Largest Civil Protection Exercise in Carinthia's History Set for November

The exercise assumption was not chosen at random, especially since the 50th anniversary of the earthquake disaster in neighboring Friuli had just taken place, Fellner noted. "Das Szenario ist also nicht unrealistisch." The exact epicenter of the fictitious quake will remain secret until Day X, that is, 13 November.

Participating Organizations and Authorities

According to the state, participating in the exercise—in addition to the Austrian Armed Forces and the Carinthia State Police Directorate—are the Federal Ministry of the Interior's Air Operations Unit, several state and district authorities, and all ten district administrative authorities. The so-called Leuchttürme ("lighthouses") in the municipalities, which serve as contact and information points for the population in an emergency, will also be exercised.

Carinthia's fire departments and numerous aid organizations are also involved: the Carinthian State Fire Brigade Association, the Carinthian Red Cross, Carinthian Mountain Rescue, Carinthian Water Rescue, the Carinthian Rescue Dog Brigade, the Carinthian Samaritan Association including its dog squad, mine rescue, cave rescue, and the Carinthian Civil Protection Association. Also participating are KABEG as the Carinthian state hospital operating company, GeoSphere Austria as the national meteorological and geophysical service, ÖBB Infrastruktur AG and several energy companies—Verbund Hydro Power GmbH, Kärnten Netz GmbH, and Austrian Power Grid AG.

The scenario will extend across the entire federal state and will continue in shifts overnight, it was said. Private firms participating in research projects who wish to test their technologies and concepts in practice are also involved.

Procedure and Exercise Objective

The goal of the exercise is to strengthen civil protection and further professionalize the cooperation of the individual organizations, Fellner said. The population will be informed in advance about planned road closures and aircraft noise in order to keep the burden on local residents as low as possible.

Around 2,500 personnel are rehearsing the scenario, as can be seen from the announcements. With this, the "Verbund Erfolg 2026" exercise significantly surpasses earlier major exercises in the state and is considered the largest civil protection exercise in Carinthia's history to date.

Historical Reference to the Friuli Earthquake

The choice of an earthquake scenario points to the region's historical experience: the 1976 Friuli earthquake is one of the most consequential earthquakes in the Alpine region and also had effects on Carinthia at the time. An exercise like this is intended to help prepare for a comparable event and to refine the processes between authorities, blue-light organizations, the military, and critical infrastructure.