Floods are natural events. They occur at different heights and at irregular intervals. There have always been floods, and we have to expect them at any time. The Flood Reporting Service publishes flood forecasts for the Rhineland-Palatinate waters under www.hochwasser-rlp.de.
 

In order to better protect and prepare ourselves, we need to know how high the water can rise and which areas can be affected. For the larger rivers in the country, flood hazard maps and flood risk maps are available, which show what can happen up to extreme flood events. These are published on the Internet at www.hochwassermanagement.rlp.de. Flooding can occur not only due to the overflow of rivers, but also during heavy thunderstorms on areas where no one expects it. There are no maps for such possible heavy rain events, but there are indications on how to prepare. (www.ibh,rlp.de)
 

For humans, flooding only becomes a catastrophe with high damage because it has built into the flood-prone areas without regard to the risk. In accordance with current legislation, the Structure and Permit Directorates have established flood plains on the larger rivers in Rhineland-Palatinate, which pronounce prohibitions and commandments for damage reduction, to which everyone must adhere. 
 

In Germany, every person who may be affected by flooding is obliged, within the scope of what is possible and reasonable, to take appropriate precautionary measures to protect against adverse flood consequences and to reduce damage. Only when measures to protect the general public against flooding become necessary, i.e. property damage occurs more frequently to an extraordinary extent for a larger number of those affected, is there an overriding public interest in flood protection. Then the cities and municipalities, the districts and the state are responsible. 
 

But you have to know: Flooding cannot be prevented and there is no absolute flood protection through walls and. Therefore, comprehensive flood prevention is a prerequisite for keeping the damage as low as possible. For this purpose, the flood-free time must be used.

Comprehensive information on flood prevention and flood protection can be found at:

The responsibility for flood protection lies in principle with the municipalities, which are responsible for the affairs of the local community, planning and security.

River basin-related, conceptual planning in flood protection as the basis of functional services of general interest is perceived by the country. In addition, the Land supports the municipalities in their projects by providing existing planning data.

Water hazard means the risk of water to an area, regardless of whether the risk is posed by water bodies or artificial water accumulations (flooding, ice skating) or is caused by other events (e.g. cloudburst, rupture of water water storage).

If immediate precautions are necessary to avert an emerging water hazard, the neighbouring municipalities, even if they are not threatened, are obliged to provide the necessary assistance in accordance with Section 52 (1) of the Hessian Water Act (HWG) if this is the order of the day. can happen without significant disadvantages of its own. The municipality obliged to do so must act on its very toits as soon as it recognizes the water hazard at the latest on the call for help from the threatened municipality and not only on the order of the water authority. If a dike is at risk in the event of flooding, the residents of the threatened and, if necessary, the neighbouring communities shall, by means of personal services or other services on the orders of the water authority in accordance with Section 52 (2) hWG, have necessary assistance.

Where necessary, the water authorities shall set up flood warning and reporting services to above-ground waters in order to warn the local competent authorities in good time of expected flooding, Section 53 (1) HWG. Municipalities which, according to experience, are endangered by flooding must establish a water defence service in accordance with Section 53 (2) hWG.

In the event of an imminent imminent danger and in the event of a decalibration of the Rhine and Main winter dikes, the water authority is authorised to carry out operations by the units and facilities of the civil protection (Section 26 of the HbKG). The obligation to pay costs and the reimbursement of costs for the use of the fire brigades are governed by Sections 60 and 61 of the HBKG.

Flood protection is the responsibility of the bodies responsible for local community affairs, urban land-use planning and hazard prevention.