Newsletter 1, 2023 from the IAHR Technical Committee on Flood Risk Management

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White paper: The role of hydraulic engineering in support of flood mitigation and resilience

This important White Paper, co-authored by members of the FRM Technical Committee, provides an overview of principles and ongoing developments in Integrated Flood Risk Management (IFRM), a holistic approach aimed at managing floods properly and effectively. The paper is available for free download.

Hydrolink paper on Integrated flood risk management as a tool to achieve UN Sustainable Development Goals

Floods are the most frequent type of hazard around the globe, affecting more people than any other natural hazards. A total of 222 floods were recorded in 2021 with approximately 30 million people affected (www.emdat.be/database). In 2030, this number could rise to 54 million/year according to the World Resources Institute, despite large infrastructure investments made to mitigate disaster risk. Effective practices of Integrated Flood Risk Management (IFRM) are needed to achieve Sustainable Development Goals in the future. The paper is available for free download.

Special Session on Integrated Flood Risk Management from Science to Practice organised during the 40th IAHR World Congress (Austria, August 2023)

Great success for the Special Session Integrated Flood Risk Management from Science to Practice, organized by the FRM-TC at the 40th IAHR World Congress (Vienna, 21-25 August 2023). Intending to bridge the connection between scientific researchers, practitioners, and flood managers for sustainable flood risk planning and implementation, the session collected 11 contributions from 7 countries.

Session on Flood Risk Management organised during the 4th IAHR Young Professionals Congress (online, 2023) 

The Flood Risk Management session of the 4th IAHR Young Professionals Congress (online, 22- 24 November 2023) was chaired by FRM-TC members. The IAHR Young Professionals Congress is an online, free-of-charge Congress, a wonderful opportunity for early-career scientists from all over the world to present their work and get mentoring from leading experts. The session on Flood Risk Management collected 7 contributions from 5 countries and led to very fruitful discussions on the present and future challenges of FRM.

Course on “Basic Features of HEC-RAS Software” organised during the 40th International school of Hydraulics (Poland, 2023) 

The course “Basic Features of HEC-RAS Software” was held by FRM-TC member Dr. Tomasz Dysarz at the 40th International School of Hydraulics – Advances in Hydraulic Research, which took place under the auspices of IAHR in Kąty Rybackie (Poland) on 23rd – 26th May 2023. The purpose of the course was a short and gentle introduction to HEC-RAS, one of the most powerful tools for hydrodynamic simulation of free-surface flows. The focus was set on the preparation of a hydrodynamic model with and without GIS data. The course was attended by small, yet active and enthusiastic groups of students. This successful initiative is intended to be repeated ahead of the next English editions of the International Schools of Hydraulics, which takes place in Poland every two years.

Special Session “Flood risk management for El Niño phenomena global impact 2023-2024” organised during the 8th IAHR Europe Congress (Lisbon, 2024)

The special session on Flood risk management for El Niño phenomena global impact 2023-2024 (SS E1) is co-organized by FRM-TC members. The session aims to discuss the role of El Niño phenomena, as impacted by climate change, on the recent and future flood events.

New initiative “Vision paper on the current and the future vision of IFRM”

The FRM Technical Committee is leading a new initiative aimed at defining a future and shared vision of Integrated Flood Risk Management. More than 15 experts have been already involved by participating in a survey, and we want to include people associated with our committee during the next year. Stay tuned on our webpage!

New Co-Opted member: Prof. Prof. Anastasios I. Stamou

We welcome Prof. Anastasios I. Stamou from the Technical University of Athens to our community. Thanks to his experience and expertise, we are confident that he can effectively contribute to the initiatives and objectives of the FRM Technical Committee.

Season’s Greetings

The FRM Technical Committee wishes everyone happy holidays and a year filled with happiness and success.

This newsletter is edited by Tomasz Dysarz, Ravindra Vitthal Kale, and Daniele P. Viero. If you are interested in presenting actual developments within our newsletter, please send your contributions to Daniele P. Viero at daniele.viero@unipd.it