13/09/2022
The German Association of Cities and Municipalities warned of widespread power outages in Germany due to the energy crisis and called on citizens to take federal recommendations on civil protection seriously.
The association has
published a list of supplies that every household should have on hand in case of power, water and fuel outages, and
Fenix-magazin.de reports.
– There is a risk of power failure. Preparation for real crisis situations must be improved, the executive director of the city council, Gerd Landsberg, told "Welt am Sonntag", as reported by
RTL.de.
Landsberg specifically
warned of the risk of overloading the electricity grid, for example, if the 650,000 heaters sold this year are connected to the grid, in the event of a gas supply failure.
–
Hostile hacker attacks are also a realistic scenario.
We cannot rule out widespread power outages. Germany is underequipped for this case, said Landsberg,
He called on citizens to take the federal civil protection recommendations seriously and to have water and food at home.
In the case of a general blackout, "there is no water, you can't pour water, after two days you can't charge your cell phone," he described.
The president of the Federal Network Agency, Klaus Müller, also
warned against the mass use of heaters.
- Even with high gas prices, their use is more expensive than gas heating. In addition, local power grids can be pushed to their limits if many people use fan heaters at the same time, he expected for the "Tagesspiegel".
Chancellor Scholz: "We have prepared"
On the other hand, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) said during the weekend that Germany had prepared.
- We will overcome it. People in Germany feel that they live in serious times. But we have prepared, the chancellor assured in his weekly video message.
A stress test of the power grid by the federal government recently concluded that hour-long power system crises in the winter of 22/23 are highly unlikely, but cannot be completely ruled out at this time. It was an extreme scenario where a quarter to half of southern Germany's gas-fired power plants are failing due to a lack of gas, while persistently low water is slowing supplies to coal-fired power plants, French nuclear power plants are still out of service, and many fan heaters are being used at the same time.
However, experts believe that the German power grid is well prepared.
- Fear is mostly scary, said energy expert Christoph Maurer from the consulting company Consentec in an interview for ntv.
The general director of the German Association of Cities, Helmut Dedy, said that now we should not react with panic, but with a joint effort.
Cities wanted to save 20 percent on gas. If everyone pursues this goal together, we see a good chance of getting through the winter without power outages. However, precautions must also be taken at the same time; Power reserves are necessary for emergencies. In civil protection, states and municipalities share responsibility, Dedy said.
How to properly supply yourself with emergency supplies
The Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief advises residents to stock up on emergency supplies
for ten days at home in order to be prepared for possible crisis situations. Because: "In case of major damage, rescue services cannot be everywhere at the same time. Those who are ready can help themselves, their relatives and neighbors until state aid arrives and reduce the damage with protective measures," the Agency's website states.
How to properly stock up on emergency supplies, disaster relief chief explains
In this overview you will find an example of a ten-day basic supply of drinks and food for one person. This corresponds to about 2,200 kilocalories per day and therefore usually covers the total energy requirement:
20 liters of water (or just tap water)
3.5 kilograms of cereals, cereal products, bread, potatoes, pasta and rice
2.5 kilograms of fruit (in cans or jars) and nuts
4 kg of pulses and vegetables (in cans or jars)
2.6 kilograms of milk and dairy products
1.5 kg of fish, meat and eggs or whole powdered eggs (eggs are limited, whole powdered eggs have a shelf life of several years)
0.4 kilograms of fats and oils
Foods that don´t have to be reheated or cooked (sugar, honey, chocolate, flour, instant soup, hard cookies, pretzel sticks) – amount as desired
Gas stove (for camping) to heat food.
Drugstore products:
disinfectant
Duplicate soap/detergent
Sufficient amount of toilet paper
Duplicate toothbrush and toothpaste
Medical supplies:
first aid kit
Important medicines prescribed by the doctor
thermometer
Medicines to reduce pain and fever
Medicine for diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting
Various:
candles, tea lights
, camping stove,
battery-powered flashlight,
spare batteries
, trash bags
These documents belong to the must-have documents folder:
As original:
Family papers (extract from the register of births, marriages, deaths) or register as original
In the original or certified copy:
Savings books, account agreements, shares, securities, insurance policies
Annuity, pension and income certificates, income tax document
Evidence of qualification: Certificates (school certificates, college certificates, evidence of additional qualifications)
Contracts and amendment agreements, e.g. B. also rental agreements or leasing agreements
Will, living will and power of attorney
As a simple copy:
Identity card, passport, driver's license and vehicle documents,
land registry extracts
, all received notices of changes to services,
Certificates of payment of insurance premiums, especially pension insurance,
Proof of application from the employment office, notices from the employment
office, Invoices confirming outstanding payment claims
Membership or payment books of associations , clubs or other organizations
vaccination card
Anyone who doesn't have enough space to store enough water or food for 10 days can also cut back on supplies: A three-day emergency supply is better than no supply at all, explains the Federal Office of Disaster Relief.
- If you haven't worked out your list yet and secured your groceries, you can do it in time to safely get through the fall and winter, says the Federal Office for Disaster Relief.
Fenix magazine/MD/
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