A fake power outage broadcast was supposed to make it clear: this could happen tomorrow

The viewers who watched NPO 1 just after 9:30pm yesterday may have been a little surprised. They covered a live news broadcast by Tijs van den Brink about a major power outage in the areas of Utrecht, South Holland and Zeeland, with reporters, a panel of experts, Prime Minister Schoof and the National Coordinator for Counter-Terrorism and Security ( NCTV). .

But it was all fake. That was for spectators Black out who fell for it only became clear when the text appeared at the bottom of the screen: “Beware! These events are not real, but they give a realistic picture of the consequences of breaking great power.”

“Everything was as realistic as possible,” says director Hans de Kleine NOS With an eye on tomorrow. “I wanted that broadcast to be live to tell the people who would be sitting at the table how quickly this is happening. So everyone had to participate in that role. ” This was to create a sense in the viewer that this could come true.

In the research, the makers discovered that the question is not if a major power outage will happen, but when. “In theory it could happen tomorrow,” said De Kleine. “How prepared are you? We wanted to express that in a special way. That’s why we chose that form.”

De Kleine said that despite cooperation with the cabinet, he and his colleagues have been completely free. “But we wanted the story to follow the scenarios used by, for example, the NCTV.” The scenarios used by the government include that people start looting, masts phone fails and the effect will be seen in hospitals.

The makers had to prove that the government itself also had areas of improvement. The city of Utrecht, for example, contributed to the broadcast. It turned out that the emergency management department was on the 21st floor of the city office. That’s a problem if the elevator stops working as well. “That was a good look for the emergency managers there.”

During the preparations, De Kleine noted that Dutch residents are less prepared for emergency situations than people abroad. “We Dutch are very spoiled that everything always works. And if that is not the case, we assume that it will be solved within two hours. The world is changing now.”

The most important lesson for De Kleine was that he himself is not well prepared for a long power outage or other emergency situation. You have to prepare for the first 72 hours, he agreed. “Food, drinks, candles, money and so on. And make sure you have a plan that you’ve discussed with your family too.”