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German Committee for Disaster Reduction e.V. (ger.: Deutsches Komitee Katastrophenvorsorge e.V.)

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Global Catastrophic Risks Report 2026

Global Catastrophic Risks Report 2026

Global catastrophic risks are events or developments that could severely affect the lives of large numbers of people across multiple continents or even threaten the foundations of civilization. These include, for example, environmental, technological, or security...

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Call for contributions: Research conference in Remagen

Call for contributions: Research conference in Remagen

The summer of 2026 marks the fifth anniversary of the flood disaster in western Germany, and a conference entitled “Five Years After the 2021 Flood – Changing Research Perspectives” will be held in Remagen on July 2-3, 2026. Five years after the 2021 flood disaster,...

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Weiträumiger Stromausfall in Reutlingen: Dadurch waren rund 7.600 Haushalte ohne Strom, auch ein Krankenhaus war betroffen. Neben der 120.000-Einwohner-Stadt Reutlingen waren auch Teile der benachbarten Gemeinden ohne Stromversorgung.  Mehr: www.zeit.de/gesellschaft...
09.06 2026 - 08:32
CIDR-Talk „From Knowledge to Action“ am 24.06. Dr. Ayse Yildiz von der University of Leicester (GB) spricht über das Thema: „From Knowledge to Action: Why Disaster and Climate Education Often Fails and How We Can Fix It.“ Mehr: dkkv.org/veranstaltun...
09.06 2026 - 07:57
Neuer Ausbildungsfyler der Akademie für Hochwasserschutz: Neben Ausbildungen zum/zur Fachberater:in Hochwasser und Starkregen gibt es auch Aufbaulehrgänge und Lehrgänge zur Deichverteidigung. Mehr: dkkv.org/neuer-ausbil...
08.06 2026 - 11:23
Aufruf zur Beteiligung am #Hazards-Media-Toolkit: Der International Science Council (ISC) und das UN-Büro für Katastrophenvorsorge (UNDRR) starten ein #Pilotprojekt zur Entwicklung eines neuen „Hazards Media Toolkit“. Mehr: dkkv.org/aufruf-zur-b...
08.06 2026 - 08:16
#UNDRR Jahresbericht 2025: Der neue Jahresbericht des United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) zeigt: Investitionen in #Katastrophenvorsorge retten Leben und zahlen sich wirtschaftlich aus. Mehr: dkkv.org/undrr-jahres...
08.06 2026 - 08:14

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 urbanisation, 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.