The Cold War era is reminiscent of the one we are going through and they are taking their business plans out of the cupboards…
One of them is the “forgotten”.
Germany is “dusting off” its list of shelters where citizens could take refuge in the event of a civilian emergency after several decades, the interior ministry said.
The list will include subway stations and car parks, as well as government buildings and private properties, a ministry spokesman said.
A digital directory of warehouses and emergency shelters will be compiled so people can quickly find them using a programmed phone app. Citizens will also be encouraged to create shelters in their homes by converting basements and garages, the spokesman said at a news conference.
He declined to give a timeline, saying it was a big project that would take some time, involving the Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Relief and other authorities.
The country of 84 million people has 579 shelters, mostly from the Second World War and the Cold War era, which can shelter 480,000 people, up from about 2,000 previously.
The spokesman said the main points of the plan were agreed at a conference of senior officials in June and a task force is reviewing it.
In October, German intelligence chiefs warned that Russia would likely be able to launch an attack on the military alliance by 2030.
German officials say the country is already experiencing a sharp increase in Russian espionage and sabotage activities.
Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the conflict in Ukraine has characteristics of a “global” war and did not rule out strikes on Western countries.
