Federal Office is planning quick expansion: a million shelters for Germany!

Federal Office is planning quick expansion: a million shelters for Germany!

The Federal Office for Population Protection and Disaster Aid (BBK) plans to quickly expand shelters in Germany in view of the growing concerns about military conflicts, especially Russia, to possible threats. The aim is to create a million protective positions at short notice. The current inventory of public shelters amounts to 579 and thus offers a capacity of almost 478,000 places, such as "https://www.t-online.de/nachrichten/deutschland/innenspolitik/id_100756138/bundesamt-schnell-eine-million-chutzraeumschaffen.html"> t-online.de reported.

For the planned shelters, existing infrastructure such as tunnels, subway stations, underground garages and basement rooms of public buildings are to be converted. This conversion not only ensures that a safe retreat is created, but also that basic needs such as food, toilets and sleeping options are provided with field beds. BBK President Ralph Tiesler emphasizes that the belief in the improbability of a war in Germany has changed and that these measures are now urgently necessary.

Notes on the use of the shelters

The signage and digital apps are used to inform the population about the locations of the shelters. This information should be provided in good time so that citizens can react quickly in crisis situations. "A comprehensive shelter concept should be presented in summer," continued Tiesler.

To finance the urgently needed expansion, a financial requirement of at least 10 billion euros in the next four years and up to 30 billion euros will be sought in the long term. The investments are necessary to also modernize the alarm system, which is essential for the safety of the shelters.

inventory and use of public shelters

The history of public shelters in Germany goes back to the time of the Second World War, when numerous high and deep bunkers were built as air-raid shelters. There are around 2,000 such shelter in the old federal states today. These shelters are usually designed as multi -purpose systems, but their actual use is still severely restricted. bbk.bund.de informs that the majority of the shelter in private property as well as in the property of cities and municipalities.

After the end of the Cold War and the decided dismantling of the shelters in 2007, the security situation changed dramatically. The reversal was stopped by the Federal Ministry of the Interior on March 17, 2022 in order to evaluate the suitability of the existing shelters for crisis care. A report by the Federal Real Estate Agency (BIMA) has shown that reactivation of the shelters is fundamentally possible, but the decision about it depends on the existing level of protection.

summarized it is shown that the expansion of the shelters in Germany is not only a reaction to current geopolitical tensions, but also a necessary measure to ensure the security of the citizens. Further information on the existing and planned shelters will be expected in the coming weeks.