Lessons learned

Lessons Learned: Interdisciplinary survey of the Elbe flood

In the summer of 2002, heavy rainfall lead to strong flood waves e.g. of the Müglitz, Weißeritz, Mulde in the Erz Mountains and also to large flooded areas along the Elbe river. This flood ruined existences and destroyed substantial parts of the infrastructure in Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The estimated loss amounted to about 12 billion Euros in Germany alone. Particularly unfortunate are the 36 fatalities (21 in Germany, 15 in Czech Republic).
Initiated by the German Committee for Disaster Reduction (DKKV) a „lessons learned-process“ was carried out for the Elbe-flood. The result is an evaluation of the disaster experiences accounted and borne by all concerned persons. This analysis has two objectives:
 

• Strategies and measures to reduce flood damages in the future were identified, specifically in regards to the upcoming reconstruction investments in the Elbe area.

• The flood precaution strategies in Germany have to be aligned to this up-to-date knowledge.

As a result, recommendations for a better flood risk management in Germany are developed. These recommendations for flood precaution differ from the available precaution guidelines mainly due to their authenticity won from the topicality. Thus they are in particular suitable to concretely influence the acting in the future.

 

Publications:

Kreibich H, Thieken AH, Petrow T, Müller M, Merz B (2005) Flood loss reduction of private households due to building precautionary measures - Lessons Learned from the Elbe flood in August 2002. NHESS - Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, 5: 117-126

Kreibich H, Petrow T, Thieken AH, Müller M, Merz B (2005) Consequences of the extreme flood event of August 2002 in the city of Dresden (Germany). In: Savic D.A., Marino M.A., Savenije H.H.G., Bertoni J.C. (eds.): Sustainable Water Management Solutions for Large Cities, IAHS red book publ. 293: 164-173

Thieken AH, Grünewald U, Merz B, Petrow Th, Schümberg S, Kreibich H, Streitz W, Kaltofen M (2005) Flood risk reduction in Germany after the Elbe 2002 flood: aspects of hazard mapping and early warning systems. In: Proceedings of the international conference "Cartographic Cutting-Edge Technology for Natural Hazard Management". Kartographische Bausteine, Band 30, TU Dresden, Institut für Kartographie, S. 145-156.

Thieken AH, Petrow Th, Kreibich H, Merz B (2006) Insurability and mitigation of flood losses in private households in Germany. Risk Analysis, 26 (2): 383-395.

Petrow T, Thieken AH, Kreibich H, Bahlburg CH, Merz B (2006) Improvements on Flood Alleviation in Germany: Lessons Learned from the Elbe Flood in August 2002. Environmental Management Environ Manage 38:717–732

Kreibich H, Merz B, Grünewald U (2007) Lessons learned from the Elbe river floods in August 2002 - With a special focus on flood warning. In: Vasiliev OF, van Gelder PHAJM, Plate EJ, Bolgov MV (eds) Extreme Hydrological Events: New Concepts for Security. Springer, NATO Science Series, IV. Earth and Environmental Sciences, 78: 69-80

Project partner:

Theresia Petrow, Dr. Annegret Thieken,
Dr. Heidi Kreibich, Dr.-Ing. Bruno Merz,

Dr. Michael Kaltofen, Sabine Schümberg, Prof. Dr. Uwe Grünewald
Lehrstuhl für Hydrologie und Wasserwirtschaft
Brandenburgische Technische Universität Cottbus

Dr. Willi Streitz, Dr. Wolf R. Dombrowsky
Katastrophenforschungsstelle
Christian-Albrechts-Universität Kiel

Inga Drews, Birgit zum Kley-Fiquet
Deutsches Komitee für Katastrophenvorsorge e. V. Bonn

Funding:

German Red Cross

Project duration: 

February 2003 – December 2003