There are 686 shelters in Prague, but most people can accommodate the metro, 332,000
Updates: 04.03.2022 16:51
Released: 04.03.2022, 16:51
Prague – There are 686 so-called permanent pressure-resistant shelters (STOÚ) in Prague, which are able to protect the population in the event of a nuclear or other destructive attack. Vít Hofman, a spokesman for the municipality, told ČTK. According to several years of data, almost half a million people can fit in these shelters in the metropolis, but their number has fallen by about 50 since then. Most people could hide in the subway system in the event of a threat, 332,000. Another 15,000 seats are in the Strahov tunnel. improvised shelters in apartment buildings, for example, could serve other people.
“The largest STOÚ is the metro protection system, the Strahov tunnel and about 37 other larger ones. The location of the individual shelters is on portals of the city of Prague, either in the main map or in the lists of shelters, “the spokesman said. up to 85,500 people.
Hofman added that most of the shelters are outside the threat of being used for other purposes, in addition to the aforementioned large transport structures, such as garages, warehouses, workshops and the like. Most are privately owned. Residents who would not have room left in permanent shelters could resort to improvised shelters, which are, for example, adapted parts of apartment buildings.
According to the concept of hiding the population in the territory of Prague, there were more than fifty more shelters a few years ago. According to the document, the city annually several shelters from the list of issues due to the state of emergency, which is due to high costs for repairs and reconstructions, or due to construction on the site of existing shelters. Most shelters were built in the 1960s, and since the 1980s they have been built as buildings that can serve other purposes in peacetime.
According to the concept, it is necessary to carry out regular inspections of technical equipment in shelters in order to be prepared for the need. For example, filter ventilation is inspected every five years, electrical installation or an alternative source of electricity every two years. They pay tens of millions of crowns a year for the maintenance of the city and other owners.
In case of danger, sirens could be used to warn residents, which people can hear during their test every first Wednesday of the month. During the tests, however, the siren tone is uninterrupted, while the shot would sound a fluctuating tone for 140 seconds. This signal would then be followed by spoken information specifying the type of danger.