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

Newsblog

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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New issue of the Disasters Avoided newsletter

New issue of the Disasters Avoided newsletter

The july issue of the Disasters Avoided Newsletter focuses on the central role of financing and insurance solutions in proactively reducing disaster risks. The newsletter features an interview with Cherie Gray, Global Lead of Sustainability & Market Development at...

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The DKKV on Bluesky
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
Das #Umweltbundesamt hat das Konzept der #Klimawirkungsketten aufbereitet: Es hilft, Klimarisiken systematisch zu analysieren und Ansatzpunkte für Anpassungsmaßnahmen sichtbar zu machen. Mehr: dkkv.org/klimawirkung...
21.04 2026 - 10:29

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.