The Oder River Flood in Summer 1997 from Brandenburg’s Point of View

Abstract

An analysis of world-wide experience regarding the damages caused by natural disasters in the course of ten years (1986 to 1995) shows that floodings and storms have each caused about one third of the total record of 5 370 harmful events. The remaining number of harmful events is made up of earthquakes and other natural phenomena (winter damages, forest fires, volcanic eruptions etc.) whose shares are almost equal. 367000 people died between 1986 and 1995 in the natural disasters recorded and analysed. More than half of the deaths were caused by storm tides, river floods, tidal waves and torrents of water. Most of the casualties were registered in Asia where cataclysmic events recur. The floodings in Bangladesh (1991) took 140000 lives. In view of these statements, one has to face the questions of disaster control over and over again.