EC - JRC - Natural Hazards (NAHA) Action

When river banks are overtopped through rising water levels, the results can be devastating. In the last decade Europe has experienced a number of unusually long-lasting rainfall events that produced severe floods, e.g. in the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Germany (1993, 1995), the Czech Republic, Poland and Germany (1997), in North Italy (1994, 2000), in the UK (e.g. 1998, 2000), Tisza (2000 & 2001), in the Elbe and Danube in August 2002, and in summer 2005 in Romania and the northern Alpine region.

The trend seems to be continuing: according to the WMO statement on the status of the global climate in 2001 (WMO, 2001), in England and Wales the 24-months period ending in March 2001 was the wettest in the 236-year time series of precipitation. October 2000 to March 2001 precipitation was also exceptional in the Bretagne (France), where the normal annual rainfall was exceeded by 20 % to 40 % in parts of the region. A third consecutive year of severe flooding occurred in Hungary and parts of Eastern Europe in March - the Tisza river reached its highest level in more than 100 years, the previous record was set in 1888. The worst flooding in Poland since the 1997 floods occurred in July after two weeks of heavy rain caused flooding in the Vistula river. In August 2002 devastating and costly floods in the Elbe and the Danube rivers were observed, and further extreme precipitation and flooding in southern France, where almost half of the normal annual rainfall fell in just one day!

This summary of events seems to support projections of future climate indicating that further increase in severe floods in North and Northwest Europe are likely (e.g. IPCC, 2001).

The Joint Research Centre (JRC) provides policy support on flood issues, especially focused on cross-border river basins. Besides the work of the development of an early warning system (EFAS (the European Flood Alert System), JRC carries out flood mitigation and forecasting case studies in the Elbe and Danube, flash floods and climate change effects and flood risk mapping.

Opposite to excess of water, the summer drought of 2003 in large parts of Europe and the drought situation on the Iberian Peninsula from winter 2005 onwards clearly show the growing problem of droughts in Europe. There is strong scientific evidence that an increase in mean precipitation and extreme precipitation events on the one hand and water shortages for certain regions on the other hand are two sides of the same medal, implying an increased variability of climate in Europe with probably more frequent weather driven natural hazards in the future.

The Natural Hazards (NAHA) Action is developing harmonised EU-wide methodologies and information systems for the prevention and prediction of weather-driven natural hazards to complement national initiatives. As prevention and forecasting studies on trans-national floods and related disasters have to take into account complete river basins independent of administrative boundaries, the Action works closely with international river conventions like IKSO, IKSE and IKSD, to which the European Commission is a contracting party. Furthermore, prevention and preparedness studies carried out by the Action take also into account regional development and spatial planning aspects because long term regional development trends will affect the vulnerability towards natural disasters.

Introduction