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

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Flash floods in Pakistan and India

Flash floods in Pakistan and India

Heavy rainfall has caused flash floods and landslides in northern India and Pakistan. Pakistan reports at least 344 deaths, with the number likely to rise. Around 200 people are still missing [1], while the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the north-west is...

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DLR reveals high heat stress in German cities

DLR reveals high heat stress in German cities

The German Aerospace Centre (DLR) has systematically evaluated the surface temperatures of over 70 major German cities for the first time. The results show clear heat islands, especially in highly sealed, densely built-up urban areas, with temperature differences of...

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The DKKV on Bluesky
DKKV-Magazin 02/2026: "Bildung im Bevölkerungsschutz" jetzt verfügbar: dkkv.org/publikation/...
18.06 2026 - 07:58
#UNDRR Publikation: When digital systems fail: Ein aktueller UNDRR-Bericht warnt vor den wachsenden #Risiken einer zunehmend vernetzten digitalen Infrastruktur. Mehr: dkkv.org/undrr-publik...
18.06 2026 - 06:59
SURE startet Umfrage zu #Entscheidungsprozessen in der nachhaltigen #Stadtentwicklung: Ziel ist es, besser zu verstehen, wie Entscheidungsträgerinnen und Entscheidungsträger nachhaltige Stadtentwicklung gestalten und welche Unterstützung sie dafür benötigen. Mehr: dkkv.org/sure-startet...
16.06 2026 - 14:18
MyRisk Flyer in gedruckter Version: Diese Woche erschienen die ersten gedruckten Flyer sowie ein Kalender, welche über Disaster Risks in urbanen Räumen aufklären. Mehr: dkkv.org/myrisk-flyer...
16.06 2026 - 07:32
ZKA Spotlight: Klimaanpassung und Hochwasservorsorge: Rückblick auf die Ahrtal-Flut: Mit dabei: Ronja Winkhardt-Enz vom Deutschen Komitee Katastrophenvorsorge e.V. & Vera Engelmann vom Zentrum KlimaAnpassung Mehr: dkkv.org/veranstaltun...
15.06 2026 - 13:56

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.