Disaster threats in the European Union. Natural hazards

The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of natural disasters that threaten the safety of citizens within the European Union. It is the first in a series of articles that will address anthropogenic and health risks, risk management policies, and research activities at the European level. The goal is to assess the threats affecting European society and to examine the political, scientific, and societal responses to them.

In a context where Europeans are increasingly confronted with emergencies and crises linked to disasters of various origins, it is becoming essential to approach the complexity of disaster risk management with a fresh perspective, both in terms of the political planning of this management and at the operational level. The goal is to develop an approach that encompasses all stakeholders to enable better prevention, preparedness, and response to extreme events, and to provide the best possible support for reconstruction efforts, drawing on field experience and scientific advances developed at the international, national, and local levels. A holistic approach is necessary, despite the challenges it entails—particularly the multidisciplinary and intercultural aspects, the fragmentation of knowledge, its transfer to users (policymakers, managers, and first responders), its implementation, and citizen engagement.

This article, based on communications from the European Commission, provides an overview of the various types of natural disasters affecting Europe. It examines lessons learned from the past and describes the impacts of extreme weather events, namely heavy precipitation, heat waves, storms, floods, droughts, and wildfires. The article further examines geophysical risks, namely earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, landslides, risks of subsidence and collapse, and avalanches. [SE 4 202] and [SE 4 204] address human-induced threats (e.g., industrial accidents, terrorism), cascade effects, and health risks. The series will be supplemented by overview articles on European policies regarding disaster risk management and European research in areas such as societal resilience, risk governance, technologies supporting first responders, CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear) risks, and the need for interoperability and standardization.