Lecture 18: Case studies – floods in the 21st century. Social and political responses

Question 1

Hazard meaning

Answer 1

The frequency and severity of a source of danger which may cause loss.

Question 2

Vulnerability meaning

Answer 2

The extent to which the subject matter could be affected by the hazard. A measure of susceptibility and resilience.

Question 3

Exposure meaning

Answer 3

Proximity of the subject matter at risk.

Question 4

Why do we need to manage floods?

Answer 4

Devastating nature of flooding

Health effects of flooding

Long term impacts of inundation

Question 5

Is flood risk increasing?

Answer 5

Media attention

Increasing losses?

There is still uncertainty around whether the physical hazard of flooding is getting worse

Risk appears to be increasing, but it is difficult to ascertain and disentangle the causes of this

Emphasises the need to have effective flood management

Question 6

External influences on flooding and flood management

Answer 6

Environmental

• climate change
• land use change

Economic

• existing development
• new development

Political

Question 7

Hazard response types
Reduce hazard

Flood management options

Answer 7

Modify the event
Reduce the impact

Catchment management
Engineering/ mitigation

Question 8

Hazard response types
Adjust people

Flood management options

Answer 8

Select the location
Select the activity

Land use embargos
Land use planning

Question 9

Hazard response types

Flood management options

Answer 9

Share the loss
Bear the loss

Flood insurance
Behavioral aspects

Question 10

Typology of flood management

Flood hazard

Answer 10

Flood defence measures

“Softer” flood hazard defence measures

Question 11

Typology of flood management

Vulnerability

Answer 11

Building standards
Individual-scale mitigation measures
House-raising
Flood preparedness/ emergency response

Question 12

Typology of flood management

Exposure

Answer 12

Land use planning and development control
Voluntary purchase and the total loss of properties
Managed retreat

Question 13

Flood Hazard

Engineered flood defence measures e.g.

Answer 13

• flood walls

- redirection of flood waters

Question 14

Flood Hazard

“Softer” flood hazard defence measures e.g.

Answer 14

• afforestation
• flood meadows
• temporary flood storage area

Question 15

Vulnerability

Answer 15

Building standards

Individual-scale mitigation measures

e. g.
- demountable barriers
- flood skirts
- raising sockets in the property
- air brick covers

Style of building and house-raising

Flood preparedness/ emergency response

e. g.
- education and raising awareness
- flood forecasting and flood warning
- flood contingency planning
- evacuation

Question 16

Exposure

Answer 16

Land use planning and development control

Voluntary purchase of properties

Managed retreat/ realignment

Question 17

Flood defences are not suitable in all cases

Answer 17

Impact on awareness, environment, biodiversity

Other measures (individual) may also be cost-effective

When breached they often catch people by surprise

Defences saved 280 000 properties in the autumn 2000 floods

Question 18

Land use planning has a pivotal role within flood management

Answer 18

Approximately one in ten planning applications in England are in areas of flood risk

Failure to prevent development on the floodplain

Question 19

Increasing awareness and raising flood preparedness

Answer 19

Environment Agency campaigns

Emergency response/ Floodline

Flood preparedness tools

Question 20

Difficulty of decreasing vulnerability

Answer 20

With increasing flood risk raising awareness will need to become more important

Risk denial and risk displacement

Problem with inducing behavioural change