Decision making in disaster risk reduction across different levels Bonn, 10-11 December 2014

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Disaster Management during the
Elbe flood disaster 2013 – the
Fischbeck example
Robert Juepner
University of Kaiserslautern, Germany
(State authority for flood protection and water
management Saxony-Anhalt, Germany)
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1. June 2013 flood disaster at the Elbe river
in Germany
2. Challenges for emergency management:
Example dike break near Fischbeck
3. Decision Making process

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River Elbe and Saale in
Germany: exceedance of
highest water levels ever
recorded during the Flood
in June 2013 (in red)
(German Federal Institute of
Hydrology, 2013), 2013)
Fischbeck
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Gauging station
maximum peak
[m]
HQ100 level [m] HQ200 level [m]
Tangermuende 8.38 8.00 8.28
Magdeburg -
Strombruecke
7.47 6.95 7.13
Barby 7.62 7.06 7.24
Water levels during the Elbe flood disaster in June 2013
referring hydrological data

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1. June 2013 flood disasters at the Elbe
river in Germany
2. Challenges for emergency management:
Example dike break near Fischbeck
3. Decision making process
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Dike at the river Elbe close to Fischbeck; June 9, 2013 at 1:27 pm (Ellmann, 2013))

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Dike at the river Elbe close to Fischbeck; June 9, 2013 at 7:42 pm (Blohmer, 2013))
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Dike break close to Fischbeck; June 10, 6:00 pm (Juepner, 2013)

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Inundated area as a result of the dike break close to Fischbeck (Juepner, 2013)
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Inundated farmhouse close to Fischbeck (Juepner, 2013)

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Inundated pig fattening houses close to Scharlibbe (Foto: Jüpner, 2013)
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Dike break near Fischbeck at the Elbe river:
o Reason: Sliding of inner and outer slope and
lowering of the crest
o Overtopping of the dike at that reach
o Discharge at the beginning: > 500 m³/s
o Overall water flowing inland: 225 Mio m³
o Inundated area: 150 km²
o Evacuated people: > 9,000

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1. June 2013 flood disasters at the Elbe
river in Germany
2. Challenges for emergency management:
Example dike break near Fischbeck
3. Decision making process
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Decision making process – responsibilities in
the German emergency management system
County level: emergency management during “ordinary disasters”
State level: emergency management during state-wide disasters
Federal level: support of emergency management by resources and
technique (f.e. armed forces)

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Questions of emergency management forces in the
case of a large dike break (Fischbeck case):
- What area will be affected by inundation?
- What water levels have to be expected?
- What is the dynamic of the process?
- What will be the influence to emergency management
measures (evacuation routes etc.)
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Example for a dike failure scenario
Assumption of the
dike breach length:
100 m
Results after:
a.) 3 hours
b.) 6 hours
c.) 12 hours
d.) 24 hours
e.) 48 hours

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(Mueller, 2013)
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Lagebesprechung Deichschließung Fischbeck (Foto: LHW, 2013)

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Decision making process - challenges
- Different types of disasters (flooding, fire …)
- small and large scale disasters
- Involvement of specific knowledge necessary
- situation in the disaster region is influenced by a lot of
measures:
- Emergency management measures
- Actions taking by the people
Information level of the decision makers?!
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Thanks for your attention!
Prof. Dr. Robert Jüpner
Hydraulic engineering and water management
University of Kaiserslautern
E-Mail: robert.juepner@bauing.uni-kl.de