Flood risk: How communities protect their citizens from heavy rain

Flood risk: How communities protect their citizens from heavy rain

One year after the dramatic heavy rain events in the region around Ehingen, which particularly caused distress to the substation in Dellmensingen, the memories of the intense alertness of the fire department and volunteers are still fresh. On June 2, 2022, the situation seemed hopeless when a massive lake formed around the substation, requiring the deployment of around 200 firefighters to prevent the worst. Such a flood could have had catastrophic consequences for tens of thousands of households if sandbags had not been piled up at the critical points early on, as SWR reports.

However, the past weather phenomena are not isolated cases. A year ago, heavy rain not only caused countless fire brigade calls, but also caused significant infrastructural damage. In order to avoid a repeat of such events, EnBW has implemented extensive flood protection measures at the substation. These range from raised light wells on the facades to retrofitted, permanently installed pumps to mobile water bulkheads in the form of stop beams. In addition, all locations in the electricity and gas network were examined for flood risks, and a mobilization plan for additional flood protection material was drawn up, as Schwäbische explains.

Measures and improvements

The municipality of Ehingen has also responded to the challenges of flood protection. For example, reinforcements were installed on bridges, inlet shafts were enlarged, and new development areas should in future install rain cisterns in order to better manage the water. In addition, a feasibility study to minimize flood risks in the Unterstadion was commissioned. In doing so, those responsible are declaring war on repeated flooding events and, in the course of improving the infrastructure, are also relying on technical innovations such as 3D computers to prevent blockages in the sewer system.

But preventive measures are not the only focus of the city. The Alb-Donau-Kreis district has also taken up the cause of improving the logistical organization for sandbags and sensitizing the fire brigade for operations in electrical systems, as the risks caused by heavy rain are obviously increasing. Mayor Achim Gaus commented on the measures that have already been implemented and the efforts to protect the community from water damage. “We have seen in the past what consequences extreme weather events can have,” he said.

Climate change and flood protection

The background to these increasing measures is a broad political consensus about the challenges of climate change. The federal and state governments are now increasingly relying on comprehensive flood risk management in order to better manage such natural events, as the Federal Government has announced. The immediate climate adaptation program provides, among other things, 60 million euros for municipalities to support them in improving their flood prevention.

All of these efforts are intended to ensure that communities not only react in the short term, but are also better prepared for extreme weather situations in the long term. One thing is clear: the risk of flooding increases not only when there is heavy rain, but also due to other climatic changes that can have a lasting impact on our daily lives.