The DKKV is…
German Committee for Disaster Reduction e.V. (ger.: Deutsches Komitee Katastrophenvorsorge e.V.)
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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...
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,...
Severe damage caused by Typhoon Kajiki in Vietnam
In Vietnam, Typhoon Kajiki caused flooding and landslides with heavy rain and strong gusts. The tropical storm reached the country on Monday afternoon (local time) with wind speeds of up to 133 kilometres per hour [1]. Around 300,000 people in coastal regions had been...
UNDRR Masterclass series: Leveraging artificial intelligence for disaster risk reduction
On 9 September 2025, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and its Global Education and Training Institute (GETI) will launch a four-part online masterclass on artificial intelligence in disaster preparedness. The sessions will take place from...
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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.