Summary

The catastrophic flooding in July 2021 claimed the lives of more than 200 people in Germany and Belgium. The high death toll makes it clear that hazard mapping and risk communication must be improved urgently. Researchers at the University of Potsdam, the Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences, the University of Louvain and Johns Hopkins University analyzed the locations and specific circumstances of 224 deaths. Their findings show that many occurred outside the officially mapped flood hazard zones and that older people were particularly affected.

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