Berlin/Stuttgart (dpa/lsw) - According to a survey by the ARD magazine "Report Mainz", the preparation of the municipalities in the south-west for a power failure leaves a lot to be desired in many places. 29 municipalities took part in the survey from September to the beginning of October. According to this, 12 counties and independent cities have indicated that they do not have a plan for the power outage that everyone involved can access immediately in an emergency. However, two municipalities stated that, unlike the magazine, they are well prepared for such emergencies.
There is no isolated special action plan for the power failure, which was asked for, it said in the Hohenlohe district. But plans are in place to deal with a widespread, prolonged power outage as part of an overall disaster preparedness plan. The city of Heilbronn also feels wrongly classified as one of the unprepared municipalities. The city has had an electricity disaster response plan since the beginning of 2022, including regulations for informing the population or setting up an emergency supply for sensitive facilities.
Regarding the question of whether a standardized emergency plan would make sense, the district assembly said: The Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance offers framework concepts that could support the creation of local emergency plans. "Completely standardized emergency plans, on the other hand, are not possible because the situation on site varies greatly and must therefore always be adapted to regional conditions."
200 municipalities nationwide responded to the TV magazine. Half of them did not feel prepared for a longer power outage.
When asked whether there were emergency wells in the districts or cities, 78 municipalities answered "no". The purpose of the emergency wells, which are also required by law, is to ensure the supply of drinking water to the population in an emergency and to the armed forces in times of war.
