Many people in Germany seek increased protection against extreme weather consequences and are willing to spend money on prevention, a survey by insurance firm R+V shows.
The survey results revealed that 87% of the 1,000 participants surveyed would support increased government investment in flood protection.
The survey also shows that around two-thirds would support halting construction in flood-prone risk areas.
"The latest images of the flooding in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg show that Germany should be prepared for similar disasters at any moment," R+V boss Norbert Rollinger said.
Given the impact of climate change, he emphasized the need for urgent action by politicians.
"If too much soil is sealed, poorly maintained dykes continue to deteriorate, and new buildings are permitted in floodplains, the risk of more frequent and severe damage will increase in the future."
About one in three people said they have experienced storm damage before, usually from storms or heavy rain.
Over half (55%) of the survey respondents are willing to spend money on storm protection measures, and nearly 28% have already taken preventive actions, the data shows.
The current floods in southern Germany have sparked a debate about mandatory natural hazard insurance in the country. The industry is critical of the compulsory insurance demanded by the federal states, mainly due to the fear of high costs.
"Compulsory insurance as the sole means of protection helps no one - neither homeowners nor the federal states and local authorities," insurance industry group GDV boss Jörg Asmussen said.
The survey was conducted on May 2 and 3, prior to the floods in southern Germany.
In the past few days, several places in southern Germany have seen the kind of rainfall that they statistically see only every 50 to 100 years.
The discovery of a flood victim on Wednesday brought the total number of deaths in the floods in southern Germany to six.