a power failure.

© Altenerding Fire Department

A blackout is not in sight in the Erding district.

In such an emergency, however, town halls and fire stations would be central contact points.

The Klinikum Erding can supply itself with energy for 72 hours.

Erding

– The security authorities in the district of Erding are currently practicing a balancing act: On the one hand, they have to take precautions to be prepared for a total failure of the energy and power supply.

On the other hand, they don't want to spread panic among the population.

At the annual press conference, District Administrator Martin Bayerstorfer therefore had two pieces of good news for the citizens: "A blackout is not to be expected this winter," he assured.

And: "The district already has an initial security concept." The final details are to be clarified in early 2023.

Nevertheless, a collapse in the energy supply would have a significant impact on the population.

The district administrator reported on several meetings of his authority, civil protection, the communities and the fire brigades.

"If there is a blackout, the town hall and fire station become the central contact points," explained Bayerstorfer.

They would be supplied with electricity and heat for the longest time – in the event of a catastrophe also using emergency generators.

There are 19 town halls and 68 fire stations in Erdinger Land, three of them in the district town alone and eleven in Dorfen.

Here the citizens should not only get information, but also be able to warm up and be taken care of.

Bayerstorfer assumes "that we could get into such a shortage in the winter of 2023/24 at the most, if at all".

By then, however, Germany should also have more LNG terminals than the one just put into operation near Wilhelmshaven on the North Sea,

The extent to which heated emergency shelters with field beds can and should be created in gymnasiums has not yet been determined.

The Klinikum Erding, emphasized hospital director Dr.

Dirk Last can supply himself self-sufficiently for 72 hours using diesel-powered emergency generators.

Then you have to fill up.

Bayerstorfer indicated that, in extreme cases, a switch would have to be made to an allocation of fuel, for example.

"The question then is who the gas stations will supply first, for example the emergency power generators or civil protection vehicles." But local public transport could also be given priority, as could agriculture to secure domestic food production.

The authorities are also preparing for a breakdown in communication as a precaution.

And that's where Bayerstorfer relies on volunteers whose activities have so far been more under the radar: the amateur radio operators.

"There have already been talks.

It's good to know that they would be able to provide radio communications even in the event of a crisis."

As far as alerting the population via sirens is concerned, the warning day on December 8 still has to be evaluated.

In the city council, Mayor Max Gotz announced before Christmas that he would soon be presenting an analysis for the district town.

There is already one result – the siren in Altenerding is currently broken.

The mobile phone alarm did not work across the board either.