4th International symposium on flood defence
The Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction plans to host the next International Symposium on Flood Defence (ISFD4) - scheduled to take place in Toronto. The next ISFD4 will provide a unique opportunity to bring the interdisciplinary group of flood experts together to share critical knowledge from regional and international perspectives. In keeping with the previous ISFD held in Nijmegen, Netherlands the focus of the Toronto meeting will be a new perspective of flood risk management and assessment - one that recognizes flood risk reduction as an integral part of water resource management and which aims to maximize the resultant economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of vital systems. Appropriate flood risk-mitigation investment, and the redirection of resources into flood disaster prevention, offers significant economic benefits, as well as reduction in loss of life and property, improvements in welfare and social stability.
Objectives
- Addressing the various approaches and methods used to manage and assess flood risk (safety), reliability and vulnerability;
- Sharing of new, innovative developments in flood risk reduction methodologies;
- International activities in sustainable floodplain management;
- Bridging the gaps that arise between the flood research and development community and those flood professionals responsible for responding to and mitigating against major flood events;
- Exploring means to sustain balance between structural and non-structural approaches to floodplain management;
- Flood risk management in large urban areas; and
- Exchanging recent experiences gained in the areas of integrated flood policy development, implementation and management.
Theme
The ISFD4 will focus on the management of flood risk, reliability and vulnerability. As the recent flood disasters, like hurricanes in the United States and tsunami in Asia, made abundantly clear, all nations are susceptible to the damaging effects that major storm and flood events cause.