Berliners are still reeling from the surprise power outage that has left nearly 50,000 households and over 850 businesses in the dark for nearly two weeks. But as the city struggles to come to terms with the scale of the disruption, many are demanding answers - who was responsible, how could such a major attack on critical infrastructure have been allowed to happen, and what measures can be taken to prevent similar attacks in the future.
For Silke Peters, a 55-year-old retired nurse, having her power back on has been a small comfort amidst the chaos. Just days ago, she had bought a crank radio and camping stove, items she thought were "a little crazy" at the time, but which have now proven invaluable as she waits for her electricity to be restored.
"I just wanted to have something that would work in case of an emergency," Peters said wryly. "And that's exactly what it has done." For many Berliners, however, the attack on the power grid has highlighted deeper issues with security and preparedness.
"It's not just about having a radio or some candles," said Manuel Atug, founder of AG Kritis, an independent group of experts on critical infrastructure. "It's about investing in our networks, protecting them from sabotage and taking steps to prevent such attacks."
Atug's organisation has been warning of the risks for years, highlighting shortfalls in the system and a lack of planning to ensure that networks could not fail due to one event.
"It's no longer an abstract warning we face," Atug said. "It's a bitter reality."
For many politicians, the attack has also raised questions about accountability and response. Berlin's energy and economy senator, Franziska Giffey, admitted that policymakers had been too focused on short-term measures and not enough on long-term security.
"We have to learn from this," she said. "We can't just rely on one-off responses. We need a more consistent approach."
The far-right Alternative für Deutschland party has also seized on the situation, accusing the government of failing to protect citizens and turn out to distribute blankets to those in need.
Meanwhile, across Berlin there has been an outpouring of goodwill towards those who lost power. Hotels, private individuals, libraries, swimming pools, cinemas, and museums have all opened their doors to provide support.
But for many, including Peters, the experience has also highlighted the importance of being prepared - and having a plan in place for emergencies.
"It turns out my husband had been doing his own prepping," she said wryly. "And why wouldn't you? The difference now is that most people admit it without fear of ridicule."
As the city begins to rebuild, one thing is clear: this is not just about restoring power - it's about taking action to prevent such attacks in the future and ensuring that Germany's critical infrastructure is protected from those who would seek to disrupt it.
For Silke Peters, a 55-year-old retired nurse, having her power back on has been a small comfort amidst the chaos. Just days ago, she had bought a crank radio and camping stove, items she thought were "a little crazy" at the time, but which have now proven invaluable as she waits for her electricity to be restored.
"I just wanted to have something that would work in case of an emergency," Peters said wryly. "And that's exactly what it has done." For many Berliners, however, the attack on the power grid has highlighted deeper issues with security and preparedness.
"It's not just about having a radio or some candles," said Manuel Atug, founder of AG Kritis, an independent group of experts on critical infrastructure. "It's about investing in our networks, protecting them from sabotage and taking steps to prevent such attacks."
Atug's organisation has been warning of the risks for years, highlighting shortfalls in the system and a lack of planning to ensure that networks could not fail due to one event.
"It's no longer an abstract warning we face," Atug said. "It's a bitter reality."
For many politicians, the attack has also raised questions about accountability and response. Berlin's energy and economy senator, Franziska Giffey, admitted that policymakers had been too focused on short-term measures and not enough on long-term security.
"We have to learn from this," she said. "We can't just rely on one-off responses. We need a more consistent approach."
The far-right Alternative für Deutschland party has also seized on the situation, accusing the government of failing to protect citizens and turn out to distribute blankets to those in need.
Meanwhile, across Berlin there has been an outpouring of goodwill towards those who lost power. Hotels, private individuals, libraries, swimming pools, cinemas, and museums have all opened their doors to provide support.
But for many, including Peters, the experience has also highlighted the importance of being prepared - and having a plan in place for emergencies.
"It turns out my husband had been doing his own prepping," she said wryly. "And why wouldn't you? The difference now is that most people admit it without fear of ridicule."
As the city begins to rebuild, one thing is clear: this is not just about restoring power - it's about taking action to prevent such attacks in the future and ensuring that Germany's critical infrastructure is protected from those who would seek to disrupt it.
i feel like berlin is being taken advantage of rn. all these ppl are outta power for 2 weeks straight! can't even access their meds or do basic tasks. what kinda city doesn't have a backup plan? 
ag kritis has been saying this stuff for years tho. glad someone's finally listening 
. gotta be more than just candlelit candlestick gatherings to get through emergencies. 
But what's really needed now is a consistent approach from policymakers, rather than just one-off responses. We need to learn from this and make sure we're not caught off guard again. 
I mean, can you blame people for getting frustrated? 2 weeks without power is a long time, especially when you've got family and work commitments 
. The thing is, they're saying that this attack was a one-off, but I'm not so sure 
. We need to take action and make sure our systems are safer, you know? Like, investing in security measures and stuff. It's not just about having a radio and candles (although those things have been lifesavers for some people 
). We need to think ahead and prevent this kind of thing from happening again. And yeah, the government needs to take responsibility too - can't just blame it on one party or another 
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. Silke is such a smart lady buying those emergency items, it's like she's a superhero! 
And I love how everyone is coming together to support each other, that's amazing! 
Hotels, libraries, swimming pools... they're all opening their doors to help out, that's just incredible! 
We need more of this community spirit and less finger pointing at the government 
Was it just a technical glitch or was there something more sinister at play? We need to know what happened so we can prevent this from happening again.
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And what's with all the finger pointing at politicians? They're trying to do their job here! 
We should be supporting our leaders and working together to make sure this doesn't happen again. 
But seriously, the attack has highlighted how our infrastructure needs to be upgraded. It's not just about having a radio or candles, it's about investing in our networks & taking steps to prevent sabotage. 
We need a more consistent approach to security, not just one-off responses. And can we talk about how awesome it is that strangers are opening their doors to help each other out? 
Berlin's got heart! 
it's not just about responding to the crisis, it's about preventing something like this from happening in the first place. we need some serious changes in our infrastructure & security measures 
and yeah, let's give a shoutout to all the good people in Berlin who opened their doors to those in need 
Shouldn't that have been enough to get them to upgrade security protocols already? 
. It just doesn't make sense that this could happen in a city like Berlin, which is supposed to be pretty secure 
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. But at the same time, it's also highlighting the need for better preparedness and planning. I mean, why not have a plan in place just in case? 
My grandma used to say "better safe than sorry" - I think that's especially true when it comes to our infrastructure 
️ Only time will tell, but for now, I just hope everyone gets their power back on soon 
. Cost estimate for backup systems = €1.3 billion 
. The city has seen a 300% increase in sales of camping stoves & flashlights since the outage 
. 60% of Germans say they would invest in home backup systems if prices came down 
. I feel bad for the people who are struggling, but at the same time, it's not like they didn't see this coming. I've been saying for ages that we need to invest in our infrastructure and be more prepared for emergencies. It's not rocket science, folks! 
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. You're actually the heroes who are prepared for the unexpected. Maybe everyone else should take note? 
. We need to take a page from the "prepper" playbook and start prioritizing long-term security measures instead of just scrambling to respond to these kinds of attacks when they happen 
. My aunt did this with her camping stove and crank radio too, and now she's glad she did! It just goes to show that when we're not prepared, we're more vulnerable to situations like this.
. It's not just about having a radio or some candles, it's about investing in our networks and taking steps to prevent such attacks 
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. We can do this, Germany! We just need to work together and support each other