Special maps are designed to help cities and communities better protect themselves against damage caused by heavy rain.
In view of past storm events, it is important "that we as a state support the municipalities in positioning themselves to be crisis-proof," said Hesse's Environment Minister Priska Hinz (Greens) on Thursday, according to a statement at the 100th handover of a so-called flow path map.
The town of Runkel received this together with the municipality of Brechen (both district of Limburg-Weilburg).
The maps are calculated by the "Climate Change and Adaptation Center" at the Hessian State Agency for Nature Conservation, Environment and Geology (HLNUG), as it was also said.
"Several heavy rain events occur in Hesse every year, some of which have already caused serious damage in municipalities," explained HLNUG President Thomas Schmid.
With climate change, the frequency and intensity of such heavy downpours is increasing.
Funding from the Ministry of the Environment
The maps "give a first impression of the paths the water can take in heavy rain.
With this set of tools, municipalities can better prepare for heavy rain events and prepare for their consequences.”
That doesn't always mean a lot of effort: "Sometimes even relatively small measures help to defuse a danger point," according to the state office.
The cards are therefore financed by the Ministry of the Environment as a measure of the "Integrated Climate Protection Plan 2025".
There is a nominal fee for the municipalities.
Interest is increasing: Before the flood disaster in the Ahr Valley in 2021, around 30 cities and municipalities in Hesse had applied for a flow path map.
There are now 280 orders.