On 18 September 2024, Storm Boris dropped 500 mm of rain in less than 48 hours across Central and Eastern Europe. The extreme weather event caused over €3 billion in insured losses and dozens of fatalities spanning from Germany to Romania. Natural Disaster status was declared in Poland for 30 days and Bundesland (Vienna, Austria) while Hungary deployed 350 soldiers to reinforce flood barriers.
Improved infrastructure, flood barriers, and weather forecasting spared the region from the significantly greater impact of similar floods in 1997, 2002, and 2010. Czech authorities drained reservoirs along the Vltava River to accommodate surging water levels. Poland impounded floodwaters in its Racibórz Dolny reservoir to protect cities such as Wrocław and Opole. Although the intensity of Storm Boris was much higher than previous events, advances in forecasting technology reduced the impact sixfold in terms of affected buildings and fatalities. Nevertheless, the storm’s magnitude impacted a much higher percentage of Poland’s population than previous floods.
The 2002 event exposed large gaps in Europe’s flood warning systems, causing €27.7 billion of damage and 232 fatalities. Recognizing the need for a unified approach, the European Commission tasked its Joint Research Centre with developing EFAS to improve flood preparedness across Europe. EFAS became fully operational in 2012 as part of the EU’s Copernicus Emergency Management Service.
In this Research Note:
- European Flood Awareness System is critical for flood prediction accuracy despite major damage
- Climate change drives uptick in flood management investment
- Key flood management segments driving growth for EPC and technology providers in Europe, including advanced digitalization solutions
