RAINMAN

Risks of heavy rain events are increasing all over central Europe. The devastating impact of extreme rainfalls ranks among the most significant natural risks. RAINMAN aims to improve integrated management capacities of public authorities to mitigate heavy rain events and to reduce health and environmental damages. Partners and stakeholders from the regional, national and EU-level will jointly develop practice-oriented innovative methods and tools intended to map, assess and reduce heavy rain risks with the aim to cut down fatalities and damages. The project will also implement innovative forecast and smart warning tools designed to increase the risk management, emergency responsiveness and mitigation capacities of public institutions responsible for the management of environmental risks. Ultimately, recommendations for the integration of heavy rain risks into the EU floods directive will be developed and presented to the EU working group on floods.

The project’s main results are: local and regional administrations gain knowledge and tools to assess the risks of heavy rain for their territory (increased capacities), they use the tools for adapted integrated territorial management and decision making for environmental and infrastructure projects as well as urban developments and they are enabled to raise public awareness and inform local and regional actors about existing risks and individual adaptation by the developed toolbox and implementation guidance. In detail the changes achieved by the project are e.g.: – administrations & people in risk areas know better about the risk situation and take prevention measures, – for people & businesses situated in risk areas the risk of casualties is reduced, – warning systems installed by the project support the preparedness of people and authorities under risk, – prevention measures are realised efficiently due to planning and decision support of the developed toolbox. Altogether, methods & tools, pilot actions & trainings provided and implemented within the project contribute to the expected results and specific objective of the programme: The project results enable the public sector on different governance levels & private entities to better manage the increasing risks of heavy rain events and therefore reduce potential damages. Consequently, this provides a stronger and more reliable basis for the sustainable use and the development of the environmental resources.