The DKKV is…
German Committee for Disaster Reduction e.V. (ger.: Deutsches Komitee Katastrophenvorsorge e.V.)
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Apply now for the DKKV Promotional Award 2025!
Science meets practice: Apply now for the DKKV Promotional Award 2025! The call for applications for the DKKV Promotional Award 2025 is now open! We are once again looking for outstanding bachelor's and master's theses related to disaster prevention and risk...
New Book: „Understanding and Addressing Disaster Risk: Who Speaks? Who Suffers?“
The new book “Understanding and Addressing Disaster Risk”, by Ben Wisner, Irasema Alcántara-Ayala, JC Gaillard, Ilan Kelman, and Victor Marchezini explains that disasters are not natural events, but the result of long-term social processes that create vulnerabilities...
RISKKAN-Webinar: WG Cities and critical Infrastructure
Another RISKKAN webinar on the topic “WG Cities and Critical Infrastructure ‘Societal resilience and infrastructure - who is forgotten in post-disaster recovery?’ will take place on June 13, 2025 at 1 pm. Prof. Dr. Alexander Fekete, personal member of DKKV, and Mark...
8th IDRIM Lecture Series on “Multi-Hazard Risk Dynamics”
At the 8th Integrated Disaster Risk Management (IDRIM) Online Lecture Series on 26.05.2025 at 1 pm, Prof. van Westen, Professor of Multi-Hazard Risk Dynamics at the University of Twente (Netherlands) will give an insight into his publication “Multi-Hazard Risk...
5th International Trade Fair for Firefighting Equipment and Supplies
The International Fire and Rescue Equipment Exhibition (IFRE-EXPO) 2025 will take place from June 12 to 14, 2025 in Kielce, Poland, and is the largest trade fair for firefighting equipment in Central and Eastern Europe. The trade fair is aimed at manufacturers,...
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What is disaster risk reduction?
Storms, natural hazards and extreme events can quickly become a danger to people and the environment. But climate change, extreme urbanization, power outages and fires also offer potential hazards.
A disaster occurs when the functioning of a community or society is impaired or interrupted and, as a result, high human, material, economic and ecological losses occur that cannot be managed alone.
Precautionary measures can help to reduce the consequences and impact of the disaster. Depending on the hazard and personal circumstances, the precautionary measures to be taken may vary.
Find out more about potential hazards and individual precautionary measures on our topic pages.