Extreme weather events and their
consequences for civil protection
International high-level expert meeting, 22 – 23 November 2012 in Bonn, Germany
Documentation
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IMPRINT
Extreme weather events and their consequences for civil
protection. International high-level expert conference,
22/23 November 2012, in Bonn
Concept:
Orsola Lussignoli (BBK)
Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK)
Provinzialstrasse 93, 53127 Bonn, Germany
poststelle@bbk.bund.de
www.bbk.bund.de
Editorial:
Copy: Rebecca Heinz (articles I – III)
Processing: Nadia vom Scheidt and Elżbieta Behm (BBK)
Translation: Wieners+Wieners; Anke Moon (BBK)
Layout and design: Serviceplan
Image credits: Andreas Pein
Printing: Bundesverwaltungsamt
ISBN: 978-3-939347-59-0
Last revised: September 2013
Copyright:
Unless otherwise stated, the copyright holder for all text content
and images is the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster
Assistance (BBK) .
The written articles represent the spoken content of the talks
given by the speakers at the conference.
Indications:
Academic titles are not listed in the conference documents with
the exception of a mention in the programme.
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EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS AND
THEIR CONSEQUENCES FOR CIVIL
PROTECTION
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
I.
PREFACE
Ralph Tiesler .................................................................................................................................................................... 6
II. KEYNOTE SPEECHES
1. Anthropogenic climate change and its effect on extreme weather events
Hartmut Graßl ............................................................................................................................................................ 9
2. Monitoring the climate and extreme weather events in Germany and central Europe
Klaus-Jürgen Schreiber ...........................................................................................................................................12
3. Extreme weather, vulnerabilities and disaster risk reduction
Jakob Rhyner .............................................................................................................................................................14
III. NATIONAL AND CROSS-BORDER CASE STUDIES
1. Extreme weather events and flood risk management in the Netherlands
Matthijs Kok ..............................................................................................................................................................18
2. Extreme weather events in Poland: role and tasks of the polish state fire service
Mariusz Feltynowski ...............................................................................................................................................20
3. Operational experience of THW in cross-border civil protection
Detlef Hermann .......................................................................................................................................................22
IV. ABSTRACTS OF TECHNICAL GROUP DISCUSSIONS
1. Expert Forum A: Cross-border communication .........................................................................................24
2. Expert Forum B: Inter-agency cooperation .................................................................................................26
V. PROGRAMME ........................................................................................................................................28
VI. LIST OF PARTICIPANTS .......................................................................................................30
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Klaus-Jürgen Schreiber
Ralph Tiesler
Ralph Tiesler
PREFACE
Dear Reader,
In the past decades, climate change has become increasingly prominent in international politics and public discourse. The term is commonly used as a synonym for the
phenomenon of a long-term increase in temperatures on
a global scale due to human activities and changes in other
climate-related factors. Extreme weather events, however,
occur within a short time scale and are often quite localised, but they can still have significant consequences.
As we have been forced to witness in recent years, events
such as floods, heat waves and winter storms have also
caused great damage and cost many lives in Europe.
Although climate change and extreme weather events are
not the same thing, they are related. Scientific evidence
suggests that global climate change is encouraging the
development of more extreme weather events, and that
we can therefore expect an increase of severe weather.
Particularly those involved in civil protection and disaster
relief must adjust to the new challenges that arise from
these developments and ask themselves to what extent it
is necessary to adapt existing strategies and the flow
of information..Extreme weather affecting large areas
may easily have cross-border significance. The impact
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might not be limited to Germany but extend to neighbouring countries in central and eastern Europe. In all
countries, local rescue and assistance teams would face
similar challenges and a comparable level of damage.
To create a common platform for different countries to
discuss these issues, the Federal Office of Civil Protection
and Disaster Assistance (BKK) organised an international
expert conference on 22–23 November 2012 to address
the topic of extreme weather events and their impact on
civil protection. The aim of the conference was to provide
a meteorological background of the potential danger of
extreme weather events with respect to their probability
of occurrence, intensity and impact. The intention was
also to discuss strategies of risk communication and risk
management in various forums.
During the introductory panel discussion, Klaus Georg
Meyer-Teschendorf, Head of the Civil Protection and
Crisis Management Division in the Federal Ministry of
the Interior, described the historical development of
civil protection in Germany and how it is linked to the
occurrence of extreme weather events. The dramatic
summer floods of 2002 led to a radical change in awareness and the way we think about these issues. For the first
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time, regional and national crisis management experts
called for stronger engagement on the part of the federal
government in coordination and information management in civil protection. To meet this new requirement,
the BBK was re-established in 2004. New civil-protection
and disaster-assistance legislation was passed in 2009 and
established potential coordination functions of the federal
government for the first time.
The profile and mission of the BBK essentially centres
around supporting other responsible institutions and
organisations with advice and professional expertise. Our
understanding of civil protection is that it is a holistic task –
no matter what the causes of the disaster might be – and
sets out to maintain essential public services, including
critical infrastructure, in times of crisis. We also work on
extreme weather events, and our team focuses in particular on the following three areas:
Our Joint Information and Situation Centre (GMLZ)
provides operational support, such as the collection of
specific information, general monitoring and information
management for resource planning, at both the national
and international levels.
The BBK is also working on extreme weather events in
the context of climate change. We work with the German
Weather Service, the Federal Environment Agency, the
Federal Agency for Technical Relief, and the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial
Development as part of the strategic alliance of authorities
to adapt to climate change and take part in joint research
projects, for example. In this context, I would also like to
mention the 2012 publication Climate Change – Challenges for Civil Protection, which was produced in cooperation with relief agencies, fire departments and the Federal
Agency for Technical Relief. It focuses on the development
of adaptation strategies.
Our biennial cross-federal-state exercise in strategic national crisis management (called LÜKEX) trains important
regional and national systems and structures in the event
of a crisis and prepares them for emergency situations.
The most recent test for the German civil protection
system was, of course, the floods in southern and eastern
Germany in summer 2013. The consequences have
been – and still are – severe. Many people particularly in
the east of Germany have been hit hard by flooding for the
second time in a little more than a decade. In comparison
to the 2002 floods, we were also able to witness a bettercoordinated and more robust response. The GMLZ and
BBK were able to serve as a well-established, professional
and effective information management and communication hub, assisting the affected federal states, regions and
municipalities.
Introduction panel: Helmut Joisten, Ralph Tiesler, Nadia vom Scheidt (moderator), Klaus-Georg Meyer-Teschendorf
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Just what extreme weather events could mean in concrete
terms for the population and civil protection efforts was
outlined at the beginning of the conference by Mayor
Helmut Joisten. On 3 July 2010, 135 litres of rain per square
metre fell in the community of Wachtberg in a very short
time. The water destroyed the district within a few hours
and washed away entire areas of land. Representative
of many similar events, this incident and all its various
consequences were examined in detail by the BauProtect
project group of the BBK. It provided useful insights into
how relief agencies and fire departments work together,
and how our work could benefit from this experience with
respect to future extreme events. For all that, prevention
concepts and measures need to be multidimensional in
nature and take into account other areas of interest, such
as those of political or economic origin. Jakob Rhyner,
Vice-Rector for Europe of the United Nations University,
noted on this point: ‘Crisis managers need to coordinate
their efforts with other managers. Natural hazards should
not be seen in absolute terms, but considered in their
overall context.’
Given these challenges for the future, the decision to
hold an expert conference represented an important step
towards enhanced cooperation between Germany and its
neighbouring countries, particularly regarding extreme
weather events and their consequences for people and the
environment in the context of new adaptation strategies
in response to climate change.
This booklet contains information about the discussion
topics and presentations that took place, and the content
has been faithfully reproduced.
I would like to express my thanks to all the speakers and
participants from Germany’s neighbouring countries
whose contributions were a crucial factor in the success of
the conference. In particular, I would like to thank the city
of Bonn for their support and excellent work. The positive
feedback, also about the breadth and depth of topics covered, is an endorsement and motivation to further support
and harness professional cross-border exchange.
Ralph Tiesler
Vice-President of the Federal Office of Civil Protection and
Disaster Assistance
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Hartmut Graßl
ANTHROPOGENIC CLIMATE
CHANGE AND ITS EFFECT ON
EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS
The theory that an increase in extreme weather events could be expected at the same time as climate
change was made public when the German Physical Society released a memorandum in March 1987.
In simple terms, the physics of this theory can be justified by the Clausius–Clapeyron equation: when
average temperatures are warmer, the amount of water vapour per unit volume in the atmosphere
rises exponentially, and the subsequent precipitation events are simply heavier.
In order to prepare those involved in civil protection for
future challenges, it is worth taking a look at the current
state of scientific knowledge in the field of climate research. In this context, Dr Graßl highlighted the impact of
climate change on the frequency and intensity of extreme
weather events by referring to a number of national and
international scientific publications.
The constant interaction between individual components
of the Earth’s system, all of which react on a different
time scale, and the immediate environment are important
determining factors of local and regional weather. Among
many other factors, it is important to consider the various
planets, the sun, the Earth’s orbit, the mass and energy exchange on the surface, the emission of radiation into space
and biological activities that have a clear impact on the
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weather. A particular characteristic of weather is its high
variability, including rare extreme deviations from the
mean. Throughout history, all kinds of species living on or
near the surface, including Homo sapiens, have survived
extreme weather events, which means they have adapted
to the high variability of the weather.
However, if the intensity and frequency of extreme
weather events increases, so does the vulnerability of
plant and animal species, and they become less resilient
to changes in the environment.
This is one of the reasons for the famous sentence from
the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change:
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FIGURE A
Figure A shows a simple shift of the
frequency towards warmer temperatures.
This would result in more hot weather
and less cold weather.
FIGURE B
On the other hand, describes the extent
of temperature distribution, suggesting that
there may be more extremely cold weather
and extremely hot weather. This scenario
is considered to be very likely in the case of
rapid climate change.
FIGURE C
The mean temperature is lower, but this
would lead to an increased occurrence of
extreme temperatures at the hot end of
the spectrum.
Graphik IPCC: *Quelle: IPCC 2012: Special Report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation.
A Report of Working Groups I and II of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Figure SPM.3. Cambridge University Press.
‘20 to 30% of studied plant and animal species may be at
an increased risk of extinction if warming exceeds 2 to
3°C above the preindustrial level.’ (IPCC 2012, p. 244*) .
The adaptation of our complex infrastructure systems to
possible extreme weather events represents a major challenge. The inherent risks of inadequate provisions for civil
protection could be seen in October 2012 with the arrival
of Hurricane Sandy in New York. In Europe, conversely,
successful prevention measures implemented by the European Union in the winter of 2007 were able to prevent
a comparable level of damage in the wake of windstorm
Kyrill. This example shows that investments in prevention
strategies pay off in the long run.
‘A changing climate leads to changes in the frequency,
intensity, spatial extent, duration, and timing of extreme
weather and climate events, and can result in unprecedented extreme weather and climate events.’ (IPCC
2012, p. 7*).
Unfortunately, no definite and detailed statements can
be made regarding the history, frequency and probability
of extreme weather events because adequate data covers
just the last decades. Nevertheless, an analysis of historical
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weather data can allow approximate models to be created
for future scenarios.
All of these scenarios have an increase in record temperatures in common. The central message of the IPCC
report is that increasing temperatures bring about an
exponential rise in the saturation point of water vapour
per cubic metre of air. Whereas 10 g of water vapour can
be absorbed at 10°C and 20 g at 20°C, the maximum level
of absorption grows to 40 g of water vapour at 30°C. Since
water vapour stores latent heat, this can be transported
over long distances in water vapour masses, which eventually turn into clouds that release the heat when it rains.
As a result, rising temperatures lead to the transport of
exponentially larger water masses and therefore heat. This
in turn leads to more intensive weather events. The consequences of this might include heavier tropical cyclones,
more intensive squall lines of thunderstorms, the occurrence of flash floods in the warm season, low variation
of daytime temperatures in the inner tropics, increased
mixing fog and – on drifts on mountains – an increase in
precipitation of about 10% if temperatures rise by 1°C.
According to observations that began in 1950, such
changes have already been identified for some extremes.
Confidence in such extreme changes in records depends
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on the quality and volume of data as well as the analysis,
all of which vary from region to region and for different parameters. ‘Low confidence’ in observed changes of
a specific extreme on a regional or global level does not
mean that this extreme has occurred, but neither does it
mean that no such extreme exists.
Extremes are rare occurrences, so there is scant data to
allow an estimation of their frequency or change in intensity. Moreover, the less often an event occurs, the more
difficult it is to identify a trend. It follows that such data
may be more reliable on a global scale (e.g. temperature)
than on a regional scale, or vice versa (e.g. droughts).
If the models are to be trusted – and they have now
become quite credible because of their ability to trace
historical climate changes very well – then a moderate
increase in global temperatures will not lead to more
hurricanes, for example, but is more likely to bring about
a decrease. According to these models, the number of hurricanes could fall from 90 to perhaps 85 or 80 a year, but
the average intensity of the single event will become more
profound.
not be supported by data. In reality, however, all that has
happened is a slight shift northward of the storm tracks.
The physics of this phenomenon are easy to explain. If
temperature changes in the far north are more marked
than at lower latitudes, there is less opportunity for areas
of low pressure to form. In a warmer world, however,
more energy would be released by the transport of larger
water masses in a weaker cyclone. The cyclone becomes
more intensive, so that the two phenomena partly or even
fully compensate for each other. This means that regions
in Scotland and southern Norway will be affected by
more intensive storms than, for example, Germany.. These
examples show that creating models to describe extreme
weather events is a complex and difficult task due to the
limited amount of available data. However, it is possible to
offer initial predictions of what might happen, and these
should prove useful guidelines to support civil protection. Despite all the uncertainty, one thing is certain: it
is necessary to adjust, and prevention work is a more
cost-effective alternative to actual disaster relief. Ignoring
new and additional weather extremes caused by climate
change could set back many countries with an inadequate
infrastructure after each ‘once-in-a-century’ event.
German newspapers have also discussed the increase
of storm activity within Germany, although this could
Hartmut Graßl
Hartmut Graßl studied physics and meteorology at
the University of Munich, where he also completed his
doctoral thesis. In 1976, he qualified as a professor on
the subject of ‘radiative transfer in cloudy atmospheres
and in clouds’ in Hamburg. After a short period at the
University of Kiel, he became Director of the Institute
of Physics at the GKSS Research Centre in Geesthacht
near Hamburg in 1984. In 1988, he assumed a professorship at the University of Hamburg and also became
Director at the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology
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(MPI-M). From 1992 to 1994 and from 2001 to 2004,
he was Chairman of the German Advisory Council on
Global Change (WBGU) set up by the German government. From 1994 to 1999, he was Director of the
World Climate Research Programme of the World Meteorological Organization in Geneva. Today, Hartmut
Graßl is working with various NGOs and charitable
foundations, and he is co-editor of the online magazine Klimaretter Info.
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Klaus-Jürgen Schreiber
MONITORING THE CLIMATE AND
EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS IN
GERMANY AND CENTRAL EUROPE
The German Meteorological Service has been responsible for recording and evaluating physical and
chemical processes in the atmosphere since 1953 and, as a reference for meteorology, is the point of
contact in Germany for all matters relating to the weather and climate. In his lecture, Klaus-Jürgen
Schreiber, Head of the Climate Monitoring Department,, talked about the current status of research
on the subject of climate modelling and evaluation.
Extreme weather events and their changes directly influence our society in terms of aspects such as water supply,
agriculture and infrastructure. The impact is heavily dependent on the susceptibility and vulnerability of society,
its structures and the way in which it is organised (e.g.
population dynamics, economic status and development,
and adaptation strategies).
Model calculations show that we can expect incidences
of extreme weather to increase throughout the world. According to these calculations, the number of hot days and
days with temperatures above 30°C in particular will rise
significantly. In the climate science community, there is
agreement that the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere
affects the temperature and other climate parameters to
a considerable extent. Based on this assumption, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) worked
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out various emission scenarios describing the CO2-equivalent emissions for a range of potential variants of future
social and economic development. Although all scenarios
forecast a reduction in CO2 emissions by 2060, this
shouldn’t be equated with an immediate drop in the CO2
concentration in the atmosphere; it is to be assumed that
there will be an atmospheric CO2 legacy lasting 50 years
or more. Within a wide range of scenarios, the climate
models all detail a clear rise in the global temperature over
the next decades.
Percentile figures are used to describe the model results
in terms of extreme values. To this end, Änderungssignale
from different cycles of a set of models are sorted by
size and frequency. One percentile splits the volume of
data into shares; with the 50th percentile, for example,
the Änderungssignale are divided into two equal halves,
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which means that 50% of the values are smaller than the
50th percentile and 50% of the model runs feature bigger
Änderungssignale f Percentiles can therefore be used to
define extreme value thresholds (by exceeding the 85th
percentile).. According to evaluations of the A1B scenario,
which is graded as a moderate but also likely scenario and
therefore used by many model simulations, the following
changes in the parameters temperature, precipitation and
wind are seen as likely.
Over the last 130 years, the average temperature in Germany has risen by about 1.2°C and is therefore significantly above the average global increase in temperature
which is 0.8°C to date. A total of 85% of regional models
analysed in ensemble collection of 19 climate projection
cycles state that central Europe will see regional increases
of up to 3.5°C in places by 2050, and up to 4.5°C by the
end of the century. We can also expect to see an increase
in the number of hot days, particularly in areas such as
the Upper Rhine Rift. As such, the number of days with
temperatures above 30°C could rise to up to 35 a year
in some regions. Within the mean annual precipitation
figures, however, no significant changes could be observed
so far. In future, it is expected that even if precipitation
figures remain unchanged that there will be a redistribution of the precipitation values across seasons and regions.
Summer droughts could become a widespread phenomenon. In the area of extreme precipitation, no clear trends
have been identified either, although it is to be assumed
that data relating to isolated events could not always be
recorded by conventional measuring networks. Climate
projections forecast that the share of extreme precipitation in total precipitation will increase in the future. In the
area of wind velocity, there are also no clear changes that
can be identified, but the complexity of these parameters
as well as the regional specificity must once again be
stressed. A few models expect an increase in regional wind
intensity of 5 to 10%, whereas other models describe no
changes. On the subject of variability, some models predict
an increase of 100% in winter storms in coastal regions.
Even taking this variability into consideration, carefully
calculated models are still predicting a possible 100%
increase in winter storms in coastal regions. A usually
isolated winter event might then occur two times a year.
Nevertheless, for Germany no clear national trend can be
identified in the area of extreme wind speeds.
In all likelihood, civil protection authorities will, therefore, have to prepare for highly varied consequences of
changing climate parameters and extreme weather events
at the local and regional level. In particular, according to
the models, a 15- to 20-fold increase in the number of
extremely hot days by 2050 is quiet realistic. Following the
summer of 2003 with more than 7,000 heat-related deaths,
a new heat warning system has been installed on the
basis of a thermo-physiological model, which simulates
the effect of heat stress on people. The model determines
threshold values for warning levels, which are then passed
on to the health authorities.
Klaus-Jürgen Schreiber
Klaus-Jürgen Schreiber studied meteorology at the
University of Hannover, where he then worked as a
research assistant from 1986 to 1991. He has worked
for the German Weather Service (DWD) since 1991
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and hasbeen heading up the department of climate
monitoring since 2008. His areas of speciality include
data collection concerning climate monitoring, climate
services and climate change.
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Jakob Rhyner
Jakob Rhyner
EXTREME WEATHER, VULNERABILITIES
AND DISASTER RISK REDUCTION
Awareness of extreme weather events has changed due to improved climate monitoring, but also
because of increasing economic damage that results from such events. The arising damage is, however,
not an inevitable consequence of intensified or cumulative extreme weather events, but rather the result of poorly adapted infrastructure. Natural hazards should nevertheless not be considered in isolation, but should be balanced against the interests of various groups of actors. Dr Rhyner demonstrated
this using the city of Zurich as a case study.
Switzerland’s risk awareness in terms of natural hazards
has been shaped in particular by severe flooding and
avalanche events. The prospective risk of climate-related
changes cannot at present be documented with statistical
evidence neither for flooding nor for avalanches.
The Clausius–Clapeyron equation, however, indicates that
existing processes will intensify or change as a result of increasing temperatures, as Dr Graßl has already outlined in
his speech. Something that is already noticeable and documented by data is climate change in the Swiss mountains
with the average snow cover in low-lying and mediumaltitude locations decreasing, combined with melting
glaciers and thawing permafrost. If heavy precipitation
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falls as rain even in high altitudes, the rain flows into the
valleys in a concentrated rather than a staggered way,
leading to flooding. This was the case especially during the
floods of August 2005. Melting processes in the permafrost
layers and glaciers have not only a geomorphological, but
also a significant hydrological impact for the Alpine region. Heavy rainfall around the snow layer could possibly
lead to new effects – so-called flash floods. With regard
to future avalanche risk, it can be stated that although an
increase in events is indeed possible, a rise in intensity for
individual events is impossible. The reasons for this are
physical, because a snow layer is always linked to a specific
load limit. ‘The increase in events’, says Mr. Rhyner, ‘is
something that we can deal with well.’By contrast, greater
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challenges lie in the field of flood defence. The 2005
flooding, which left large parts of Switzerland, Austria and
Germany under water, illustrated an event from which the
general public itself, as well as those responsible for civil
protection, were able to draw a great many conclusions
for dealing with flooding. Through weather and hydrological modelling, it was discovered that a comparable
weather situation for the Zurich river basin would have
presented significant consequences for the city. Due to the
rare and low-impact instances of flooding over the past
90 years, a comparatively low-level risk awareness for the
dangers of extreme precipitation events featured in town
planning. Over the past decades, the city expanded into
the natural floodplains of the Sihl, a mountain river.
After the serious incidents of 2005, politicians grappled
with the question of how to evaluate Zurich’s vulnerability
in the event of severe flooding. The Sihl flows between the
first and second track levels of Zurich’s main station. In
addition, a third track is currently under construction. The
infrastructure was not designed with the risk of flooding in mind, though it is considered to be highly suitable
from a traffic and economic perspective as it improves the
rail connection to Germany and Europe. Natural hazards
should therefore not be seen as the be-all and end-all, but
should instead be considered within the context of various
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groups of actors and fields of interest. Because Zurich station can only be bypassed locally with great difficulty due
to geographical factors, it is a real hotspot for train traffic
as a whole in the event of flooding. In addition to considerations regarding longer-term flood defence measures, a
robust evaluation relating to the vulnerability of the city
of Zurich was therefore conducted. A warning system is
seen as a vital future component in crisis management
because this is something that can be adapted well to
existing insecurities.
Whenever there are discussions regarding early warning
in crisis management, the question arises of what exactly
is meant by ‘early’ in individual cases. For the city of
Zurich, this difficulty is illustrated with a simple example:
in the event of an announcement of an extreme precipitation front, the possibility exists of allowing the Sihlsee,
previously fed by the Sihl, to drain, so that it can take on
additional water from the mountains during extreme
precipitation and release it in stages. Drainage, however,
requires three to five days and involves high costs for the
associated power plant. For economic reasons, drainage
due to continuous incorrect prognoses is not a solution. In Switzerland, the so-called ‘Gemeinsame Informationsplattform Naturgefahren’ (GIN) includes a joint
digital platform that links all relevant data and processes
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for monitoring and evaluating natural hazards without
centralising the various databases in the process. The data
comes from different institutions, such as the power
plant mentioned above. Thanks to good IT solutions as
well as the cooperation of various actors from the private
and public sectors, these data streams are collated and
provide those responsible for civil protection at various
levels of authority with a more coherent picture of the
dangerous situation, thereby reducing existing insecurities.
Ten years ago, there was an almost philosophical discussion in Switzerland regarding the existing architecture for
information flow. Of particular interest was the question
of ‘who needs to be informed when and how’. During the
course of this debate, it became apparent that the flow of
information needed to be handled differently depending
on the particular event. For avalanche events, the focus
is thus placed on local expertise and experience, because
local actors have to react quickly, and therefore autonomously, in extreme cases. Here the measures for different
regions are completely independent of one another. Consequently, relevant information must go straight to local
centres. By contrast, with regional to national flooding, the
respective information between the areas of responsibility
has to be more closely connected because various actors
along the course of a river depend on the actions of one
another.
Good data exchange should be facilitated rather than
looking to adjust the organisational structure of government agencies or even amalgamating them as these
organisations always have numerous aspects that affect
more than just natural-hazard crisis management.
Jakob Rhyner
Jakob Rhyner earned his doctorate in theoretical physics
in 1987 at the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule
(ETH) in Zurich. From 1988, he worked in industrial
research for 13 years, specialising in areas such as the
application of superconductors in electrical networks
and in high-voltage technology for power transmission.
In 2001, he joined the Institute for Snow and Avalanche
Research (SLF) in Davos, where he was Head of the
Avalanche Warning and Risk Management department
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with responsibility for the Swiss avalanche warning
system. In 2010, he assumed the office of Vice-Rector
for Europe at the United Nations University (UNU) in
Bonn and also became Director of the United Nations
University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS). A particular focus of his research is on
a common vision for disaster risk mitigation and climate
change adaptation. He is also a professor in the faculty
of agriculture at the University of Bonn.
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NATIONAL AND CROSSBORDER CASE STUDIES
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Matthijs Kok
EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS
AND FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT
IN THE NETHERLANDS
Approximately a quarter of the inland of the Netherlands lies below sea level, which means that extreme rainfall and storm surges as well as rising sea levels increasingly represent an acute threat for
the country. As a result, flood and high-water defences are a particular priority of Dutch civil protection and disaster management efforts, and the Netherlands has become the world’s leading nation
in the field of hydraulic engineering. In his lecture, Dr Kok outlined the overall risk of flooding in the
Netherlands, detailing ways to assess and evaluate existing protection measures and the general
framework of national crisis management, focusing in particular on problems and approaches concerning emergency and evacuation management.
Compared to other countries around the world, the
Netherlands upholds some of the highest safety standards
in the area of flood protection. The reason for this has its
historical roots in the flood of 1953. As a basic protective
mechanism against storm surges, dikes have been built
along the coastal regions. The map below, which forms
part of the Dutch ‘water law’, details the safety level of various dike ring areas. The applicable guidelines are based on
the probability of occurrence of events that might happen
every 1,250 to 10,000 years.wWhat is taken into account is
not the likelihood of flooding, but the probability of water
levels reaching a height at which the dikes could break.
The water law requires the efficiency and safety of flood
and high-water protection mechanisms to be evaluated
every six years. The most recent survey of coastline and
river basins indicated that over a total length of more than
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3,000 km, approximately 1,000 km did not conform to the
required standard. Together with analytical reports of the
water depths that would result from flooding, this information provides evidence of weak points in the disaster
prevention system.
Based on these findings, the Dutch civil defence organisation is pursuing a three-level protection concept. In
the area of prevention, it is necessary to weigh up the
costs and benefits of various construction measures and
evacuation concepts (including economic losses). Land use
plans are also integrated into the civil protection system
in order to prevent the establishment of new settlements
in especially low-lying areas that are at high risk. Finally,
crisis management systems must include guidelines that
govern the application and execution of emergency plans.
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Responsibilities here are separated at the local, regional
and national level.
In May 2008, the Dutch cabinet decided against providing additional funding for infrastructure and resources
for possible mass evacuation. Instead, it chose to exploit
existing potential and to give the general public a greater
level of responsibility. A campaign that is being carried out
in cooperation with state television aims to improve crisis
communication between the public and those responsible
for civil protection. The idea is not to spread fear within
communities and industry, but to foster a respectful
awareness of risks and to prompt individuals to consider
their own plan of action. The central message is as follows:
‘The government can’t guarantee 100% safety. Citizens and
organisations share a responsibility.’
The great debate surrounding this approach in the scientific community centres on questions of ‘what’ and ‘how’
when it comes to generating notions of responsibility and
the automatic implementation of individual action plans
as well as public reactions in response to a natural disaster.
The floods of 1995 showed that many people were prepared to leave their homes even before an evacuation
was ordered and chose to stay with family or friends in
the short term. They had carried out a risk assessment for
themselves as a result of previous media coverage.
Especially in coastal regions, preventive evacuations
represent an enormous logistical challenge that requires
adequate infrastructure. Risks must be weighed against
each other. A mass evacuation involving the short-term
relocation of residents from a remote location would
lead to traffic jams, which in turn create a significant risk
in the event of sudden flooding or broken bridges. An
alternative, therefore, would be the vertical evacuation
of residents to higher-lying areas. The Dutch favour this
type of combined strategy particularly in coastal regions,
whereas in river basins a purely preventive evacuation is
deemed sufficient. Nevertheless, despite various exercises,
there is a lack of practical experience in this area. It is clear
that the trade-off between additional investments and
the maximisation of existing potential in the field of civil
protection is both a political and economic balancing act
when it comes to focusing on 10,000-year events.
In many cases, enhancing protective systems and infrastructure through additional funding cannot be justified
and is not a profitable option. The involvement of the
population in creating provisions for a natural disaster
and raising public awareness of risks are therefore basic
preventive mechanisms.
Matthijs Kok
Matthijs Kok, born in 1956, has been Professor of
Flood Risk at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft)
since September 2012 and Scientific Director at HKV
Consultants since 1995. After completing his studies
in applied mathematics at the University of Twente in
1981, Matthijs earned a doctorate from the Faculty of
Mathematics at Delft University of Technology. At the
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same time, he joined the Delft Hydraulics, where he
was involved in numerous projects concerning rivers
and flood risk, some of which were international undertakings. These included projects to improve river
dams in Bangladesh and reconstruction efforts in the
US following the devastating floods caused by Hurricane Katrina.
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Mariusz Feltynowski
EXTREME WEATER EVENTS IN
POLAND: ROLE AND TASKS OF THE
POLISH STATE FIRE SERVICE
As part of his talk, Mariusz Feltynowski presented the administrative composition of Polish civil
protection and, using the case study of the European football championship, explained the impact of
various mechanisms at both a preventive and an operational level.
The Polish national rescue and firefighting system is
organised across three administrative levels, comprising
the district, provincial and central level. Unlike the German
federal civil protection system, the Polish equivalent is
centrally organised. In particular, the National Centre for
Rescue Coordination and Civil Protection (NCRCCP) administrates coordination tasks in the fields of management
and operations. Thanks to the Act on Crisis Management
adopted in 2007, the NCRCCP today assumes similar tasks
to those of the GMLZ in Germany, and is a central point for
early warning and a national contact point for international
requests for assistance. International integration in civil
protection – especially concerning weather monitoring
and mutual cross-border support during extreme weather
events – has gained in importance for Poland over the past
few years. Weather data are evaluated not just at a national,
but also at a global level so that Polish civil protection actors can be sent to assist in the event of a natural disaster,
such as an earthquake in Pakistan. After the severe floods of
2010, the Institute for Meteorology and Weather Forecast
established a general platform for crisis managers and the
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public. Here, current information about weather trends and
warnings is set out in terms of their temporal relationship
with one another and displayed together. This makes it
easier for civil protection actors to better asses and evaluate the time-based sensitivity of extreme weather events.
Poland activated the European Community Civil Protection
Mechanism for the first time in 2010. The reason for this
was heavy precipitation, corresponding to two months of
average rainfall over just one weekend. Because of weather
forecasts, which predicted a similar outlook for the following weekend, a request for high-capacity pumps was
launched within European civil protection in order to
continue to ensure the security of critical infrastructure.
The Euro 2012 football championship fell in the same
period as the floods of 2010, the Centre for Rescue Coordination and Civil Protection was also actively incorporated into match preparations. Similar effects to those
of the weather conditions of 2010 would have meant the
immediate abandonment of a match, with far-reaching
economic consequences for Poland as a result. Additional
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risk analyses for venues, accommodation, training grounds
and airports were therefore also carried out and various
scenarios were developed and trained for.
During the tournament 30,000 emergency services activations were registered, of which around 60% could be connected to extreme weather conditions. Even if, the venues
were luckily spared, regions such as Poznań and Pomorska
were hit hard and emergency response units and equipment had to be moved to affected areas, resulting in high
costs. Difficulties arose from the somewhat poor condition
of national roads. This example highlights the challenges
of relocating a central operational reserve. Close cooperation with neighbouring countries can, however, improve
civil protection’s capacity to act, especially in decentralised
border areas. Close collaboration with various national and
European meteorological institutions and improved access
to data relevant to civil protection actors are an important
factor for fast and efficient operations.
Mariusz Feltynowski
Mariusz Feltynowski is Deputy Head of the National
Centre for Rescue Coordination and Civil Protection.
He has worked extensively as a coordinator and director in various national exercises, assignments and projects involving the fire and rescue service. During the
Euro 2012 football championship, he served as Deputy
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Head of the Polish national fire service. His current
responsibilities include cross-border operational cooperation, the preparation of CP modules and training.
In addition, he lectures on EU civil protection mechanisms at the Main School of Fire Service in Warsaw.
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Detlef Hermann
OPERATIONAL EXPERIENCE
OF THW IN CROSS-BORDER
CIVIL PROTECTION
The Oder River, the natural border between Brandenburg and Poland, poses a great challenge to civil
protection organisations in Germany and Poland when water levels are very high. Improved crossborder cooperation thus represents a key factor for optimised and efficient action. In his presentation,
Mr Hermann explained the principal risks that exist along the Oder border and focused in particular
on the general framework of cross-border cooperation as well as past experiences.
The federal civil protection system in Germany assigns the
responsibility for emergency management to individual
states and municipalities with the federal level performing
only a complementary and supporting role.
In contrast, the Polish concept is based on a centralised
relief system that is charged with duties ranging from firefighting, fire prevention and disaster relief to civil defence.
The headquarters of the Polish firefighting system located
in Warsaw is a central authority of the Polish Ministry of
the Interior. It has overall command and is responsible for
organising fire protection as well as the national civil protection system. Its work is based on close cooperation with
fire brigades, rescue agencies and relief organisations.
In addition, the structure of the Polish rescue system
features 16 provincial headquarters with 335 municipal or
city control centres that support a total of around 30,000
full-time firefighters in 515 units and 500,000 volunteer
firefighters in 19,000 units.
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As early as 1992, cooperation in civil protection was taking
place between the local committee in Seelow and the
municipal fire departments under the provincial headquarters in Lubusz and West Pomerania. Shortfalls were soon
apparent in terms of missing knowledge about each other’s
systems and how to communicate with each other. In April
1997, an initial assistance and cooperation agreement
was signed, followed by agreements with MecklenburgWest Pomerania, Brandenburg and Saxony as well as with
the Republic of Poland. The aim of this collaboration was
to develop a system of rapid cross-border assistance by
regulating specific details of local cooperation (formalised
bilingual documentation of requirements) and to reach a
cooperation agreement concerning exercise and training
based on the needs at the federal-state and municipality
levels. The exchange of experts through the EU exchange
of expert program and in the field of youth work was
strengthened as well.
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The ‘Odersprung’ exercise carried out in 2005 involved
some 1,400 emergency responders and was based on the
recognition that successful aid efforts require a common,
coordinated action plan with uniform rules and standards.
The objectives of the exercise were to enhance leadership
skills in large-scale emergencies; to deepen the knowledge
of control centres, management hubs and coordination
units; and to have a more extensive transfer of this knowledge between the authorities and organisations involved.
Another milestone in cooperation was an EU-funded
project in cross-border flood management with a budget of
€1.2 million. Within the framework of this project, a joint
hazard prevention plan for the Oder region was developed.
In addition, hazards were analysed, potential prevention measures recorded as well as evaluated, a joint risk
reduction plan produced and common instructions and
recommendations drafted.
The flooding of the Oder, Vistula and Schwarze Elster in
2010 made various response actions necessary, involving
a range of European and German–Polish cross-border civil
protection mechanisms. The resources and equipment
requested by individual German and Polish municipalities
and counties (such as sandbags and high-capacity pumps)
could be sourced in the shortest possible time and delivered
either via the Monitoring and Information Centre (MIC) or
directly as a result of cooperation agreements.
In summary, and also looking ahead, it can be said that
future opportunities for development are based on a better
knowledge of partners on either side, less red tape in meeting requirements, the elimination of language barriers and
the implementation of a two-year plan for cooperation between PSP and the THW at the local level. The motto at the
heart of this cooperation is ‘from partnership to friendship’.
Detlef Hermann
Detlef Hermann studied engineering at the Naval
Academy in Stralsund, Germany, and Baku, Azerbaijan,
between 1976 and 1981 before completing further
training at the Military Staff College in Dresden between
1987 and 1990. In 1998 he joined the Federal Agency
for Technical Relief (THW) as a desk officer, and since
then has been involved in several international projects.
From 1998 to 2002, he took part in the EU project
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‘Promotion of local civil protection structures in Kyrgystan/Uzbekistan’, and from 2004 to 2005, he undertook the management of the international exercise
‘Odersprung 2005’. From 2007 to 2010, he worked on
the EU project ‘Flood Management Cross Border’,
and in 2008 was appointed resident twinning adviser
for an EU twinning project in Romania. Currently he is
Head of THW Branch Office Frankfurt (Oder).
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EXPERT FORUM A:
CROSS-BORDER COMMUNICATION
Development trends in situation centres for civil protection with particular consideration
of the requirements before and during extreme weather events
The focus of this forum was on the instruments of national and cross-border communication, acquisition and
automated data evaluation, as well as situation reporting
and visualisation. The forum was moderated by Christoph
Schmidt-Taube, Head of the German Joint Information
and Situation Centre (GMLZ).
To start with, two speakers reported on data acquisition
and evaluation, in addition to situation reporting and
visualisation, from the point of view of civil protection
situation centres. Holger Poser, Head of the Civil Protection Division, Authority for Internal Affairs and Sports,
Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, described how the
flow of information with other German federal states
would work in the event of a storm surge. The data that is
being used stems from internal sources, such as the storm
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surge warning service and traffic monitoring, and external
sources, such as situation reports from the German Joint
Reporting and Situation Centre as well as from the federal
states. The media are also an important source of information. Mr Poser went into detail about the processing of information to create a comprehensive situation report and
its distribution, and also described the problems that are
brought about by complex crisis management structures
and gaps in the system. Looking ahead, Mr Poser concluded that the German emergency preparedness information
system (deNIS) and comparable off-the-shelf products and
the integration of new media (Twitter, Facebook – direct
communication with the general public via an Internet
platform) will be very important for acquiring information.
Roland Bialek, Head of the Situation Section of the Swiss
National Emergency Operations Centre (NAZ), described
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the conclusions NAZ has drawn from the experience of
the 2005 floods. For example, a federal board for nuclear, biological, chemical and natural events of national
significance was conceptualised and established, with the
NAZ at its centre. NAZ also made available an Internetbased information platform known as ‘electronic situation
reporting’ (ELD), which includes a kind of management
cockpit. Via a traffic light system, it shows whether particular situational elements are in a critical state.
What is interesting in this case is that the situational elements are divided thematically (chemistry, biology, infrastructure, etc.) rather than geographically. In addition, the
situation as it relates to civil protection is portrayed, featuring the most important information on risks, measures
to be taken and an evaluation of the situation. Not only
the Swiss cantons but also other departments and even
neighbouring countries are connected to the system. The
aim is to make the right information available at the right
time and the right place, factors that can vary significantly
depending on the needs of the different users.
situation diagnosis were central elements of her remarks.
In particular, how heterogeneous mass data can be linked
and presented to enable the person in charge to easily
evaluate them. Ms Zisgen also touched upon the unresolved issue of data protection when it comes to evaluating social media data.
Also important is that intermediary products used as
sources of information for the situation report are not
requested at specific times but are rather only made available when the situation changes significantly.
In the second part, the topic was examined in a futureoriented way on the basis of contemporary research. Julia
Zisgen, desk officer at BBK in the VASA (visual analytics)
research project, provided a short presentation of the
project and described possible cascading effects in critical
infrastructure protection in 2020. The new requirements
for monitoring and troubleshooting in the smart grid (a
very close relationship between electricity users, producers and networks via communication services and control
systems) and the use of mass data from social media for
Marc Hohloch, Head of Project of the VABENE research
project, presented potential impacts of extreme weather
events on transport and response options for security
tasks and evacuation activities for public authorities and
organisations. He named a reliable situation report on the
current traffic situation and the decongestion of traffic
as essential requirements. Mr Hohloch pointed out that
reliable information about the state of infrastructure
and the traffic situation is scarcely available. For data
that is publicly available, the development process is not
transparent, and data often remains unqualified. In the
end, Mr Hohloch highlighted possible solutions, such as
the parallel use of direct (e.g. TOMTOM) and indirect (e.g.
Bluetooth) data and their combination.
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EXPERT FORUM B:
INTER-AGENCY COOPERATION
Development possibilities in cross-departmental cooperation before,
during and after extreme weather events
The topic of the forum was based on the perception of the
German climate change adaptation strategy (Deutsche
Anpassungsstrategie an den Klimawandel – DAS) to consider civil protection to be a cross-sector topic. The aim of
the forum was to place this very demand for a cooperative and connected way of working at the centre of the
discussion. Using the example of dealing with extreme
weather events, the experts present mainly discussed how
cross-sector cooperation before, during and after extreme
weather events can be organised. Examples from the
federal level down to the local level were presented at the
forum, moderated by Susanne Krings, Deputy Head of
the Division for Policy Issues of Critical Infrastructures at
the BBK.
tion, Urban and Aerospace Research (BBSR), a departmental research facility under the Federal Ministry of
Transport, Building and Urban Development. On the basis
of the of the BBSR being involved together with the BBK
in the process of adapting to climate change, Mr Spangenberg provided a general overview of the advantages
and disadvantages of various coordination models. In his
talk, he highlighted the coordinating function of urban
and regional planning as an opportunity for cross-sector
cooperation, and concluded by pointing out connections
and links between spatial planning and risk management.
In his opinion, the potential to utilise land use planning
for preventive risk management has not been exploited
nearly enough until now.
The first presentation was held by Martin Spangenberg,
consultant at the German Federal Institute for Construc-
Thereafter, Angela Clemens-Mitschke, Head of Division
for General Policy Issues of Civil Protection, Risk Manage-
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02.12.13 16:28
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ment, Emergency Preparedness at BBK, presented the
cross-sector procedure for implementing a risk analysis
in civil protection at the federal level. She first located risk
analysis within the risk management process, introduced
the structure of actors and responsibilities at the federal
level and explained the implementation status. She then
explained the steps of implementation for the risk analysis
process in civil protection at all administrative levels. Ms
Clemens-Mitschke emphasised that a risk evaluation including follow-up recommendations must be carried out
by those with administrative and political responsibility
after a risk analysis has been carried out.
Gernot Peter, Deputy Head of the Emergency Task Force
of the State Government of Thuringia at the Thuringian
Ministry of the Interior, started his lecture by introducing
the institutional environment in the state of Thuringia
and on this basis explained the risk management procedure – from the identification of risks to their analysis and
subsequent evaluation and application. Mr Peter emphasised that Thuringia has a comprehensive understanding
of civil protection that goes far beyond disaster protection.
A board for civil protection has been established in each
ministry in order to organisationally and technically connect the Thuringian ministries. These boards are available
to members of the ‘inter-ministerial emergency task force’
(Undersecretary of State’s committee), established following the 11 September 2001 attacks, as a working platform
under the coordination of the crisis management group of
the federal state government.
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Finally, Niels Johan Juhl-Nielsen provided insights from
his perspective as an independent advisor to the Copenhagen fire brigade. With his ‘Down with silo thinking’ postulation, he advocated a holistic and global understanding of
the connections between the Western way of life, climate
change and disasters. Denmark is calling for what are
known as climate adaptation plans for each urban area by
the end of 2013. Mr Juhl-Nielsen advocated the concept
of ‘robust municipality’ and the development of equal
partnerships between those involved at the local level. He
referred to the UN’s ‘Making Cities Resilient’ campaign in
his remarks .
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‘EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS AND THEIR CONSEQUENCES
FOR CIVIL PROTECTION’
INTERNATIONAL HIGH-LEVEL EXPERT MEETING,
22–23 NOVEMBER 2012
PROGRAMME
22 NOVEMBER 2012 – THURSDAY
Plenary session
Ralph Tiesler, Vice-President of the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance
Helmut Joisten, Mayor of the Federal City of Bonn
Dr Klaus-Georg Meyer-Teschendorf, Federal Ministry of the Interior
KEYNOTE SPEECHES
Man-made climate change and its effect on extreme weather events
Prof. Dr Hartmut Graßl, Director Emeritus, Max Planck Institute for Meteorology (MPI-M)
Monitoring the climate and extreme weather events in Germany and central Europe
Klaus-Jürgen Schreiber, Head of the Climate Monitoring Department, Deutscher Wetterdienst
(German Weather Service, DWD)
Extreme weather, vulnerabilities and disaster risk reduction
Prof. Dr. Jakob Rhyner, Vice-Rector for Europe at the United Nations University (UNU-ViE) and Director of the
Institute for Environment and Human Security of the United Nations University (UNU-EHS)
NATIONAL CASE STUDIES
Extreme weather events and flood risk management in the Netherlands
Prof. Dr. Matthijs Kok, Chair of Flood Risk, Delft University of Technology
Extreme weather events in Poland: role and tasks of the polish state fire service
Mariusz Feltynowski, Deputy Director of the National Centre for Rescue Coordination and Civil Protection, Polish
State Fire Service
Operational experience of THW in cross-border civil protection
Detlef Hermann, Head of THW Branch Office Frankfurt (Oder)
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23 NOVEMBER 2012 – FRIDAY
Expert Forum A –
Cross-border communication
Expert Forum B –
Inter-agency cooperation
Development trends in situation centres for civil protection
with particular reference to the requirements before and
during extreme weather events
Potential developments for inter-agency cooperation
before, during and after extreme weather events
Chair
Christoph Schmidt-Taube, Head of Division, Division I.2, German Joint Information and Situation Centre
(GMLZ), Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster
Chair
Susanne Krings, Deputy Head of Division, II.3, Policy
issues of critical infrastructures, Federal Office of Civil
Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK), Bonn
Assistance (BBK), Bonn
Speakers
Niels Johan Juhl-Nielsen, Senior Advisor, Municipal
Speakers
Roland Bialek, Head of the Situation Section of the
Fire Department, Copenhagen (DK)
National Emergency Operations Centre(Federal Office for
Civil Protection)
Martin Spangenberg, Desk officer, Division I.1, Spatial
Holger Poser, Head of Division A53 Civil Protection,
Development, Federal Institute for Research on Building,
Urban Affairs and Spatial Development within the Federal
Office for Building and Regional Planning, Bonn
Authority for Internal Affairs and Sports of the Free and
Hanseatic City of Hamburg
Angela Clemens-Mitschke, Head of Division, Divi-
Julia Zisgen, Desk officer, Division IV.2 Civil protection
training for senior executives of disaster management
agencies/services, Federal Office of Civil Protection and
Disaster Assistance (BBK), Bonn
Marc Hohloch, Head of Project VABENE, Institute of
Transportation Systems, German AerospaceCenter (DLR),
Berlin
BMI_Extremwetterereignisse_210x297_Broschuere_E_39L 29
sion II.1, General policy issues of civil protection, risk
management; emergency preparedness, Federal Office of
Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK), Bonn
Gernot Peter, Deputy Head of Division, Division 41,
Emergency Task Force of the State Government of Thuringia, Thuringian Ministry of the Interior, Erfurt
02.12.13 16:28
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LIST OF PARTICIPANTS
Belgium:
Austria:
• Algemene Directie van de Civiele Veiligheid / Federal
Public Service Home Affairs
• Bundesministerium für Inneres / Austrian Ministry
of the Interior
Czech Republic:
Switzerland:
• HZS Karlovarského kraje / Fire and Rescue Service
of Carlsbad Region
• Bundesamt für Bevölkerungsschutz / Swiss Federal
Office for Civil Protection
Denmark:
Germany:
• Københavns Brandvæsen / Municipal Fire
Department Copenhagen
• Beredskabsstyrelsen / Danish Emergency Management Agency (DEMA)
• Rigspolitiet / Danish National Police
• Max Planck Institut für Meteorologie / Max Planck
Institute for Meteorology
• Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR) /
German Aerospace Center
• Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD) / Germany’s National
Meteorological Service
• Bundesinstitut für Bau-, Stadt- und Raumforschung /
Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs
and Spatial Development
• Behörde für Inneres und Sport der Freien und Hansestadt Hamburg / Authority for Internal Affairs and
Sports of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg
• Innenministerium Thüringen / Thuringian Ministry of
the Interior
• THW Landesverband Berlin, Brandenburg, SachsenAnhalt / Federal Agency for Technical Relief, Regional
Office for Berlin, Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt
• Bundesamt für Bevölkerungsschutz und Katastrophenhilfe / Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster
Assistance
France:
• Ministère de l‘Intérieur - Direction Générale de la
Sécurité Civile et de la Gestion des Crises (DGSCGC
BERR) / Ministry of the Interior – Directorate General of
Civil Protection and Crisis Management (DGSCGC
BERR)
Luxembourg:
• Le Gouvernement du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg
Administration des Services de Secours Division
Administrative, Technique et Médicale
Netherlands:
• Delft University of Technology
• Ministerie van Infrastructuur en Milieu / Ministry of
Infrastructure and Environment
• Ministerie van Veiligheid en Justitie / Ministry of Safety
and Justice
• Koninklijk Nederlands Meteorologisch Instituut / Royal
Netherlands Meteorological Institute
UN:
• United Nations University UNU-EHS, Bonn
Poland:
• Rządowe Centrum Bezpieczeństwa / Government
Centre for Security
• Komenda Główna Państwowej Straży Pożarnej /
National Headquarter of the State Fire Service
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The participants
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www.bbk.bund.de
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