The power outage in Köpenick has revealed from the point of view of the Berlin volunteer fire Department glaring deficiencies in disaster protection. The comrades on the guards in Schmöckwitz and Müggelheim, which should actually be of assistance ready, would just like the residents for hours in the dark and in the cold sat in, says Weir, head of the Christian Rößler. The guards are there no emergency generators. Only in the course of the night to Wednesday mobile emergency power are aggregates of the arrived guards in the West part of the city.
Because the fire Department building, but are completely out of date, they can also be supplied with emergency power only insufficient. New buildings are already decided, but the plans are delayed. A week ago the ladder by fire, the letter had announced that the civil protection 7. Of March, should move to the new building, nothing. The fire Department is still in use in Köpenick evaluate. Emergency power generators for all Departments in the city, is currently hardly possible, a spokesman said. We assume that such damage events relating to never at the same time the entire city. From the point of view of the Senate of the Blackout was in Köpenick no no the case of a disaster.
civil protection has “been broken for years
saved”, “We were lucky that it didn’t last longer,” says the civil protection officer in the DRC, Hardy Häusler. Berlin’ve saved the katatstrophe protection “for many years, is broken”. Vehicles are outdated. It lacks also to operating rooms and beds capacity in the hospitals, as well as to the inventory of the equipment shelters. This is actually a logistics center should be built, after the model of the former Senate reserve. Similar deficits had been revealed so far, in 2014, a study. Would be days in the city the power, would break the public order.
The Charging of mobile phones in public power taps are not secured necessarily better communication.Photo: imago/Matthias Koch
According to the specifications for the civil protection activities of a percent of the population would have to be supplied in case of emergency, would be in Berlin around 37,000 people. “But we can only supply a maximum of 3500 people with food,” says Häusler. During the Blackout in Köpenick DRC and district office two emergency shelters for a total of 500 people had set up, but related, one in an abandoned refugee property. Since the refugee crisis in 2015, the city had already built some new capacity, says Häusler. So management is considering the Social, to operate a temporary container villages for refugees longer than planned – but not for the case of a disaster, but for the accommodation of homeless people.
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water holdings to secure supply without power
The water holdings to secure, even without power, all in Berlin, are supplied with drinking water up to the eaves height. In addition, the house owners are responsible to keep the pumps by an emergency power supply in operation. The is missing, the tenants in the upper floors would have to say on the neighbourhood the aid of the lower left, Stephan Natz of the Water. Apparently the pumps were out in the Köpenicker Allende district, where rooms make yourself at home to high-rises.
if Necessary, the water companies drinking water could fill into the hose bags and distribute, so you’ve started in Köpenick, so Natz. More difficult is the waste water away. Smaller pumping stations in the fall without power. Then you help out with the tank, the suction channels, the works in Köpenick.
information came everywhere
From the point of view of the district office for emergency management, “overall, it went well”, says district mayor Oliver Igel (SPD). In the town hall Treptow, a crisis has been set up with police, fire brigade and aid organisations in contact. “Difficult” was due primarily to the transfer of information. In addition to a citizen’s phone that was set up, informed the district office via Radio, Twitter and Facebook about the heat offices and schools closed.
Nevertheless, this information has not arrived anywhere because the cellular network was partially down. “The hope was that the talks around.” The police had been with the speakers in the car on the road, said a spokesman for the interior administration, but apparently not across the Board. Many employees of the Offices, fire and police were on the streets responsive, says Igel. The Blackout would have lasted longer, would have been notices on lampposts and buildings is an Option. “Information is key”, says Igel.
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Blackout in Köpenick, The largest and longest power outage in Berlin for decades
Stefan Jacobs
You learn from the power outage, for example, that one push had to a public food supply at a very early stage, the DRC need at least half a day of preparation.
