Älvsbyn experienced how vulnerable society can be when a power cut occurred in the middle of severe cold.
The power outage caused problems for the municipality, including major problems with security alarms. At the same time, Telia’s mobile tower stopped working and telephony was cut off.
– It was easy to mobilize for the moment, but if it had lasted three, four, five days. Do you have that endurance?, says Anna Lindberg, municipal manager in Älvsbyn.
Increased requirements and costs
Due to the global situation, increased demands are expected on Sweden’s municipalities in terms of preparedness, which according to the municipal manager will mean increased costs for Älvsbyn.
Social Democrats party leader Magdalena Andersson visited the municipality on Thursday. She now wants to see more resources for the municipalities to cope with future crises – hear her about it in the clip.
“The government is making historically large investments”
Carl-Oskar Bohlin (M), Minister for Civil Defence, writes in an email to SVT:
“In the budget for 2024, the government is making historically large investments in municipalities and regions through general state grants amounting to a total of SEK 16 billion”.
The minister further writes that, in addition to this, targeted investments are being made in municipalities’ work with crisis preparedness and civil defense.
“Municipalities have far-reaching autonomy and a statutory responsibility for crisis preparedness, which also makes a big claim on responsibility in the form of also prioritizing this work in the current global situation”.