Where is the flood threatening? Warngau municipality has flash flood risk management drawn up

The most recent flood disasters have shown that the greatest danger lurked where no one expected masses of water.

The municipality of Warngau wants to arm its citizens: It has a flash flood risk management system created.

Warngau

- What flash floods can do was shown in the summer of 2021: In Germany alone, 184 people died in flood disasters, most of them by far in the Ahr valley. The damage to the belongings of those affected and to the infrastructure runs into the billions. In the district of Miesbach, areas in Weyarn and Valley were particularly affected. The neighboring community of Warngau, which is itself repeatedly affected by floods in Oberwarngau, for example, now wants to take precautions for its citizens: it is putting out a flash flood risk management system. It is supposed to show where, in the event of heavy rain, the water masses find unexpectedly destructive paths.

The disasters of recent years have shown that the greatest danger was where no one expected masses of water.

Where there are no rivers that repeatedly overflowed their banks with increasing levels and flooded cellars.

Where there were no flood protection concepts that serve to avert the danger posed by water.

And the scientific analysis of the flood disaster on the Ahr and Erft already shows, according to the Federal Institute for Hydrology: Climate change significantly increases the risk of such flash floods.

The municipality of Warngau wants to arm its citizens with the knowledge they need to be able to prevent themselves: with flash flood risk management.

After the floods in 2021: "The time is ripe"

Michael Spannring had already put on the table in 2019 in the Warngau municipal council why such a flash flood risk management makes sense; the Green Municipal Council is itself a hydraulic engineer. The municipality had tried to apply for such a flash flood risk management system by applying as a model municipality. At that time the congregation did not get a chance. Under the impression of the flood summer of 2021, she is now taking matters into her own hands. “The time is ripe,” says Mayor Klaus Thurnhuber.

The town council decided in a non-public meeting to put the contract for the creation of such an analysis out to tender, the town hall chief announced in the most recent public meeting.

The creation is extremely complex, from the measurement of the conditions, such as altitudes or culverts, to the representation of various scenarios.

“It is made visible what happens after an hour, after two hours or after three hours of heavy rain,” says Thurnhuber.

Accordingly, risk management is not going to be cheap either.

A higher five-digit amount should be expected.

The result should show citizens where they should take precautions

The result is primarily intended to help citizens to help themselves.

"As a municipality, we will probably already look with the water management office to see where there is a need for action," says Thurnhuber.

“But there won't be an all-round carefree package.” The findings are intended to provide property owners with information about where there is a risk and how they can protect themselves against it - valuable knowledge that may even save lives.

The town hall chief hopes that the contract can be awarded in a few weeks.

Because the process is so complex, some precipitation is likely to seep away until the result is available.

Thurnhuber hopes that the municipality can present the risk management to the citizens in about a year.

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