Abstract :
[en] Mid-July 2021, large parts of western Germany and the Benelux countries were hit by persistent and heavy rainfall, which led to widespread flooding that not only killed and injured hundreds of people, but also caused damage to buildings and infrastructure in many places. The aim of the EMfloodResilience project, which is being carried out by various institutions from Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, is to contribute to improving flood management in the Euregio Meuse-Rhine and thus reduce flood impacts. As part of this project, the study presented here, which is being carried out by the University of Liège, RWTH Aachen University and TU Delft, aims to collect data on the effects of flooding in order to evaluate and improve the existing flood damage models used so far. A field survey of affected households was undertaken. To achieve this goal, a questionnaire with almost 100 questions was developed and translated into French, German and Dutch. Adapted to the respective population groups, each of the universities developed its own strategy for recruiting participants for the survey. These took place in person at the participants' homes and were recorded on paper. At least 70 interviews were conducted in each of the three countries. To ensure the quality of the data, each survey was registered twice in a computer system and both entries were automatically compared with each other to detect and correct errors. The data was then statistically described and is presented in this report in the form of various graphs. The results provide initial insights into the vulnerability, risks and damage caused by the floods in July 2021, revealing both similarities and differences between the countries. With over 200 surveys and the methodology of double encoding, a high-quality and comprehensive cross-border data set on flood impacts was gathered. In addition to the initial findings from the descriptive statistical analysis, this report can contribute to improving the understanding of floods damage mechanisms and guide the design of risk reduction measures.
