RIVER ELBE FLOODS 2013

Question 1

BACKGROUND

Answer 1

• Drainage basin and tributaries of river are altogether over 50,000km2
• Rises in the Czech Republic, and flows through Hamburg and Austria and Poland
• 24 MILLION live within the river basin

Question 2

CAUSES

Answer 2

• Heavy rainfall in Hamburg district raised river level
• Snowmelt in the source, in the Great Mountains in Czechia
• Inadequate flood defences (levees too low)
• High tide during flood

Question 3

IMPACTS

Answer 3

• 25 killed
• 23,000 left homeless
• 45,000 evacuated
• €12B in damages (infrastructure)
• 250,000 hectares of farmland inundated, 10,000 hectares of forest destroyed
• 1m+ fish killed

Question 4

MANAGEMENT

Answer 4

• Dykes, walls, sandbags and mobile metal barriers set up to protect buildings
• News stations put further up the source for earlier info
• Dykes raised to 6.5m

PRAGUE - Metal barriers strengthened
DRESDEN - Higher levees, stronger sandbags, stronger walls, metal flood barriers
MADGEBURG - Dykes raised to 6.5m