The International Guidelines on Natural and Nature Based Features for Fluvial Flood Risk Management:the concept and the way forward

The International Guidelines on Natural and Nature-Based Features for Flood Risk Management emphasize the role of nature-based solutions and natural infrastructure (e.g., beaches, dunes, islands, marshes) as an alternative to conventional hardened infrastructure for flood and coastal storm risk reduction. The Guidelines will equip decision-makers, project planners and practitioners with strategies that reduce flood risks to communities and improve infrastructure resilience. The document is organized so readers can begin where their interests lie. The Guidelines are an excellent starting point for the implementation of NNBF, but there is also a need to develop appropriate frameworks that quantify the (co-)benefits of NNBF. Furthermore, there are opportunities to connect NNBF to global initiatives like the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which even increases the potential of NNBF.</p

Sustainable Catchment-Wide Flood Management: A Review of the Terminology and Application of Sustainable Catchment Flood Management Techniques in the UK

Climate change has seen increased pressures put on the existing ageing flood mitigation infrastructure. As a result, over recent decades there has been a shift from traditional hard-engineered approaches to flooding to more sustainable methods that utilise nature-based processes in order to slow flow, store water and increase infiltration. Doing so has resulted in a range of different nomenclature for such techniques, particularly in the rural environment. This paper takes a critical review of such terms to draw parallels in the different approaches, with the aim of developing a more unified, consistent approach to flood management. Furthermore, links have been drawn with the urban environment, where Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) are used as a sustainable approach to urban flooding. The findings from this review have identified a series of issues that result from the current UK approach of differentiating between urban and rural flood risk, with funding often given for Natural Flood Management (NFM) projects separately to SuDS, with little integrated thinking from source to sea. Hence, the review suggests (1) a greater consideration of scale, focusing on the catchment as a whole, is required to ensure a more holistic approach to flood management, under the phrase “sustainable catchment-wide flood management”, to ensure that the focus shifts from NFM (rural) and SuDS (urban), to a more integrated catchment-wide approach; (2) the development of robust policy and regulatory framework, to ensure that such an approach is more widely adopted; (3) a greater consideration of the long-term costs is also required, with future research needed on the long-term maintenance costs of different methods; (4) the development of modelling approaches that can simulate flow at a range of spatial and temporal scales, to support stakeholders, such as local authorities, flood risk engineers and government agencies when considering flow not only in rural areas, but also to understand the impact beyond the immediate area around the scheme

The costs and impacts of the winter 2013/14 floods in England and Wales

Between December 2013 and March 2014, the UK witnessed heavy and prolonged rainfall, including the wettest January on record in parts of the country and around twice the average monthly rainfall in other locations. The East Coast was also affected by the largest coastal surge since 1953. These events resulted in significant coastal damage and prolonged fluvial and groundwater flooding affecting a large expanse of England and Wales. During this period many properties, crucial transport infrastructure and farmland were flooded. This study for the UK Environment Agency, led by Risk & Policy Analysts (RPA) in association with HaskoningDHV UK, John Chatterton Associates and Morris Resource Economics, reviewed more than 500 documents, articles and reports and requested information from more than 640 individuals and organisations. Through careful consideration of the reliability of each and every piece of data, we were able to calculate a best estimate for the economic costs of the winter 2013/14 floods (in 2014 values) of €1.7 billion, with uncertainty resulting in a range of between €1.3 billion to €1.9 billion. Residential properties suffered the greatest proportion of damages, with 25% of total damages (best estimate of €410 million incurred by 10,465 properties)

The costs and impacts of the winter 2013/14 floods in England and Wales

Between December 2013 and March 2014, the UK witnessed heavy and prolonged rainfall, including the wettest January on record in parts of the country and around twice the average monthly rainfall in other locations. The East Coast was also affected by the largest coastal surge since 1953. These events resulted in significant coastal damage and prolonged fluvial and groundwater flooding affecting a large expanse of England and Wales. During this period many properties, crucial transport infrastructure and farmland were flooded. This study for the UK Environment Agency, led by Risk & Policy Analysts (RPA) in association with HaskoningDHV UK, John Chatterton Associates and Morris Resource Economics, reviewed more than 500 documents, articles and reports and requested information from more than 640 individuals and organisations. Through careful consideration of the reliability of each and every piece of data, we were able to calculate a best estimate for the economic costs of the winter 2013/14 floods (in 2014 values) of €1.7 billion, with uncertainty resulting in a range of between €1.3 billion to €1.9 billion. Residential properties suffered the greatest proportion of damages, with 25% of total damages (best estimate of €410 million incurred by 10,465 properties)

The costs and impacts of the winter 2013/14 floods in England and Wales

Between December 2013 and March 2014, the UK witnessed heavy and prolonged rainfall, including the wettest January on record in parts of the country and around twice the average monthly rainfall in other locations. The East Coast was also affected by the largest coastal surge since 1953. These events resulted in significant coastal damage and prolonged fluvial and groundwater flooding affecting a large expanse of England and Wales. During this period many properties, crucial transport infrastructure and farmland were flooded. This study for the UK Environment Agency, led by Risk & Policy Analysts (RPA) in association with HaskoningDHV UK, John Chatterton Associates and Morris Resource Economics, reviewed more than 500 documents, articles and reports and requested information from more than 640 individuals and organisations. Through careful consideration of the reliability of each and every piece of data, we were able to calculate a best estimate for the economic costs of the winter 2013/14 floods (in 2014 values) of €1.7 billion, with uncertainty resulting in a range of between €1.3 billion to €1.9 billion. Residential properties suffered the greatest proportion of damages, with 25% of total damages (best estimate of €410 million incurred by 10,465 properties)