Flood / Flood Protection

Floods are natural events. They occur at different levels and at irregular intervals. There have always been floods and we have to expect them at any time. The flood information service publishes flood forecasts for the waters of Rhineland-Palatinate at www.hochwasser-rlp.de.

So that we can better protect ourselves and prepare, we need to know how high the water can rise and which areas could be affected. Flood hazard maps and flood risk maps are available for the larger rivers in the state, which show what can happen up to extreme flood events. These are published on the Internet at www.hochwassermanagement.rlp.de. Floods can occur not only due to the overflowing of rivers, but also during heavy thunderstorms in areas where nobody expects them. There are no maps for such possible heavy rainfall events, but there are tips on how to prepare. (www.ibh,rlp.de)

For people, flooding only becomes a catastrophe with high levels of damage because they have built in areas at risk of flooding without taking the risk into account. In accordance with current legislation, the structural and licensing authorities have established flood zones along the larger rivers in Rhineland-Palatinate, which impose prohibitions and requirements for damage reduction that everyone must adhere to.

In Germany, every person who may be affected by flooding is obliged, as far as possible and reasonable, to take suitable precautionary measures to protect themselves from the adverse consequences of flooding and to minimize damage. Only when measures to protect the general public against flooding become necessary, i.e. when damage to property occurs more frequently and to an extraordinary extent among a larger number of people affected, is there an overriding public interest in flood protection. Then the cities and municipalities, the districts and the state are responsible.

But you have to know: Floods cannot be prevented and there is no absolute flood protection through walls and dykes. Comprehensive flood prevention is therefore a prerequisite for keeping damage to a minimum. The flood-free period must be used for this purpose.

Comprehensive information on flood prevention and flood protection can be found at:

• Flood management