Europeans name extreme weather as top disaster risk

Exposure to extreme weather events polled as the biggest disaster risk to Europeans, in a survey that also revealed a demand for more information to prepare for emergencies. A recent Eurobarometer survey on disaster risk and preparedness found citizens in 17 of 27 member states were most concerned about risks linked to climate change, including wildfires for respondents in Portugal and Cyprus and floods for Bulgarians.

However, respondents in Sweden, Denmark and the Czech Republic named cybersecurity as their number one threat, while in Germany the top risk was political and geopolitical tensions. In Estonia the top threat emerged as critical infrastructure disruptions and in Finland it was human health emergencies.

Across all member states, two-thirds of respondents said they need more information to better prepare for disasters in Europe. More than a third said it is difficult to find relevant information to increase their individual resilience to disasters.

“A risk-aware and prepared population is a crucial component of disaster resilience. We need to bear in mind various hazards and build preparedness and resilience of our society accordingly,” said Janez Lenarčič, European commissioner for crisis management.

Last year, the European Commission adopted a position to boost disaster resilience in civil protection in the preparation and response to disasters in Europe. It included targets to significantly increase the level of disaster risk awareness and preparedness among Europeans by 2030.

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