THE MOST DANGEROUS DISASTER THREAT TO GERMANY

In addressing the most dangerous disaster threat to Germany I checked in with the German Natural Disaster Agency, (dkkv) and from the perspective of both the frequency of disasters and the extent of damage caused by weather-related events, natural hazards in Germany are primarily storms and floods, but with that said there is also threats of extreme temperatures such as heat waves.

STORMS: Storms are caused by pressure differences and can be divided into winter storms and convective storms. Winter storms usually form over the North Atlantic which is why northwest Germany is most frequently and severely affected by the. Convective storms, as a result of temperature fluctuations, can lead to heavy hail and mainly affect the south of Germany. They are more limited, but occur much more frequently than winter storms, with 10 to 40 storm days per year.

FLOODS: In Germany, floods include floods caused by heavy precipitation, river floods and torrents caused for example by snowmelt or heavy precipitation, as well as coastal floods after storm surges. In winter, river flooding can be triggered by dynamic low-pressure areas "cyclones" in the west, with flooding mainly occurring in the catchment areas of the Rhine and Weser rivers, while the Danube river in the south of Germany floods mainly in the spring due to snowmelt, and in the summer due to cyclones in the southwest.


MITIGATION: According to Think Hazard, Germany benefits in flood prevention by strengthening natural water retention in the landscape which reduce effects on the occurrence of floods, further more decentralized infiltration of rainwater and unsealing of surfaces in built up areas, conservation tillage and creation of permanent vegetation cover in agriculture in addition to the building and re-enforcement of dykes and storm walls all are preventive measures that are being taken by the government of Germany. In fact in 2017 the German government passed the "Flood Control Act" (Hochwasserschutzgesetz), which is stringent nationally binding requirements for the prevention of flood damage for the first time.

Sources:
https://dkkv.org>topics>germany>storms
https://thinkhazrd..org>germany>flooding>mitigation

FINAL BLOG THANK YOU! It has been a great semester and I appreciate being able to share all the geological facets about Germany with the class. I also want to thank all my classmates for sharing all the insightful fascinating aspects of their countries! Finally a special thanks to our professor for directing and teaching us! Best wishes to all!



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