“The floods 2021 revealed a major weakness of modern societies; not only had the rains and floods affected people and properties directly, but the disaster was also aggravated by infrastructure failure or impairments. Early warning chains failed, due to numerous reasons, one major factor being the dependency of all systems on electricity; digital broadcasting, mobile phone and radio stations, etc.

Access and evacuation were hampered by roads washed away, over 62 bridges were completely destroyed in the Ahr Valley alone.
Gas, water, sewage, food supply, shops of any kind and much more went away.
Some infrastructure such as heating is expected to take months for reconstructions, making it unlikely to have heating in winter, still.”

Table on “Gaps and Challenges” prior as well as during and after the flood
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/13/21/3016/pdf      page= 13 of 20

recommendations for improvement from this project:

• • Awareness gaps

  • Assessment gaps

  • Construction

  • Response phase

  • Post-disaster phase

https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/13/21/3016/pdf      page= 14 of 20

Citation:
Fekete, A.; Sandholz, S.
Here Comes the Flood, but Not Failure? Lessons to Learn after the Heavy Rain and Pluvial Floods in Germany 2021.
Water 2021, 13, 3016
https://doi.org/10.3390/w132130