Norway Reinforces Air Raid Shelters Amid Security Concerns
L'essentiel
- Norway is upgrading its Cold War-era air raid shelters, with current capacity for less than 50% of its 5.6 million population.
- The Civil Defence aims to reinstate mandatory shelters in new large buildings, a rule lifted in 1998.
Résumé généré par IA
Pourquoi c'est important
Norway is assessing and upgrading its network of air raid shelters, many of which were built during the Cold War. The country is considering reinstating a requirement for new large buildings to include such facilities.
Dug beneath a peaceful park, the St. Hanshaugen air raid shelter, one of Oslo’s largest, can take in 1,100 people behind its heavy metal doors if ever the worst comes to pass.
The air is chilly, the lights dim, and the toilets basic: it is far from cosy, but it is designed to protect against the threat of bombings and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear materials.
“Today we have about 18,600 shelters, [enough to protect] a little less than 50 per cent of the population” of 5.6 million people, the head of Norway’s Civil Defence Oistein Knudsen said.
“Quite a few of them need to be upgraded. They were built during the Cold War. They are humid. They’re old,” he said.
Nato member Norway wants to reinstate the obligation for new large buildings to be equipped with air raid shelters, a requirement lifted in 1998 after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
À surveiller
Perspective IA — des possibilités, pas des certitudes
Norway will reinstate the obligation for new large buildings to be equipped with air raid shelters.
Probable · En quelques mois
Questions ouvertes
- What is the specific timeline for upgrading the existing shelters?
- What is the estimated cost of the upgrade program?
- What are the specific criteria for new buildings to be equipped with shelters?
- What is the current state of readiness for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats?
