Central Europe hit by 'historic flooding'

Extreme rainfall in Central Europe has led to large scale flooding, damaged homes and infrastructure, and resulted in the evacuation of hundreds of homes. While Czechia, Austria, Romania and Poland bore the brunt of torrential downpours, the German states of Saxony and Bavaria were also partly affected. "Germany is bracing itself for the second 'flood of the century' within a single summer. But these are not isolated natural disasters," said Davide Faranda, researcher at the Pierre-Simon Laplace institute. "Research shows that extreme rainfall is becoming more frequent and more intense due to human-induced climate change." Southern Germany had experienced mass floods in June.

There is scientific consensus on the link between climate change and the rise in extreme weather events such as heavy rainfall. Insurers in Germany have repeatedly called homeowners to stop building in flood-prone areas and warned that insuring residential buildings could become twice as expensive, as companies would need to decide whether they will still be able to insure all damage caused by natural hazards in the long term. A nationwide mandatory insurance against natural hazards is a hotly contested topic in the country.

A vast majority of municipalities in Germany say they have already suffered from the impacts of climate change, according to a survey commissioned by the country's environment agency (UBA).