2021 floods: will Europe heed the warnings?

In July 2021, weather system ‘Bernd’ caused catastrophic damage and inconceivable human suffering in several European countries. Severe flooding, particularly in Germany, claimed more than 230 lives and left many communities in ruins. The Zurich Flood Resilience Alliance's Post-Event Review Capability (PERC) methodology assesses the impact of weather events in search of practical recommendations for reducing future damage. PERC identified significant shortcomings in the levels of preparedness for the dimensions of this event, as well as the management of the crisis and the reconstruction process. There is no time to lose in addressing these issues. As climate change intensifies weather events further still, it is a near-certainty that without decisive action, such an event will happen again