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Make North-West Europe resilient against increasing extreme flash flood events

North-West Europe (NWE) faces an increasing number of flash flood disasters due to climate change. Such extreme events - for example July 2021 in Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, France, Ireland and Switzerland - are linked with fatalities, huge losses and damages.

A flash flood is a rapid rise of water in low-lying areas that occurs within only 3 to 6 hours of a heavy rainfall.

Risk-affected areas in NWE are urban, polder and steep valley areas. Because existing land-use constraints restrict the use of conventional flood protection measures, new approaches to manage pluvial and fluvial flash floods-related risks are needed. The objective is to make NWE more resilient to extreme flash flood events. By project end, organisations responsible for flood management and residents in 7 risk-affected areas (DE/Emscher-Lippe area, NL/Limburg & North-Holland, BE/Wallonia & Flanders, Ireland, FR/Moselle), who are currently not fully aware or prepared, will be empowered to assess their vulnerability, to strengthen their resilience and to collectively and individually reduce the hazards and better act in case of extreme flash floods.