A German Government Agency Announces Plans to Convert Public Spaces into Emergency Shelters
The President of the German Federal Agency for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief, Ralph Tiesler, has announced a plan to rapidly develop emergency shelters in Germany. According to Tiesler, the agency aims to create a million emergency spaces within a short period, utilizing existing public infrastructure such as tunnels, underground train stations and basement levels of public buildings.
These converted public spaces will be equipped with essential facilities, including food, restrooms and possibly even field beds, to enable people to stay for extended periods, potentially even overnight. The key aspect of this plan is to quickly inform the public of the locations where they can seek shelter. The agency plans to achieve this through the use of apps and signs.
The plans are a response to growing concerns that Russia may launch an attack on NATO territory in the near future. Tiesler noted that, in the past, many Germans believed war was an unlikely scenario, but this perception has changed and the agency is now preparing for the possibility of a large-scale war in Europe.
The President of the BBK estimates that the planned expansion and modernization of the alarm system, as well as other projects, will require a significant budget of at least 10 billion euros over the next four years and potentially up to 30 billion euros in the next decade. Tiesler emphasized the enormity of the tasks in civil protection, highlighting the need for substantial funding to support the agency’s efforts.