The DIRECTED General Assembly (GA) in Rimini was highly productive and provided ample opportunities for professional exchanges. The GA was organized by our Italian project partners, ARPAE (the Regional Agency for the Environment and Energy) and GECOsistema (a climate risk and geospatial intelligence company). Two flood protection exercises were integrated into the General Assembly’s schedule, which were planned and conducted in collaboration with the local civil protection authorities.
G&Co also had the opportunity to attend a live meeting of the civil protection organizations of Emilia-Romagna during one of their risk assessment meetings and to accompany the regional Agency for Civil Protection in conducting exercises to prevent storm surge and flooding. From this we gained deep insights into civil and disaster protection not only in Rimini but throughout the whole Emilia-Romagna region.
In the exercise scenario, the regional civil protection’s hydrometeorological forecasting model issued a warning for a water level of 1.85 meters above normal, which would lead to widespread flooding in the coastal region of Rimini. In response to this occurrence, we were shown how the situation is analyzed, discussed and emergency response teams are coordinated from the “Control Rooms.”
Approximately 50 volunteers from the regional civil protection agency demonstrated the targeted construction of a sandbag barrier and the reinforcement of a dam flank with a tarpaulin, thereby demonstrating how particularly vulnerable areas are preventively secured. The earlier protective measures can be implemented, the better the anticipated damages can be mitigated—underscoring the importance of effective early warning systems and seamless operations in a crisis situation.
The grand finale of the exercise was a lunch prepared by numerous civil protection helpers in a mobile kitchen, which was then served at makeshift seating arrangements.
In summary, the General Assembly in Rimini provided G&Co with exciting insights into regional disaster protection measures, revealed important findings and set new impulses for the continued work in our Real-World Lab – the Danube Region and, it further strengthened the consortium as a cohesive team.
For more information on our involvement in Directed, please visit our Projects page.