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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