Disaster Prevention and Preparedness

A truck drives through a flooded street

About

Natural and man-made disasters have major impact on people’s lives. They affect the economy, our security and our well-being. Preparedness is key for protecting lives and preventing damage.

The Challenge

Over the past decade, 80 000 people in the European Union have lost their lives due to natural disasters. In addition, the economic damage of these disasters amounts to 95 billion. Natural disasters are not the only threat – man-made disasters such as nuclear incidents, oil spills or chemical accidents can have a deep impact on both society and the environment.

Capacity building

When disasters strike, a quick and well-coordinated response can make the difference between life and death. It is therefore crucial to strengthen governments ability to act swiftly and effectively. This includes the identification of risks and vulnerabilities, as well as developing a thorough contingency plan for likely scenarios. The plan should include clearly defined roles and responsibilities for everyone involved at all levels of society, such as a national coordination centre, police, telecommunication providers, hospitals and schools.  

Sharing know-how

All countries face the risks of disasters although their nature may vary by regions. Sharing experiences and know-how across countries is an important part of disaster preparedness in various fields, such as search-and-rescue, fighting forest fires or ensuring nuclear safety.  

Our Approach

Our goal

We aim to improve disaster resilience in Europe

How?

The Grants support the implementation of international obligations, recommendations and standards. This includes activities such as:  

  • Mainstreaming of disaster risk management to support resilience investments
  • Development and improvement of national acts and regulations based on international recommendations and commitments.
  • Development of national, regional and local risk assessment systems
  • Cross-border cooperation on risk management policies and practices, and on disaster impacts
  • Strengthening of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear safety and security

Download the overview of our support to Disaster Prevention and Preparedness to see the full list of suggested activities

Creating partnerships

The exchange of knowledge and experience is essential for building know-how and increasing disaster prevention and preparedness in Europe. Organisations from the donor and beneficiary countries are therefore encouraged to cooperate through the programmes.