A survey conducted by the polling firm YouGov for insurer AXA reveals that many homes in Germany are evidently poorly prepared for extreme weather events, even as global warming is expected to increase flooding. The study, which interviewed 2,005 people nationwide-of whom 991 were property owners-shows that most basements still have open window grilles. Only about a third of respondents have installed lock‑able basement windows that could help keep rainwater out during heavy downpours.
Moreover, just 18 % of the surveyed owners have fitted back‑flow valves that prevent sewage from rushing back into buildings through the drainage system, and even fewer have set up protective walls or portable barriers. “There are still too many houses where water can flow freely into the basement” said Marc Zimmermann, head of property insurance at AXA Germany, adding that many of these damages could be avoided with relatively simple measures.