Germany's next 'warning day' set for September 14th
Gird your ears! Officials have announced that sirens are set to wail once again when Germany's annual nationwide alert day takes place later this month.
At 11am on Thursday September 14th, people all over Germany will receive alerts as part of an annual 'warning day' (Warntag) test across multiple channels, the Federal Ministry of the Interior and the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance announced in Berlin on Friday.
"We rely on the so-called warning medium mix," said State Secretary Juliane Seifert. This includes the mobile alert channel Cell Broadcast, warning apps like Nina, alerts on radio and television, sirens, information boards in cities, as well as alerts on rail platforms and in trains.
READ ALSO: All cell phone users in Germany to be part of disaster 'warning day'
Ralph Tiesler, head of the civil protection office, had an understated word of caution: "It will be loud."
The alert day serves as a stress test for Germany's warning systems. On the most recent alert day, in December of last year, nine out of ten people in Germany received some form of warning.
The importance of alarm systems was highlighted by the flood disaster in the western states of Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia in July 2021, when people were not informed in time of the impending danger. Afterwards, a broad debate arose on how this could be improved.
READ ALSO: How successful was Germany's latest 'Warning Day'?
An energy crisis and a major war in Europe also prompted questions about what Germany would do in the event of a wide-reaching emergency.
Germany's first warning day took place on September 8th, 2020, but many complained that it was not effective nor wide-reaching enough.
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At 11am on Thursday September 14th, people all over Germany will receive alerts as part of an annual 'warning day' (Warntag) test across multiple channels, the Federal Ministry of the Interior and the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance announced in Berlin on Friday.
"We rely on the so-called warning medium mix," said State Secretary Juliane Seifert. This includes the mobile alert channel Cell Broadcast, warning apps like Nina, alerts on radio and television, sirens, information boards in cities, as well as alerts on rail platforms and in trains.
READ ALSO: All cell phone users in Germany to be part of disaster 'warning day'
Ralph Tiesler, head of the civil protection office, had an understated word of caution: "It will be loud."
The alert day serves as a stress test for Germany's warning systems. On the most recent alert day, in December of last year, nine out of ten people in Germany received some form of warning.
The importance of alarm systems was highlighted by the flood disaster in the western states of Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia in July 2021, when people were not informed in time of the impending danger. Afterwards, a broad debate arose on how this could be improved.
READ ALSO: How successful was Germany's latest 'Warning Day'?
An energy crisis and a major war in Europe also prompted questions about what Germany would do in the event of a wide-reaching emergency.
Germany's first warning day took place on September 8th, 2020, but many complained that it was not effective nor wide-reaching enough.
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