Better to Have a Warning! - Researchers Examine 2021 Flooding Catastrophe From the Perspective of Those Affected

Lifeboat in flood disaster In July 2021, devastating floods caused by heavy rainfall occurred in Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia, and to some extent also in Saxony and Bavaria, with more than 180 fatalities. In the months that followed, a risk research team from the University of Potsdam studied how the population was informed about the events and warned of the dangers. Their conclusion: early warning systems in Germany urgently need to be improved - not only in terms of the dissemination of warnings, but also regarding clearer communication about the extent of the danger and recommendations for appropriate behavior. The results of their stakeholder survey have now been published as a highlight article in the EGU journal, Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences. "The existing severe weather and flood warning systems in Germany are not sufficient to effectively warn the population of rapid flooding," says the study's lead author, Prof. Annegret Thieken. "Future research should focus on how to use these systems to warn vulnerable communities and residents in a timely manner and better communicate the extent of flooding, threats and response options." The research team conducted an online survey involving 1,315 people affected by the floods in the summer of 2021. Surprisingly, it showed that 35 percent of respondents from North Rhine-Westphalia and 29 percent of respondents from Rhineland-Palatinate had not received any warning at all.