Country: World Source: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Please refer to the attached file. Executive Summary Introduction to the Scoping Study This scoping study aims to inform disaster preparedness and adaptation for extreme rainfall events in Europe and Central Asia, drawing on experiences from 2021-2024. It reviews scientific literature and operational reports to understand changing risks, to map policy and operational trends and identify gaps. The study makes recommendations for improved preparedness and response capacities, seeking to provide a foundation for further discussions and validations by the IFRC Regional Office for Europe and National Red Cross Red Crescent Societies (National Societies). The Risk Environment in Europe and Central Asia with focus on Extreme Rainfall Historical data indicates a greater number of floods are caused by extreme rainfall events in the 2021 to 2024 period compared to prior periods in Europe and Central Asia. These events have caused significant human and economic impacts, with notable examples such as the 2021 floods caused by Storm Bernd and the 2024 floods in eastern Spain. Anthropogenic climate change (referenced as climate change throughout the document) is identified as a key factor intensifying these events, with projections indicating more frequent and severe rainfall leading to pluvial and riverine floods. While the precise impacts remain uncertain due to various influencing factors, changes in the risk environment call for enhanced preparedness, resilience, and adaptation strategies to mitigate the adverse effects of future extreme rainfall. Preparedness and Response Trends in Europe and Central Asia In response to the evolving risk environment, various trends have emerged in the preparedness and response strategies for extreme rain events in Europe and Central Asia, as pursued by different stakeholders, including the IFRC Regional Office for Europe (ROE) and National Societies. These trends should be aligned with an increased policy emphasis on supporting preparedness, resilience, and adaptation, particularly by the European Commission. The particular importance of anticipatory action and effective early warning systems need to be highlighted, especially in the light of the gaps in current practices. The fact that the largest and most impactful extreme rain events were predicted, indicate the urgent need to further invest in early warning early action. Past events have highlighted a gap in community risk awareness and perception, where despite early warning, populations have either not taken the risk seriously enough to result in early action, or populations were not properly prepared or aware of how to undertake early action. A shift to evidence-based risk management requires an ability and willingness to integrate lessons learned leading to the revision of scenarios and contextualised response planning. Evolution of Operations from Red Cross Red Crescent Operations in response to Extreme Rainfall A comparison of Red Cross Red Crescent Operations in Europe and Central Asia from 2021 to 2024, and more specifically an analysis of IFRC Disaster Response Emergency Funding (DREF)-operations in response to extreme rain events, revealed more concrete lessons to inform future response actions from National Societies and IFRC. National Societies are not consistently collaborating with their Hydrometeorological (HydroMet) offices to maximise the dissemination of existing warnings, nor are they substantially engaging in the development or promotion of early action activities within communities. First response activities tend to be more traditional in nature, involving needs assessments and distribution of relief items, with occasional assistance with water pumping and house cleaning. DREF allocations for floods are primarily used for WASH, Shelter, Health, and Livelihoods, with both food and nonfood item distribution and increased cash-based assistance. Operations have highlighted the need for psychological support and the importance of Community Engagement and Accountability. There are common challenges in strengthening disaster management capacities and spreading knowledge among volunteers and staff. In addition, the importance of logistical preparedness and pre-positioning of stocks is evident. Despite ad-hoc evidence, previous DREF operations indicate learning and improvement through these experiences. An overview of operations responding to extreme rainfall events underscores the significance of local capacity-building and community engagement. This aligns with the localized impact of heavy rain and the rapid onset of floods, particularly in mountainous regions, suggesting that National Societies at the branch level have opportunities to increase their participation in addressing extreme rain events. Recommendations Experience has shown that extreme rainfall leads to rapidly developing, localized, and unpredictable flooding events. This necessitates a specific approach to preparedness and response, contextualized within a strong general preparedness framework. The following strategic recommendations have been identified for how National Societies can continue to improve their preparedness and response capacities to extreme rain events: The first set of recommendations focus on ensuring that timely and relevant information reaches the affected populations and the concerned responders. It recommends that National Societies strengthen community readiness by developing and disseminating accessible preparedness messages and checklists for individuals and households, improving information-sharing with HydroMet services, redistributing early warning messages with clear action-oriented guidance, and leveraging existing services to ensure inclusive outreach that motivates timely protective action. The second set of recommendations around enhanced risk awareness aims to create an environment where timely early warning information prompts communities to act immediately and take responsibility. This is needed for locally led action to become the default. For National Societies, this involves increasing understanding of community risk perception, raising public and volunteer awareness of early warning seriousness, advocating for regular local response plan exercises, and promoting the activation of existing response mechanisms to build experience among all stakeholders. For IFRC, it includes leading postdisaster lessons learnt workshops, supporting robust response actions and anticipatory measures for extreme rain events, and promoting the use of Enhanced Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment to support communities in assessing risks and co-creating early warning and preparedness messages through their preferred communication channels. The actions support the strengthening of regional disaster preparedness and readiness. The third set of recommendations aims to enhance internal capacities of National Societies, particularly at the branch level, to integrate disaster risk management and the use of climate forecasts and projections into their activities and capabilities and to invest in strengthened local capacities ahead of disasters. National Societies should also liaise with relevant public authorities to ensure they fulfil their responsibilities for an adequate response, while ensuring that the added value of National Societies’ community-based response capacities is recognized. This includes reviewing procurement systems and capacities to ensure readiness, enhancing staff knowledge of standard international tools, strengthening climate risk knowledge, exploring nature-based solutions, increasing staff and volunteers’ knowledge on emergency procedures and preparedness, including for cash-based assistance systems, and reviewing the flood resilience of local buildings to ensure business continuity during disasters. Policy Recommendations and Humanitarian Diplomacy Messages The analysis of extreme rainfall events from 2021 to 2024 and the corresponding preparedness and response activities underscores the critical need for increased attention and investment in disaster risk management for extreme rainfall events and related fluvial and pluvial floods. A proactive approach is essential not only to bolster National Society preparedness, particularly at the local level, but also to position National Societies as key preparedness and response actors vis-à-vis governments and local communities they serve. This includes advocating for greater integration of National Societies into local and national preparedness frameworks and response mechanisms. It must also incorporate awareness raising among communities and other key stakeholders about the urgency and potential impact of extreme rainfall events in Europe and Central Asia, including recognition of the vulnerabilities prevalent in regions that have not previously experienced disasters. Because communities and local authorities often rely on subjective experiences rather than past data, evidence-based advocacy is essential to ensure disaster risk management decisions are grounded in objective information, helping strengthen preparedness, response, and locally led resilience efforts.
World: Enhancing Red Cross Red Crescent Preparedness For Extreme Rain Events – Scoping Study, 27 June 2025
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