Hesse's bunker: Are we finally ready for the new threat?

Hesse's bunker: Are we finally ready for the new threat?

The global political situation has initiated new discussions on civil protection and shelters in Germany in recent years, especially after the beginning of the Russian aggression war against Ukraine. Stern reports that the conflict has not only ensured in Ukraine, but also in Germany. The Hessian Interior Minister Roman Poseck (CDU) explains that the threat scenarios for population protection have changed.

The focus of the political discussion is increasingly on the need to revitalize existing protection infrastructures. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, many bunkers were forgotten in Hesse. Currently, only 15 “very limited usable” bunkers are still available in Hesse, which offer space for a total of 33,000 people - this for a population of around 6.2 million. Federal Office for Population Protection and disaster assistance informed that only 579 shelter exists, all of which are "only very limited" are.

The decline in the shelters

The decline in the available shelters is not just a Hessian, but a Germany -wide problem. According to Federal Office for Population Protection there were once around 2,000 public protection rooms in the old federal states, whose condition was neglected. These systems are protected against structural changes as part of the civil protection and disaster relief law, which makes their red-revelopment more difficult. Further historical developments, such as political upgrading and changing the security situation after the Cold War, have contributed to the acceptance of the need for such shelter.

Hessen is now working on a "national shelter concept" that the federal and state governments work together. The state's health minister, Diana Stolz (CDU), emphasizes the urgency to make the clinics crisis festival. A new manual for alarm and operational planning for hospitals was drawn up to be prepared in defense scenarios.

infrastructure for civil and disaster protection

The state of the infrastructure for civil protection is worrying. Many road bridges in Germany require a renovation, while the Federal Ministry of Defense has already approved their use for military vehicles. Wiesbaden has established itself as a significant military location, houses the European headquarters of the US Armed Forces and currently also the new Ukraine command of NATO, which underlines the importance of the city in this context.

Overall, it becomes clear that the current geopolitical context forces Germany to rethink its preparations for possible crises. In view of the crisis, there is a clear need to rebuild both state and private protection structures. Nordkurier emphasizes that many voices call for restoration and expansion of the protective measures and that they do not interpret it as a panic. Environment.