Nationwide warning day: sirens wailing and cell phones show warnings in MV!

Nationwide warning day: sirens wailing and cell phones show warnings in MV!

On September 11, 2025, the word was again in Germany: Red alert! This time, the nationwide warning day was tested in all federal states at 11:00 a.m. This time not only were the sirens in use, but cell phones also received warning messages to make the population fully aware of any dangers. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, sirens wailed and warning messages appeared on cell phone screens. A spokeswoman for the Ministry of the Interior in Schwerin announced that the test was largely successful and that the evaluations are still ongoing. Around 1,700 sirens are installed in this state, although coverage is not comprehensive; Cities like Neubrandenburg and Güstrow do not have permanent sirens.

In fact, checking the functionality of the warning systems was the main goal of this year's Warning Day. The nationwide warning day is held annually on the second Thursday in September and serves not only for technical inspections, but also to raise public awareness of alerts. n-tv reported that the signal consisted of a one-minute rising and falling howl and a constant all-clear howl.

Warning Day initiatives and successes

A lot has happened in recent years, especially after the devastating flood disasters in 2021. The Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK) has funded the expansion of the siren network with almost 90 million euros and set up a modern cell broadcasting system. The latter makes it possible to send warning messages directly to cell phones without an app. The success of this system was shown in Warning Day 2023: 72 percent of people could be reached, and a total of 96 percent via various channels, such as daily news explained in detail.

Citizens’ experiences are also important. They had the opportunity to share their impressions on the Internet at www.warntag-umfrage.de. This is a measure to continually improve the warning structures. In Lower Saxony, where all sirens in the Emsland and Bentheim districts worked, the warning day was considered a success. Interior State Secretary Juliane Seifert emphasized the importance of a “warning agent mix”, which also included apps such as NINA and Katwarn.

A step in the right direction

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania particularly stood out this year because the sirens were triggered better than in previous years. In Rostock, for example, the 30 sirens installed there and the warning app “HRO!” completely smoothly. NDR reported that the systems had “passed” the test and Deutsche Telekom also reported a smooth warning message via cell broadcast.

The constant improvement of warning systems and their adaptation to the needs of the population are crucial in order to be able to react quickly and reliably in an emergency. With every warning day, a little more security is created - there is something there, you could say. Although there can be no such thing as a worry-free life, daily progress gives hope. And that's what matters.