Perhaps more shocking than the deadly floods that continue to ravage parts of Europe is that local residents were caught completely unawares, despite predictions from advanced weather-tracking systems days before.
The sad reality is that many of the deaths in Germany and Belgium were surely preventable. They were not the result solely of the floods, but also of the “monumental failure of the system” to respond to them. In Germany, the richest country in Europe, where were the alarm bells, the urgency, the action?
Stories of piecemeal and inadequate systems predominate – digital communication tools that broke down as phone signals cut out, delayed evacuations, local authorities surprised by the speed of the flood, siren systems neglected since the end of the Cold War. But what use are 150 notifications sent out by the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance if they do not result in coordinated, timely action on the ground? Or a warning app that no one downloads? A picture emerges of a disaster-response system operating without engagement and consultation with ordinary citizens.
