Catchments are full. Dams are at capacity, soils are saturated and rivers are high. In some cases, there’s nowhere for the rains to go except over land.
Given climate change predictions of more extreme floods in New Zealand, it’s time to change management practices to work with a river, allowing it room to move and its channels to adjust.
An earthquake drill for passengers and staff at Shinjuku Station in Tokyo, the world’s busiest train station by passenger numbers.
Franck Robichon/EPA
Japan took a fresh approach to ensuring their society was more resilient to the frequent earthquakes they experience. We could learn from its experience.
A fireman adjusts a hose in front of a house with a visible mark on its wall of where the flood level reached during the cleanup after storm Dennis in Crickhowell, Wales, February 17 2020.
EPA-EFE/DIMITRIS LEGAKIS
In failing to acknowledge that the capacity of rivers can change quickly, some flood models and defences may not be equipped to deal with the consequences when they do.
Flooding in Wainfleet All Saints, Lincolnshire, which received two months rain in two days in June 2019.
Joe Giddens/PA
Planning for the growing risks of flooding that threatens the UK’s cities, towns and villages is underway, but progress is too slow.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford laughs as Finance Minister Vic Fedeli presents the 2019 budget at the legislature in Toronto in April 2019.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn
There’s an apparent emerging Doug Ford doctrine in Ontario of short-term gain for long-term pain. It threatens to embed long-term structural costs for the province and its taxpayers.
With flood risks projected to rise, it’s feared parts of Townsville and other cities will become “uninsurable”.
Dave Acree/AAP
Amid fears that parts of Townsville and other Australian cities might become “uninsurable”, making urban areas more resilient and adaptable to flooding is becoming more urgent.
Coastal erosion at Skipsea, East Yorkshire, UK.
Matthew J Thomas/Shutterstock
Australia’s coastal settlements are highly exposed to the impacts of climate change. Climate-resilient urban landscapes that can cope with large amounts of water need to become the new normal.
Managing flood risk is not just ‘good planning’; it requires commitment to resilient cities by land developers, politicians and communities. Effective response means learning from mistakes.
Cars are submerged on a flooded road in the Sydney suburb of Marrickville in 2012.
Alex Holver/NixPages
A massive residential development in a flood-prone inner-city suburb sounds like a recipe for disaster. But good urban design can deliver higher density and reduce the flood risk.
The financial impact of Hurricane Katrina on individual lives has been little studied until now.
Reuters/Robert Galbraith
Researchers examined credit data on the victims of Hurricane Katrina to understand how the disaster affected their personal finances, revealing important lessons for those hurt by Harvey.