Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences
Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences
NHESS
Articles | Volume 23, issue 2
Articles | Volume 23, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-23-973-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-23-973-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Articles | Volume 23, issue 2
Research article
 | Highlight paper
 | 
03 Mar 2023
Research article | Highlight paper |  | 03 Mar 2023

Performance of the flood warning system in Germany in July 2021 – insights from affected residents

Annegret H. Thieken, Philip Bubeck, Anna Heidenreich, Jennifer von Keyserlingk, Lisa Dillenardt, and Antje Otto

Viewed

Total article views: 12,152 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)
HTML PDF XML Total Supplement BibTeX EndNote
10,409 1,616 127 12,152 207 152 137
  • HTML: 10,409
  • PDF: 1,616
  • XML: 127
  • Total: 12,152
  • Supplement: 207
  • BibTeX: 152
  • EndNote: 137
Views and downloads (calculated since 29 Apr 2022)
Cumulative views and downloads (calculated since 29 Apr 2022)

Viewed (geographical distribution)

Total article views: 12,152 (including HTML, PDF, and XML) Thereof 11,517 with geography defined and 635 with unknown origin.
Country # Views %
  • 1
1
 
 
 
 
Latest update: 07 Nov 2025
Download
Executive editor
This paper examines the warning deficits in conjunction with the major flooding event in Germany of summer 2021. The event caused many fatalities and enormous damage. The warning procedures proved to be insufficient, and after investigations it was decided to install a cell broadcast system in Germany, which is already in place today. The deeper investigations on the warning perceptions and the influencing factors is of major interest to readers beyond the scientific community.
Read more
Short summary
In July 2021 intense rainfall caused devastating floods in western Europe with 184 fatalities in the German federal states of North Rhine-Westphalia (NW) and Rhineland-Palatinate (RP), calling their warning system into question. An online survey revealed that 35 % of respondents from NW and 29 % from RP did not receive any warning. Many of those who were warned did not expect severe flooding, nor did they know how to react. The study provides entry points for improving Germany's warning system.
Read more
Share
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint