Natural Hazards and the Impact on Länder Budgets in Austria

The analysis focuses on floods because they are causing the biggest damages in Austria. Hail and drought are other hazards that are covered in the study. Case studies explore in more depth the following questions: How vulnerable are objects in flood zones of low event probability? How well can hydrological models reproduce the observed economic damage? How can urban and rural planning procedures be improved in order to reduce potential losses? The results show that hazard zone maps are not well suited to indicate economic losses in case a flood event happens. However, such maps do indicate the exposure to risks. A set of concrete proposals has been developed to guide decision makers how to better address flood risks in spatial planning in Austria.