Spranger (centre) presents the lighthouse project.
© dpa
Berlin's Senator of the Interior Iris Spranger (SPD) has presented a so-called disaster control lighthouse project and pledged to further expand the civil defence system.
These disaster control lighthous projects are contact points for citizens in the event of a disaster alert, as Spranger emphasised on Wednesday. These centres are intended to provide information and limited assistance to those affected in the event of widespread and prolonged power outages. They would be activated automatically if a power outage lasting more than three hours was foreseeable, said Spranger.
All locations in the Berlin districts are to be equipped with an emergency power supply and digital radios. According to Spranger, a number of locations have already been completed, while others are still in the planning stage. In the future, a new competence centre for civil protection and crisis management is to start work in the Senate's internal administration from 2025 and form the interface with the districts. More than 30 authorities are responsible for the many different aspects of civil protection in Berlin: most of the Senate administrations, the twelve districts, the police, fire brigade and other organisations.