Originally developed in 2013, the NINA app is designed to warn users about natural disasters in Germany in real time.
NINA - which stands for Notfall-Informations- und Nachrichten-App (emergency information and news app) - is provided by the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief (BBK). It has effectively become the government's answer to the challenge of alerting residents to extreme weather events, which can escalate rapidly.
Now officials are doubling down on efforts to get more German residents on the app as part of its climate adaptation strategy.
Why the government wants to see 30 percent more NINA app users
Promoting the NINA app is part of the government's latest climate adaptation strategy, which is to be adopted by the cabinet on Wednesday.
A report on the strategy says, "Severe weather events, such as the heavy rain and flooding event in western Germany in the summer of 2021, have repeatedly shown the great importance of early and effective warning of the population."
Local and federal authorities were heavily criticised following heavy floods in western Germany in 2021 that killed almost 200 people for not alerting residents to the threat early enough.
The NINA app, as well as other apps were in place at that time, but many survivors of the flood said they hadn't received any early warnings.
Since then, the government has been vastly improving its public warning system that involves a 'cell broadcast', which is independent to the warning apps. The system is tested ever year on 'Warntag' or Warning Day.
But politicians are keen for residents to sign up and get familiar with the warning apps to receive more information on local incidents.
The climate adaptation report says there are "still gaps in the technical transmission of warning messages".
To reduce these gaps, the government has given itself the goal of increasing the number of users of the warning app by 30 percent by 2030. That would be an increase from about 12 million current users to 16 million by the end of the decade.
According to information shared by the BKK, if you download the app you should opt in to receiving warnings about a specific locations (for example at your place of residence and work). Or you can allow the NINA app to warn you based on your current location.
What other climate adaptation measures are planned?
Germany experienced a number of extreme weather events in 2024, from several severe floods to an increase in heatwaves, and these can only be expected to intensify as temperatures climb due to anthropomorphic climate change.
The Federal Environment Ministry's Climate Adaptation Act, which was enacted on July 1st of this year, marks the latest national effort to prepare Germany to better handle these natural disasters.
In short the law obliges the federal, state and local governments to deal with the consequences of climate change, and to identify adaptation measures. Also, to gain a better understanding of the costs involved, statistics on federal expenditure will be collected every two years from 2026.
Municipalities are also tasked with working to develop climate adaptations, such as creating more cooling green spaces in cities and developing heat, flooding or other disaster plans.
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According to current estimates, only about 10 to 15 of Germany's municipalities and about 26 percent of its districts have such concepts so far.
With reporting by DPA.
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