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Germany’s interior, economics ministries give go-ahead to emergency SMS warnings

In the wake of the worst flood disaster in Germany in nearly 60 years, German Minister of the Interior Horst Seehofer has ordered the introduction of a text-message-warning system for emergencies.

Published: 24 July 2021 18:05 CEST

Germany's interior, economics ministries give go-ahead to emergency SMS warnings

A destroyed house is pictured in Insul near Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, western Germany, on July 17th, 2021. (Photo by Christof STACHE / AFP)

Seehofer told broadcaster ARD-Hauptstadtstudio on Friday that he had ordered the introduction of the so-called cell broadcast system.

This warning system would make it possible to send out SMS alerts to all mobile network users with no need to know phone numbers, in case of emergencies.

It could also be used to warn residents in flood-risk areas about heavy rain and flooding.

However, Seehofer emphasised that he only saw the cell broadcast system as an addition to the warning systems already in place.

“Warning the population has to work on all channels. If you’re woken up at night, you need to know what has happened and what you should do,” he said.

The text alerts could supplement other methods of issuing warnings, such as sirens, smartphone apps and radio bulletins.

Although the Ministry of the Interior was leading the initiative, the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy also welcomed the text-warning system, which would make it possible to “send warnings simply, quickly and in line with data protection to a large number of people”.

Other countries, such as the Netherlands, Greece, Romania, Italy, or the USA, already use this system to send widespread emergency alerts.

The Ministry of the Interior said there was still no timeline for the introduction of the system, but according to experts, a timeframe of 12 to 18 months was conceivable.

READ ALSO: German flood disaster – what went wrong?

READ ALSO: Rebuilding Germany’s flood ravaged areas ‘could take years’

Seehofer’s statement came as Germany faces widespread criticism over its emergency warning systems after 180 people died and hundreds were injured in the worst flood disaster in nearly 60 years in the country.

“…Disaster management failed to warn citizens,” wrote Bild newspaper in a recent damning report. “Barely functioning sirens, no early evacuations and data protection prevented warning text messages to all affected citizens.”

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Record heat deaths and floods: How Germany is being hit by climate change

In 2023, more days of extremely high temperatures were recorded than at any time since records began, the European climate change service Copernicus and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) wrote in a joint report published on Monday.

The records go back to 1940 and sometimes even further.

“2023 has been a complex and multifaceted year in terms of climate hazards in Europe,” said Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) Director Carlo Buontempo. “We have witnessed widespread flooding, but also extreme forest fires with high temperatures and severe droughts.”

These events have put a strain on natural ecosystems, and have also challenged agriculture, water management and public health.

According to the report, around 1.6 million people were affected by floods last year, and more than half a million people were affected by storms. The weather- and climate-related damage is estimated at well over 10 billion euros. “Unfortunately, these numbers are unlikely to decrease in the near future,” Buontempo said, referring to ongoing human-caused climate change.

Heat turns deadly, even in Germany

Averaged across Europe, 11 months of above-average warmth were recorded last year, with September being the warmest since records began in 1940.

A record number of days with so-called extreme heat stress, i.e. perceived temperatures of over 46C, was also registered.

As a result of higher temperatures, the number of heat-related deaths has risen by an average of 30 percent over the past 20 years.

According to the Robert Koch Institute, at least 3,100 deaths in Germany were linked to heat in the first nine months of 2023.

“In some cases, for example heat stroke, heat exposure leads directly to death, while in most cases it is the combination of heat exposure and pre-existing conditions that leads to death,” RKI explained in a statement, adding that women tend to be affected more than men due to higher proportion of women in older age groups.

In Germany temperatures above 30C are considered a heatwave. As weather patterns change due to human-caused climate change, heat waves have increased in number and length.

READ ALSO: How German cities are adapting to rising temperatures

Historically Germany hasn’t faced so many severe heatwaves each year, and central air conditioning is not commonly found in the country. In cities across the Bundesrepublik, heat plans are being drafted and refined to try and prepare for further extreme heat events in the near future.

Delivery van stuck in flood

A delivery van stranded in flood water during a storm surge near the fish market in Hamburg last winter. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Bodo Marks

Warming oceans and mountains and more rain

On average, the seas around Europe’s coasts were warmer than at any time since at least 1980.

READ ALSO: Colder winters and refugees – How changing ocean currents could impact Germany

It was also much too warm on the glaciers in 2023. “After the record ice loss in 2022, it was another exceptional year of loss in the Alps,” Copernicus and WMO wrote. In these two years, the glaciers in the Alps lost around 10 percent of their volume.

Interestingly, the excess meltwater may be boosting hydroelectricity production in the short term. According to the report, conditions for the production of green electricity in 2023 were very favourable, with its share of the total electricity mix at 43 percent, the highest seen so far.

Overall, seven percent more rain fell last year than average. It was one of the wettest years on record, the report said.

In one third of the river network in Europe, water volumes have been recorded that exceeded the flood threshold. There were severe floods in Italy and Greece, among other places, and parts of northern Germany were affected at the end of the year.

Hamburg and the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein were among regions hardest hit by floods in Germany last year. Northern sections of the Elbe river rose high enough to submerge Hamburg’s fish market several times among other places.

READ ALSO: Germany hit by floods as October heat turns into icy spell

2024 likely to continue breaking heat records

The recent report by Copernicus and the World Meteorological Organization is in agreement with a UN report published last month, which noted that last year came at the end of “the warmest 10-year period on record” according to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).

“There is a high probability that 2024 will again break the record of 2023”, WMO climate monitoring chief Omar Baddour said, according to Science Alert.

Another year of record breaking high temperatures means Germany can likely expect more and longer heatwaves in the late spring, summer and early autumn seasons. Higher average temperatures are also correlated with an increase in extreme weather events like extreme storms and floods in parts of the country.

In drier parts of Europe it means an increase in droughts and wildfires.

With reporting by DPA.

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