Check whether parts of the event area are located in flooded area

Concretisation of the measure

At Kirchentag unusual venues are always chosen for events. In the outdoor area meadows and places near rivers were often used for large concerts and services in the past. Here it is necessary to check whether parts of the event area are located in flood areas, because then level monitoring of relevant rivers (here: Emscher) by the organazation is necessary.

Preparation within the framework of the Kirchentag in Dortmund

The Emscher is the only watercourse that touches the event site and has been renaturalised in large sections. However, the preliminary examination revealed that no event areas are located in HQ 100 areas („century flood level”). Otherwise the Kirchentag would have coordinated with the flood management of the Emschergenossenschaft and the City of Dortmund regarding necessary safety measures, as described for example in the federal flood protection primer (see link below).

During the implementation of the Kirchentag in Dortmund

Even though no event area was affected, all gauges in the Dortmund area were inconspicuous during the Kirchentag, with regard to the threat of flooding.

Environmental/climate protection aspect

Flooding of event areas leads to the destruction of resources on the one hand and to the introduction of pollutants into the river on the other.

Climate adaptation aspect

Floods can occur more frequently and more severely. A close look at possible overlaps with the event area is therefore essential.

Cost/benefit/effort

Usually the data is available to the responsible authorities, so that a demand can quickly lead to initial clarifications. The provision of a possibly necessary replacement area in case of actual flooding is very costly. If this is the case, then the analysis should be very accurate.