Commission's Active Role in Program Execution
In the heart of Northwestern Europe, 14 organisations from six countries are joining forces to make the region more resilient to extreme weather. The European disaster drill, named "FlashFloodBreaker", is taking place in Duisburg, Germany, this Saturday.
The initiative was born out of the high flood risk in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), as stated by Professor Uli Paetzel, CEO of Emschergenossenschaft and Lippeverband. With approximately 350 firefighters, rescue services, and water management experts participating, the project aims to test concepts applicable internationally.
Besides the Emschergenossenschaft from Germany, organisations from the Netherlands, Belgium, and France are involved in the project. Notably, 60% of the project's financing comes from the EU budget.
The city of Duisburg was chosen due to a tragic event in 2023, when heavy rain caused flooding that submerged park houses and other areas. This disaster drill is an opportunity to learn from the past and prepare for future flood scenarios.
The exercise will involve traffic restrictions in Homberg (Mayor Wendel Square) and Baerl (Woltershofer Street) from 8 AM to 5 PM. The focus is on improving flood protection measures, developing new flood prediction tools, and building local "flood communities" for quicker disaster response.
In addition to the 14 main organisations, another 25 partners are advising on the project. They are collectively working on using drones for real-time data, improving flood prediction tools, and building local "flood communities" for quicker disaster response.
The "FlashFloodBreaker" project runs from 2023 to 2028 with a budget of nearly 12 million euros. 60% of this budget is co-financed by the EU.
The "FlashFloodBreaker" project is a significant step towards making Northwestern Europe more resilient to extreme weather. By working together, these organisations hope to ensure the safety and wellbeing of communities across the region.
