Disaster Preparedness and Resilience in Central and Eastern European Urban Areas

Climate change is to inevitably bring an increase in the rate of natural disasters and their consequences. Only in the past two decades, 99% of total disaster deaths among EU member countries have been caused by extreme temperatures and their derived effects. Central and Eastern European countries are not exempt from this trend.

Damages can decrease tenfold if EU member countries promptly and efficiently start implementing adaptation measures. Therefore, disaster preparedness becomes a critical matter to address, especially so since it brings the efficacy and inclusiveness of our strategies to become more resilient, directly influencing how much harm reduction we can achieve. In that same line, adaptation in urban areas also opens up unique opportunities.