Analysing Emergency Response with an Online Survey of Local Residents following the July 2021 Flood Event in Western Germany

In July 2021 an intense and rapid onset rainfall event resulted in severe flooding for several watersheds in Western regions of Germany as well as Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. In the two German federal states of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and Rhineland-Palatinate (RLP) the impacts of flooding were severe, with damage to buildings and infrastructure as well as more than 180 fatalities. This event was highly publicized in the German and international media with a focus on the performance of the early warning system. 

We analyse the warning situation for this flood event based on the results of an online survey with responses from 1348 participants from affected areas in the two federal states NRW and RLP. Following the severe flood event in mid-July 2021 the online survey for local residents was prepared and made available online for 8 weeks starting at the end of August 2021. Among other topics, the survey addressed whether residents received a flood warning, when they received a warning, and whether they knew what to do in response to a flood. 

Results show that 35% of the survey respondents in NRW did not receive any warning, while the same was true for 29% of respondents in RLP. Of those that did receive a flood warning 85% underestimated the severity of the event and 46% did not know what to do. In addition, many respondents reported that they experienced personal loss, shared life-threatening experiences, and problems with warning apps as well as message format. Multiple regression analyses identify factors that are linked to higher levels of situational knowledge on protective behavior in response to the flood event including demographics, warning elements, personal experience and risk perception. 

This presentation will discuss these results and potential conclusions to improve risk management for this type of flood event.