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

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ADPC training programmes 2025

ADPC training programmes 2025

In 2025, the Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre (ADPC) is offering several training programmes to support cities in disaster preparedness, climate adaptation and inclusive development. Topics include risk-informed urban planning, multi-hazard early warning systems and...

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New UFZ newsletter

New UFZ newsletter

The latest edition of the newsletter published by the German Research Centre for Environmental Sciences (UFZ) focuses on the results of the UN negotiations on the plastics agreement in Geneva, new findings on nanoplastics in the North Atlantic and five steps for...

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Earthquake in Afghanistan

Earthquake in Afghanistan

During the night of 31 August to 1 September, an earthquake measuring 6.0 on the Richter scale shook north-eastern Afghanistan. The quake, which occurred at a depth of around eight kilometres, was followed by several aftershocks that reached magnitudes of up to 5.2,...

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The DKKV on Bluesky
Nur noch 3 Tage bis #Bewerbungsschluss: Der #DKKV-Förderpreis 2026 prämiert herausragende Bachelor- & Masterarbeiten zu #Katastrophenvorsorge und -risikomanagement. Bewerbung bis 30.04. an: foerderpreis@dkkv.org Mehr: dkkv.org/ueber-uns/dk...
27.04 2026 - 07:56
Japan testet neue Wege der #Klimakommunikation: Für extreme #Hitze über 40 °C werden neue Begriffe entwickelt – gemeinsam mit der Bevölkerung, um Risiken verständlicher zu machen. Mehr: dkkv.org/klimakommuni...
22.04 2026 - 09:48
#Europatag in Eupen: Vom 8.–10. Mai erinnert die Veranstaltung an die #Flut2021 und diskutiert Lehren für Europas Katastrophenvorsorge. Austausch zu Resilienz & Zusammenarbeit im Fokus. Mehr: dkkv.org/europatag-in...
22.04 2026 - 09:43
#DKKV-Lunchtalk zur Santa Marta Konferenz: Einblicke in den Ausstieg aus fossilen Energien und seine Bedeutung für #Klimapolitik & #Katastrophenvorsorge. 6. Mai, 12–13 Uhr, online. Kostenlos, Anmeldung via Zoom. Mehr: dkkv.org/veranstaltun...
21.04 2026 - 14:15
Der INFORM Risk Index der EU ist veröffentlicht: Er bewertet weltweit #Risiken durch #Gefahren, Vulnerabilität und Bewältigungskapazitäten – eine wichtige Grundlage für Prävention und Planung. Mehr: dkkv.org/neuer-inform...
21.04 2026 - 11:11

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.