Central Europe is experiencing its biggest floods in decades. But that is only the latest round of climate-related phenomena — from heat and cold waves, to storms, wildfires and landslides — that have pushed many communities to the breaking point.
As some worry this is becoming ‘the new normal’, those whose job it is to protect people from these emergencies say preparing for multiple, overlapping crisis will become more important than ever.
“As Europe is warming much faster than the rest of the world, floods are occurring more frequently and with more unpredictability,” says Andreas von Weissenberg, the IFRC’s Head of Health, Disasters, Climate and Crises in Europe. “Scaling up climate adaptation action and strengthening preparedness is a must.”
But what does that mean in a region already dealing with an international conflict, mass migration, an increase in communicable diseases, continued risk of earthquakes, as well as human-induced disasters such as industrial and transportation accidents?
For Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies, it means continuing to play a key role in helping people and communities prepare for future crisis, even while responding to ongoing emergencies.
“Europe and Central Asia is a large and complex region that is facing an unprecedented escalation in several types of hazards, in addition to the risk of recurrent and severe flooding,” says Megan Krolik, IFRC’s National Society Preparedness Coordinator for Europe.
Even as communities struggle to recover from floods, wildfires or earthquakes, they must also be thinking about — and getting ready for — whatever comes next. As part of these affected communities, Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies must address these challenges head on.
“It is more important than ever to ensure that we have the necessary skills, resources, and capacities to effectively manage domestic disaster responses, as well as the larger, cross-border humanitarian crises, both of which are becoming more and more frequent,” Krolik says.
In the Roma village in Osh, Kyrgyzstan, a man stands next to what is left of his home. Made from traditional clay bricks, his house was washed away after a nearby river flooded the village in July, destroying and damaging many homes.
Photo: Yulia Bilenko/IFRC
‘Sustainable preparedness’
National Societies impacted by the Ukraine conflict have seen first-hand the need to scale up their own institutional preparedness.
“In the past year of the emergency response operation in Ukraine and the impacted countries, the operational preparedness of National Societies has become a clear priority,” says Krolik, adding that the lessons learned from this experience are being turned into operational analyses that enable National Societies to make a high level of preparedness sustainable over the long term.
In addition, operational reviews required as part of IFRC’s funding mechanisms help the IFRC and National Societies analyze hazards and challenges, as well as the capacity of each National Society, and then develop the best possible preparedness strategies.
The IFRC has also been working with National Societies on a range of preparedness efforts across Europe and Central Asia:
• The creation of 11 new Emergency Operation Centres to help coordinate regional responses.
• The launch of a new platform, called X-Stock, by five National Societies in southeastern Europe, for managing warehouse space and relief supplies in real time.
• The participations of more National Societies in regional and national emergency simulations.
• Scaling up of disaster response team training on many aspects of emergency response.
Volunteers with the Slovak Red Cross bring supplies to people displaced by the conflict in Ukraine.
Photo: Nora Peter/IFRC
The Slovak Red Cross is one of the National Societies going through this preparedness transformation.
“Over the past two and a half years, we have witnessed an influx of displaced people from Ukraine,” says Katarína Rakická, Operations Manager at the Slovak Red Cross (SRC). “The SRC has been engaged in the provision of support and services for the displaced population that was transiting through the country, as well as for those who have decided to stay and settle down.”
Due to the complex situation, there is a renewed commitment to National Society strengthening.
“We have prioritized disaster preparedness and have developed a work plan to strengthen our response capacity, with a particular emphasis on migration,” Katarína states.
Volunteers with the Austrian Red Cross prepare supplies to be loaded on a truck for distribution.
Photo: Austrian Red Cross
The Slovak Red Cross is not the only National Society in the region putting its response capacity to the test.
The Lithuanian Red Cross has a highly skilled staff and a willingness to further develop its disaster management team. But prior to the Ukraine conflict, it had never been involved in such a large-scale emergency response.
“The arrival of migrants and refugees from Ukraine has provided the Lithuanian Red Cross with significant experience in handling emergencies," notes Eray Atay, IFRC’s Senior Preparedness Officer in Europe. "This situation has helped them develop their operations, expand their teams, and enhance their response capacities.”
A shared concern
Now the Lithuanian Red Cross, along with other European National Societies, is going even further by developing contingency planning for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) events. This is particularly relevant due to the proximity of a nuclear power plant to the Lithuanian border.
“This concern is shared by other National Societies in the Baltic region and in Central Europe,” Eray says. “This is due to the presence of numerous nuclear and chemical plants, and the potential for accidents or conflict-related incidents.”
CBRN preparedness is a key topic in the Preparedness for Effective Response (PER) workshops which the IFRC is rolling out across the region.
“Developing contingency plans tailored to each National Society's mandate and capacities is crucial,” Eray adds.“These plans help National Societies in the region to define their roles and responsibilities, ensuring they can effectively respond to various disaster scenarios that may impact their countries.”
A volunteer with the Kyrgyszstan Red Crescent looks over extensive damage caused to a community by heavy flooding in June 2024.
Photo: Kyrgyszstan Red Crescent
Sharing regional stockpiles
The COVID-19 pandemic also highlighted the need for regional preparedness, and in particular, cross-border stockpiling and transportation strategies, according to Nebojsa Medojevic, IFRC Disaster and Crisis Preparedness Delegate in Europe.
This is one reason that five National Societies in the southeast European region created the X-Stock Platform for managing warehouse space on a regional basis. This helps them enhance cross-border emergency management through shared real-time management of emergency stock.
“The X-STOCK platform was created as a virtual warehouse to improve regional preparedness, enabling real-time stock management and facilitating emergency relief”, he says.
The fact that 11 European National Societies have established Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs) will also help National Societies strengthen crisis management, internal communication and data analysis, he adds.
“EOCs have played a crucial role in monitoring and responding to emergencies,” according to Nebojsa. “Many National Societies have extended the concept to their field branches, based on exposure and vulnerability to potential future disasters.”
