A large-scale and prolonged power failure is "extremely unlikely" in Wiesbaden.

Stadtwerke Wiesbaden Netz GmbH (sw netz) and Mainzer Netze GmbH agree with the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK) in this assessment.

Power outages are currently a rarity in Germany.

According to the city, Germans only had to do without electricity for an average of 10.73 minutes in 2021.

That is "a peak value that many other countries envy us for".

In Hesse, the average power outage time in 2021 was just over eight minutes, and in the Wiesbaden municipal utility area it was only 2.49 minutes - a value well below the national average.

Oliver Bock

Correspondent for the Rhein-Main-Zeitung for the Rheingau-Taunus district and for Wiesbaden.

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Nevertheless, the city has now given "answers to frequently asked questions" with regard to recommended preparations for emergency situations such as extreme weather conditions, major fires or a large-scale power failure.

Should this happen, rescue and emergency services would not be able to help all companies, institutions and citizens in Wiesbaden at the same time, it is said.

It is therefore important to take your own precautions.

The city is counting on stocking up on food and drink.

Such a supply is also helpful in storms, floods or heavy snowfall and ice, as well as in acute illnesses.

Citizens should also ensure that the batteries in their medical devices are always sufficiently charged and that spare batteries are available if necessary.

"Alternative solutions that work without electricity, for example a compressed oxygen gas cylinder for ventilation," are also useful.

Integrate stock purchases into regular food consumption

The difference between hamsters and creating an emergency stock is also explained: "If goods are actually scarce, it is not a matter of solidarity to hoard products beyond personal needs," is the warning.

The emergency supply, on the other hand, is created with the bare essentials in safe times and ideally lasts for about ten days.

The advice is to “integrate the supplies into daily food consumption”: In this way, they are consumed and replenished over and over again without the food spoiling.

In an emergency, the residents should pay attention to the sound of the 111 sirens in the city area.

The remaining motorized sirens, which did not work in the event of a power failure, would gradually be replaced by electronic sirens with rechargeable batteries.

In addition, the number of sirens is gradually increased in order to also reach areas outside the current "sonication radius".

Wiesbaden has reacted to the new situation by setting up a new civil protection department within the fire brigade.

She is responsible for crisis management as well as disaster control and civil protection on behalf of the Lord Mayor.

Planning has begun for the designation of so-called disaster lighthouses: These are buildings and rooms that people should go to in an emergency situation to get help and information there.

In an emergency, the lower civil protection authority of the state capital will inform you where they are.

Public shelters such as bunkers have not existed in Wiesbaden for many years - as in almost all German cities - not least because the federal government and the 16 states decided in 2007 not to keep them.

Locations of emergency wells remain secret

According to the city, there are 33 emergency wells in Wiesbaden to supply people with drinking water.

These wells are critical infrastructure and their locations are not disclosed beforehand.

This is reserved for the lower civil protection authority.

In the event of a nuclear incident, the city advises against taking iodine tablets purely as a precaution.

Should such an emergency arise, iodine tablets would be distributed to people up to the age of 45 to prevent accumulation of radioactive iodine in the thyroid gland.

The right time and the right dosage are decisive for the effectiveness.

Older people are advised against it because the risks of side effects outweigh the benefits.

The civil protection authority will provide information about when and which people should take iodine tablets in an emergency.

More information is available on the municipal website www.wiesbaden.de under the keyword “Emergency Preparedness”.