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The purpose of this paper is to explore how local early warning systems (EWSs) for floods are established at the municipality level in Sweden. The study also aims to analyse the role of EWSs in a risk management context. The overall purpose of this study is to elucidate how and to what extent the adoption of local EWSs can generate value-added benefits throughout the wider risk management process.

Semi-structured interviews have been conducted with supervisors at each municipality in order to depict how local EWS are established at the municipality level in Sweden. The interviews went through a content analysis with respect to theory on EWS and theory on the risk management process.

The possible effects from an EWS is not only reduced flood losses but also potential spinoff. The possibility of spinoff effects from the system, but also the mitigating effectiveness in case of a flood is largely dependent on the well-being of the organisation and its risk management processes.

This study widens the understanding of the value of an EWS and that the organisational culture and state of risk management system has influence on the availability of such value. Identifying the potential added value from EWSs is important from a more general disaster risk reduction perspective, as it helps to further motivate implementation of proactive risk management measures. This knowledge can be of help to others who investigate the possibilities of investing in EWSs.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the feasibility of developing an adaptive strategy to address the impact of climate change in the context of flooding.

The paper analyses flood risk and highlights the need for an adaptive strategic plan for flood risk management under the impact of climate change. It introduces a framework for the development of an adaptive strategic plan. The paper identifies organizational issues (at the local government scale) associated with having an adaptive strategic plan and developing a methodology to address these issues. It also identifies the need for a strategic decision support system (SDSS) and conceptualizing the system in order to support adaptive planning principle.

This study identifies lack of adaptability as a gap in traditional strategic planning for addressing flood risk associated with climate change. An adaptive strategic plan has adequate flexibility, promptness and responsiveness to adapt itself to new realities as they emerge and can sustain itself and remain relevant in a changing environment. The study introduces a SDSS that is necessary to support the adaptive element of an adaptive strategic plan.

This study distinguishes between a strategy for adaptation and an adaptive strategy. Most research on the topic of adaptation to climate change have been focused on developing strategies that offer adaptive solutions to pressing problems such as flooding. For instance, they may recommend more investment on non‐structural methods for flood mitigation, as they are more adaptive than alternative structural methods and therefore more sustainable under climate change. An issue that has attracted less attention is the fact that the strategic plans themselves (or in a sense the decision‐making framework) need to be equally adaptive. Some of public institutions do not have adequate flexibility and promptness to change and rectify high‐level strategic plans. The study identifies the lack of an SDSS, which allows new scientific findings to be converted to new policies in a short period of time, as a reason for absence of promptness, responsiveness and flexibility in such organizations. This study makes an attempt to address this issue by suggesting a frame work that will enable a government institution to become more responsive to change.

In Kumamoto, Japan flood risk information is made available on several websites. In the event of heavy rainfall, local citizens need to access these websites and make household-level decisions. It is difficult for citizens to monitor all these sites, analyze and make effective decisions. Evacuation orders are issued by the local government who then filters the information to the relevant multiple stakeholders and local citizens. This takes time and reduces the response lead time of citizens especially in fast-onset floods. There was a therefore a need for illustrative integrated approaches, integrating these data sets.

Using precipitation, river water and tide level data, user-friendly real-time graphs were set up for the Shirakawa River, Kumamoto, Japan. Flood data were collected and used to create numerical simulations, and electronic community-based hazard maps were created.

The data gathered from the July 2012 flood event were used as a demonstrator, illustrating a flood event, as well as how to utilize the information provided on user-friendly real-time graphs’ website, to determine the location, future time and possibility of flooding. Additionally, an electronically generated flood hazard map-making process was developed for distribution across Japan.

These illustrative approaches are relatively new and have only been tested and evaluated in communities across Kumamoto, Japan. As such, it is too early to determine robustness and generalized applications worldwide, especially in data-scarce countries and communities. Improvements and maintenance are ongoing.

These illustrative approaches can be adopted and utilized in cities and communities around the globe, thereby helping in overall disaster risk-reduction initiatives and better flood risk management strategies.

These illustrative approaches are new to Kumamoto City and Japan. These provide citizens with user-friendly real-time graphs that can be accessed anytime and used in flood hazard preparations, warnings, response or recovery.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the reasons for an unusual over‐development of flood‐prone areas outside the river dyke in Hanoi, while analysing the urban development and disaster management policies, and to suggest policy measures for regulating the rapid urbanization incorporating catastrophic flood risk planning.

Urban development and disaster management policies were analyzed and key stakeholders were interviewed to discover the effectiveness of the policies and governance tasks.

A discrepancy was identified between the goals of urban development and disaster management. The negative side of this discrepancy has been amplified by ineffective Construction Regulations and a lack of specificity with regard to Ordinances on Dyke. These factors, combined with poor coordination and lack of motivation within the city authorities in managing the Riverside Urban Areas (RUA), have contributed to the over‐development, which consists primarily of squatting and illegal construction.

Along with a consideration of community perception of catastrophic flood risk in the RUA, which has been examined, the paper further analyses the effectiveness of related policies for catastrophic risk reduction in the RUA.

The paper identifies the following effective measures: build and share a knowledge base concerning catastrophic flood risk and sustainable ways of coping with the flood; be responsible and develop a commitment to manage flood‐prone areas; and develop better coordination between urban development and flood management.

The paper suggests new policy standards for managing the RUA development and reducing flood risks.

The current pandemic and ongoing climate risks highlight the limited capacity of various systems, including health and social ones, to respond to population-scale and long-term threats. Practices to reduce the impacts on the health and well-being of populations must evolve from a reactive mode to preventive, proactive and concerted actions beginning at individual and community levels. Experiences and lessons learned from the pandemic will help to better prevent and reduce the psychosocial impacts of floods, or other hydroclimatic risks, in a climate change context.

The present paper first describes the complexity and the challenges associated with climate change and systemic risks. It also presents some systemic frameworks of mental health determinants, and provides an overview of the different types of psychosocial impacts of disasters. Through various Quebec case studies and using lessons learned from past and recent flood-related events, recommendations are made on how to better integrate individual and community factors in disaster response.

Results highlight the fact that people who have been affected by the events are significantly more likely to have mental health problems than those not exposed to flooding. They further demonstrate the adverse and long-term effects of floods on psychological health, notably stemming from indirect stressors at the community and institutional levels. Different strategies are proposed from individual-centered to systemic approaches, in putting forward the advantages from intersectoral and multirisk researches and interventions.

The establishment of an intersectoral flood network, namely the InterSectoral Flood Network of Québec (RIISQ), is presented as an interesting avenue to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and a systemic view of flood risks. Intersectoral work is proving to be a major issue in the management of systemic risks, and should concern communities, health and mental health professionals, and the various levels of governance. As climate change is called upon to lead to more and more systemic risks, close collaboration between all the areas concerned with the management of the factors of vulnerability and exposure of populations will be necessary to respond effectively to damages and impacts (direct and indirect) linked to new meteorological and compound hazards. This means as well to better integrate the communication managers into the risk management team.

The Foresight Future Flooding (FFF) project researched flood risk in the UK to the year 2100 for central government, using scenarios and a national risk assessment model backed by qualitative analysis from panels of some 45 senior scientists. The purpose of this paper is to assess the impact of the project, both nationally and internationally.

This paper assesses the impact of the FFF project, both nationally and internationally, using web searches, document analysis, and a questionnaire survey of key actors in the flood risk management policy field.

It was found that the penetration of the project into professionals' consciousness was high in relation to other comparable projects and publications, and its impact on policy – both immediately and continuing – was profound. The FFF initiative did not create policy change, however, but facilitated its legitimation, adding impetus to what was already there, as one element of a part‐catalytic and part‐incremental process of policy evolution.

Special circumstances, internal and external to the project, mean that this cannot be a simple model for matching research to policymakers' needs in the future.

Important lessons may be learnt from this project about both the methods of forward‐looking foresight‐type research, and the way that its results are disseminated to its target audiences.

This is an innovative attempt to assess the impact of a new type of foresight project.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the risk perceptions and activities of people to reduce impacts of disaster.

Case study research has been conducted in village Podhradí nad Dyjí in the Dyje river basin in Czech Republic. Villagers from different age groups, experts, NGO members have been interviewed to understand people’s perceptions of flood risks and their actions.

The research has found that changing flood insurance policy influenced people’s risk perception. There is also increasing self-dependency among people to reduce impacts of disaster. They come together to support each other and develop collectivities in managing disaster. People’s actions and willingness to participate in disaster management activities change with distance from the river bank.

The village identified for the case study research has been affected by floods after implementation of the Crisis Management Act No. 240/2000 Coll. The findings of the study are influenced by geographical location of the municipality and cannot be generalised in the Czech Republic.

The research has listed physical as well as socio-economic and cultural indicators of risk perception in the Czech Republic. These indicators and outcomes should help to assess and identify the gaps in reducing impacts of floods.

The study has revealed the interconnection between physical, socio-economic, and cultural factors of risk perception after implementing the Crisis Management Act No. 240/2000 Coll. and changing strategies in disaster management in the Czech Republic.

The purpose of this paper is to re-frame planning decision-making to address risks of flooding and to increase community resilience. Rapid urbanisation, fragmented governance and recurrent flooding complicate resolution of DKI Jakarta’s chronic housing shortage. Failure to effectively implement planning decision-making processes poses potential human rights violations. Contemporary planning policy requires the relocation of households living in floodplains within 15 m of DKI Jakarta’s main watercourses, further constraining land availability and potentially requiring increased densification.

This paper presents a preliminary scoping study for a technologically enhanced participatory planning method, incorporating synthesis of existing information on urbanisation, governance and flood risk management in Jakarta.

Responsibility for flood risk management in DKI Jakarta is fragmented both within and across administrative boundaries. Decision-making is further complicated by: limited availability of land use data; uncertainty as to the delineated extent of watercourses, floodplains and flood modelling; unclear risk and liability for infrastructure investments; and technical literacy of both public and government participants.

This research provides information to facilitate consultation with government entities tasked with re-framing planning processes to increase public participation.

Potential increased opportunities for collaborative decision-making and consequent reduction in risk exposure amongst DKI Jakarta’s most vulnerable populations can help to address issues of social justice.

This paper synthesises information from a range of sources not available in English, and offers insights into a complex system of governance and modes for improving decision-making.

Climate change is predicted to increase the vulnerability of urban populations to flood hazards. Against this backdrop, flood risk adaptation has become pertinent. However, in Ghana, current flood risk management practice is fostered by a reactive culture. There is limited research on how communities and government agencies are engaging with flood risk adaptation in improving resilience. Therefore, this paper aims to analyse the culture of communities and agencies through the cultural theory of risk (CTR), towards understanding the flood risk adaptation in Accra, Ghana. Culture is deciphered using the beliefs held by residents and public agency officials.

A qualitative methodology, underpinned by the constructivist paradigm, was adopted to understand factors that influence flood risk adaptation in informal settlements. Data was gathered using household and institutional interviews in Glefe, Accra, Ghana.

The results show that both disaster risk management institutions and community members are deeply concerned about current and future flood risk. However, their cultural beliefs concerning flood risk and adaptation are contradictory, broadly framed by fatalist, individualist and hierarchist beliefs. The contradictory emergent beliefs contribute to a clash of expectations and create uncertainty about how to respond to flood risk, impacting the implementation of required adaptation measures. Developing a collaborative flood risk management framework and a shared understanding of adaptation approaches may be a better alternative.

This paper advances understanding of how culture influences flood risk adaptation in developing country context.

The purpose of this paper is to identify primary housing information data set to make an informed decision for key stakeholders to determine the most cost effective refurbishment solution among various alternatives in a building information modelling (BIM) system.

A building simulation approach in conjunction with a hypothetical case study using BIM software (Autodesk Revit) was adopted to identify primary housing information data set and to examine how housing information data set is processed within a BIM system.

Housing information data set such as physical dimensions, energy performance, associated costs, risk level, weather data and other relevant data should be prepared at the outset of a project to determine the most cost effective refurbishment solution. Furthermore, BIM can enable both clients and construction professionals to make informed decisions about diverse climate risk resistant options by providing reliable cost estimations of them at the early design stage.

Actual housing information for the BIM simulation is limited, and as a result, hypothetical housing information based on the UK Government data were used instead.

This research will provide essential housing information data set to utilize BIM effectively and efficiently for refurbishing climate risk vulnerable housing.

This research explores possibility to utilize BIM for climate risk mitigation in the housing sector, and reveals primary housing information data set for BIM to develop a climate resistant housing refurbishment solution.