The light is back on: Helios disaster exercise successfully completed

The lights go out, we go home, but it is dark there too: the blackout is here. The Austrian Ministry of the Interior and around 100 representatives from countries, emergency organizations, and critical infrastructure facilities engaged in a three-day simulation game called "Helios". The big question is, what came out of it:

Increasing Resilience of the Population

"We practiced something that we hope never happens," said Herbert Kickl on the final day of the exercise. The Minister of the Interior and several other members of the federal government conducted a situation analysis of the crisis exercise at the Ministry of the Interior on May 15, 2019. The exercise scenario was a blackout and a shortage of electricity with far-reaching consequences in many social sectors. It is important to think through such a scenario at the family level as well, so that there is enough drinking water, medicines, and food in every household in case of an emergency, emphasized the Minister of the Interior. His government colleagues, Minister of the Environment Elisabeth Köstinger, Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache, Minister of Health Beate Hartinger-Klein, Minister of Infrastructure Norbert Hofer, and Minister of Economy Margarete Schramböck all echoed the same sentiment and appealed to the population's awareness of self-preparedness.

"One of the goals of 'Helios' was to increase the resilience of the population," emphasized Mag. Robert Stocker, head of Department II/13 (State Crisis and Disaster Management and Coordination of Civil Security) at the Ministry of the Interior, who, in his capacity as chairman of the SKKM committee, led the staff work during the crisis exercise at the Ministry of the Interior. "It is important that we all pull together in the same direction," said Stocker.

Goldgruber: Triad between energy suppliers, authorities, and population

The conclusion of the three-day exercise was drawn by the Secretary General at the Ministry of the Interior, Mag. Peter Goldgruber, at a high-profile evening event. "In practice, it is difficult to imagine how many areas of life a power outage affects," he said. "Digitalization has brought us many conveniences, which we often only become aware of again when the power goes out," said the Secretary General. But then quick reactions and good networking are required. Specifically, to cope with a power crisis, there needs to be a triad between energy suppliers, authorities, and the population. "This triad was practiced and promoted with 'Helios'," concluded Goldgruber. The participation of representatives from over 25 different organizations and the broad media coverage showed that the topic is of great interest.

Elsberg: Awareness of systemic networking important

The crowning finale of the three-day crisis exercise was delivered on May 15, 2019, by the Austrian bestselling author Marc Elsberg with an exciting lecture on the topic of "Blackout." Through the research for his novel "Blackout," which has sold over a million copies, Elsberg became an expert on energy supply. His book depicts the effects of a continent-wide power outage. The author emphasized that it is important for a society to think about systems and their interconnections. Using the vivid example of urban water supply, whose pumping systems are also linked to electricity, he appealed to the awareness of systemic networking that affects us in all areas of life. He also discussed societal mechanisms that come into play during a crisis, such as cohesion and mutual aid. "What happens if the help we expect after a disaster does not arrive immediately?" he posed as a question, but like Goldgruber, he also highlighted the importance of volunteer work in Austria, which is uniquely professional across Europe.

To sum it up in simple terms: Being a bit of a prepper never hurts.

The Austrian Ministry of the Interior online: www.bmi.gv.at

ADDENDUM Article series on the Blackout in Austria:

Introduction on SPARTANAT: Austria practices the blackout

Part 1: It will be very difficult to maintain control

Part 2: Nothing works - the effects of a blackout

Part 3: Land without power - Possible causes of a blackout