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

Newsblog

Wildfire in California

Wildfire in California

In California, on Thursday, 7 August 2025 (local time), the so-called "Canyon Fire" broke out about 60 kilometres northwest of Los Angeles [1, 2, 3, 4]. It spread rapidly within a few hours and burned almost 22 square kilometres of hilly terrain by Sunday [1]. The...

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Opening of the new AI centre at the German Weather Service

Opening of the new AI centre at the German Weather Service

The German Weather Service (DWD) has opened its new AI centre in Offenbach to make targeted use of artificial intelligence for weather and climate applications. The centre combines internal and external expertise and is developing, among other things, a modular AI...

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Wildfire in France

Wildfire in France

France is currently experiencing its largest wildfire in more than 75 years. The fire spread rapidly in the south of the country in the mountainous Corbières region, affecting more than 16,000 hectares [1,2]. A total of 15 municipalities have been affected, numerous...

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Flash flood in the Himalayas

Flash flood in the Himalayas

Sudden and heavy rain caused landslides and flash floods in the Himalayas. The weather service had earlier issued a severe weather warning [1,2,3]. The village of Dharali in the state of Uttarakhand, located in the foothills of the Himalayas in north-eastern India and...

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The DKKV on Bluesky
Am 2.10. laden das Dithmarscher Landesmuseum & das BfR ab 19 Uhr zur Abschlussveranstaltung der Sonderausstellung „#Krisenalltag – Kommunikation in der #Pandemie“. Eine Diskussionsrunde beleuchtet Risiko- & #Krisenkommunikation & Resilienz in der föderalen #Demokratie. Mehr: dkkv.org/abschlussver...
28.08 2025 - 09:29
Am 22.09.2025 von 12:30 - 13:30 Uhr startet die neue DKKV Lunchtalk-Reihe mit CEDIM. Thema der ersten Session ist die interdisziplinäre #Katastrophenforschung des KIT, mit Fokus auf forensische #Katastrophenanalysen und innovative Ansätze der #Risikomodellierung. Mehr: dkkv.org/cedim-im-fok...
27.08 2025 - 09:32
Am 9.10. lädt die HWNG nach Köln zum Workshop „ #Hochwasserbetroffenheit vermitteln“ ein. Themen sind #Risikokommunikation, soziale Medien, Erfahrungen seit der #Flut2021 & Kooperationspotenziale. Dr. Benni Thiebes (DKKV) moderiert mit. Anmeldung ist bis 2.10. offen. Mehr: dkkv.org/workshop-hoc...
27.08 2025 - 09:28
Ab 9.9.2025 bietet das UNDRR GETI eine 4-teilige Online- #Masterclass zu #KI in der #Katastrophenvorsorge an. Themen sind Einführung, #Frühwarnsysteme, urbane #Resilienz & Ethik. Die Teilnahme ist auf 1.000 Personen begrenzt, ein Zertifikat gibt es nach allen Terminen. Mehr: dkkv.org/undrr-master...
26.08 2025 - 14:22
Am 24. & 25.9.2025 findet an der HCU #Hamburg der #ExtremWetterKongress statt. Expert:innen diskutieren #Hitze, #Starkregen, #Dürre, #Frühwarnsysteme und #Resilienz. Das DKKV wird mit einem Workshop zu #SeriousGames vertreten sein. Mehr: dkkv.org/extremwetter...
26.08 2025 - 14:15

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.