Please don’t let there be a catastrophe in Germany!

On December 8, 2022, the nationwide warning day 2022 took place in Germany. Federal, state and local governments have tested the warning systems for disasters – for the first time also via cell broadcast. The result is sobering. A personal analysis.

After the terrible flood disaster in the summer of 2021, it was clear to many citizens in Germany: In an emergency, our government manages to inform us more badly than right. The heads of state and government have recognized this themselves.

Therefore, in February 2022, the Federal Network Agency paved the way for disaster warnings to be sent via the so-called cell broadcast system. In order to test exactly that, the federal government triggered a nationwide test alarm on December 8, 2022. Actually.

The nationwide warning day 2022: fortunately only a warning

After the official all-clear came to some smartphone owners at 11.45 a.m., one unfortunately has to draw a mixed conclusion. Luckily for millions of people, there was no real disaster.

Because the warning system did not work smoothly – neither via the new cell broadcast system nor via the NINA app or other information channels. It is therefore to be hoped that the government will carry out a second test run relatively soon.

Cell Broadcast, NINA and Co.: No system works nationwide

This mixed conclusion is also revealed by the reactions on social networks. And everywhere the situation is the same: in some places and with some people, some systems have worked – and in other places with the same basics not.

Didn’t get any fucking warning SMS. And now?

— Jan Böhmermann 🤨 @janboehm@edi.social (@janboehm) December 8, 2022

Jan Böhmermann for example, has not received a warning SMS. The parliamentary group of the FDP has and the work of the government punctually with a Memes on Twitter celebrated.

Warning day 2022 at 11am, triggered at 10:59am. German punctuality. #warning day2022 pic.twitter.com/9ygF7Rdq20

— Free Democrats Group (@fdpbt) December 8, 2022

And even in the editorial office of BASIC thinking some members almost fell off their office chairs from the volume of the alarm, while other colleagues did not even hear the siren noise in their own office.

Sometimes the NINA app warned, sometimes only after opening the app and on one smartphone the application even hung. Ultimately, it remains clear that nothing is clear.

iPhone owners need to turn on emergency notifications first

Even the federal government knows that cell broadcast doesn’t work on older devices. That’s why there is a list with devices that do not have the necessary technical requirements. For iPhones, for example, it starts with the iPhone 6s.

But even owners of newer iPhones did not receive a warning on warning day 2022 because test warnings and emergency warnings first had to be deactivated manually in the settings. A fact that has not been sufficiently communicated by the government, for example.

To do this, go to the “settings‘ and then select there ‘Messages” out. There again you scroll long to the end of the menu and activate at “Cell broadcast alerts‘ all the functions to be selected.

And here, too, the two faces show up again on the warning day 2022: Some users received a test warning even though the function was not activated. Other users, on the other hand, did not receive any information, although everything was set correctly.

Conclusion on the warning day 2022: Germany is not prepared for the catastrophe

Whether it is due to the settings of individual smartphones or other factors: Ultimately, the conclusion on the nationwide warning day 2022 is clear. Germany – or our federal government – ​​failed.

If a nationwide natural disaster actually happened tomorrow, millions of people would not have received a message when they tested it. Unfortunately, that is not acceptable in this context in particular, because millions of lives are at stake in an emergency.

Therefore, those responsible should quickly draw the necessary conclusions from the failure. Partial information is not enough.

In order for the German disaster warning system to improve, as many people as possible should take part in the official survey take part. Only if all Germans help together will the government be able to identify possible adjustments.

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