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Resilience measures
Name
Definition
Co-benefits and impacts
Conditions
Tubes
Tubes (air filled or water filled) flood protection products are typically pre-fabricated geo-membrane or reinforced ...
As an application/example of temporal flood protection system, they are quickly and easily placed and ...
Air and water filled tubes are generally suitable for long lengths of protection close to ...
Flood shelter
Flood shelters are created in areas which experience severe flooding. Elevated flood shelters should be ...
Shelters may also serve other purposes too. Community flood shelters can accommodate families within the ...
Maintenance of hydraulic structures of the storm drainage system
Set up regulations on maintenance of the hydraulic structures and drainage network infrastructures so that ...
Avoidance of the backflow event in the drainage network.
Canal and rill
Canals and rills are open surface water channels with hard edges. They are simply channels ...
Canals may also serve as treatment channels, they collect water, slow it down and provide ...
Managed realignment
Managed realignment or managed retreat allows an area that was not previously exposed to flooding ...
Managed realignment can significantly reduce the cost of providing a given level of protection against ...
Community involvement
Community involvement is a bottom up approach which involves the community in decision-making process. For ...
Community involvement help strengthening the community resilience to flood and also to recover after a ...
Rainwater disconnection
Rainwater disconnection, i.e. the separation of the sewage system from the rainwater discharge system, is ...
The amount of waste water transported to the waste water treatment plant is reduced in ...
Evacuation routes at elevated level
Evacuation routes at an elevated level are necessary to allow for safe evacuation in flood ...
This can be implemented as part of regular transportation networks, reducing avoiding the need for ...
Emergency exit of buildings above highest flood level
The main exit of a building is traditionally positioned at ground level. In case of ...
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Prescription on the construction code
Impose implementation of measures for mitigation and vulnerability reduction through the construction code of town ...
Futureproofs new constructions or developments against flooding, providing security and safety for occupants. This will ...
For future construction or the modification of existing buildings if they undergo major renovations.
Check valve
A check valve or non-return valve is installed in pipes which are vulnerable for backflow ...
Sewer flooding is mainly caused by hydraulic overloading of storm sewer systems, when pipes exceed ...
Rip rap
Rip rap is large boulders of rock that are placed along the edge of the ...
Rip rap can severely impede access to the beach and interrupt the movement of sediment. ...
Dredging of watercourse
The term dredging is used to refer to the systematic removal of accumulated material from ...
Dredging of watercourse or i.e. channel enlargement has some drawbacks too: environmental degradation as of ...
Dredging of watercourse works require careful consideration and the involvement of an experienced geomorphologist to ...
Network of waterways
A network of waterways is mainly focused on connecting water bodies which are located near ...
A network of waterways could increase ship navigation possibilities and promote fish migration.
Hydrological and Meteorological Observatory
Hydrological and Meteorological Observatory is an observation service dedicated to long-term monitoring of climatological and ...
Collected data and information might be used in agricultural activities e.g. for irrigation purposes.
Floating agricultural system
Floating agriculture is a way of utilising areas which are waterlogged for long periods of ...
The practice helps mitigate land loss through flooding, by allowing cultivation of these areas to ...
While this technology works well in some areas today, it is unclear how it may ...
High water mark
A high water flood mark is a point that represents the maximum rise of a ...
Increase of population's awareness, enhancement of resilience and vulnerability reduction are some of the benefits ...
Flood forecasting and early warning
Flood forecasting is an important component of flood warning. Flood forecasting involves prediction of water ...
The importance of having effective flood forecasting and early warning systems is widely accepted as ...
Flood hazard mapping
Flood hazard mapping is an exercise to define those areas which are at risk of ...
Identification of those areas at risk of flooding will help inform emergency responses. For example, ...
To realise the full benefits of flood hazard mapping, it is important to provide people ...
Red alert exercise
A red alert emergency exercise enables the simulation/testing of population/authorities response and plans in case ...
Crisis management.
Red alert exercises should be conducted across multiple organisations where possible.
International loan
Emerging-economy governments have the opportunity to borrow at low interest rates from international lending organizations ...
Financial preparedness or recovery.
Conventional urban drainage systems
The purpose of urban drainage systems (a.k.a. collection systems) is to enable safe and reliable ...
Apart from preventing water accumulation, drainage systems have also the advantages to reduce soil erosion ...
Conventional drainage can beapplied in urban and rural settings. They can also serve as a ...
Flood proof infrastructure
Evacuation routes and infrastructure in cities that are prone to flooding need to be flood ...
The benefits of flood (or in general climate) proofing and therefore flood proofing are avoided ...
The flood (or in general climate) proofing of infrastructure can be conceptualized from an economics ...
Increased capacity of sewer/drainage system
Increasing the capacity of the sewer/drainage system increases the ability of the system to drain ...
Increasing the capacity of the sewer system also decreasing the chance of sewage overflow into ...
Monitoring and flood forecasting through partnerships
Organizing and recording partnerships between the various actors so that optimal responsiveness of the population ...
Better organisation, response and transmission of the information/warning. Implementing such measures for droughts, do not ...
Pond
A pond is a body of standing water, either natural or artificial, that is usually ...
Ponds, apart from assisting in storage rainfall runoff, they are an efficient and cost-effective land ...
EU Flood Risk Management Directive
EU adopted the Flood Risk Management Directive. Directive 2007/60/EC on the assessment and management of ...
Cooperation between countries.
Dike inspection and/or recovery
Inspection of the flood protection dikes takes place in order to observe and assess the ...
Maintenance of the protective effect of the dike.
It may be worth considering having an asset management frameworks (in line with the ISO ...
Raised kerb
Kerb or curb is the edge of the pavement at the side of the road. ...
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Revetment
Revetments are sloping structures placed on banks or cliffs in such a way as to ...
Some of its advantages are: protection of shorelines and banks against erosion, absorption of wave ...
Tax relief
After a disaster, the government can raise funds for disaster rehabilitation with a tax. Like ...
Financial preparedness and recovery activities after flood events or other hazard phenomena in general.
Buildings as flood defence
New and existing buildings in flood risk areas can be used as flood defence. The ...
It is an example of combining urban development and flood protection in one place.
Breakwater
Breakwaters are structures constructed on coasts as part of coastal defense or to protect a ...
Breakwaters can influence longshore sediment transport and thus, breakwaters can support stability of the coast ...
Toroba
Toroba is a homemade diversion structure that is used to divert flood water for water ...
This technique may also increase infiltration to the groundwater.
Fascine
A fascine is a bundle of sticks or brushwood used in construction, generally to strengthen ...
Enhancement of flood protection durability, reclamation of land
The optimum spacing depends on the steepness of the slope, usually 4 m intervals for ...
Flood emergency framework
Flood emergency framework sets out the government’s strategic approach to achieving the aims set out ...
Implementation of such a framework ensures that operating authorities and delivery bodies understand their respective ...
Unused sewers
Many towns and cities have large numbers of unused sewers. It is often too expensive ...
Reduced cost due to the utilisation of existing infrastructures.
Ditch
A ditch is usually defined as a small to moderate depression created to channel water. ...
Ditches can be integrated into green verges or the roadside. They look natural but they ...
Stormwater retention tank
Stormwater tanks are an effective way of reducing peak flow and equalising flow rates from ...
Stormwater tanks are a cost-effective solution, because sewer lines are already constructed and generally have ...
Storm water is collected in the sewer network. A sewer network can either be a ...
Pumping station
A pumping station is used to discharge water out of an area. It can be ...
Some of the benefits of pumping stations are the typically low operating hours which provides ...
Creation of a second dike line
A second dike line is created by building other dikes, mostly bigger dikes, on the ...
Gaining additional protection by creating a flood plain and gaining of grazing land area.
Filter drain
A filter drain is a gravel filled trench, generally with a perforated pipe at the ...
Filter drains provide attenuation, limited treatment and minimal safety risk. Furthermore, they are relatively inexpensive, ...
Filter drain are not suitable where groundwater levels are high, i.e. likely to come within ...
Dike reinforcement
Dike reinforcement describes the process of strengthening the dike by e.g. raising the dike height, ...
Improved protective effect, improved durability of the dike
Dike relocation
A new dike is built further away from the river or the coast after which ...
Improvement of the flood protection, renaturisation of the specific area
Groyne
A groyne is normally a straight structure perpendicular to the shoreline. Groynes work by blocking ...
Protection of the shore by use of one groyne only is most often inefficient. Therefore, ...
Appropriate choice of shapes, dimensions and location of groynes is crucial for effectiveness of shore ...
Filter trench
Filter trenches are shallow excavations filled with rubble or stone that create temporary subsurface storage ...
Water quality treatment is one of filter trench's main advantages. Amenity and ecology potential are ...
Demountable flood protection barrier
Demountable flood protection barriers consist of a combination of removable and pre-installed permanent components. The ...
Demountable flood barriers are low cost flood barrier systems, lightweight for safe lifting by one ...
Grated channels
Grated channels collects water at the side of the road and can channel water in ...
Grated channels allow to handle the rainwater as close to the source as possible and ...
Dwelling mound
A dwelling mound is an artificial hill made from earth, created to provide safe ground ...
Protection against storm tides; first flood-safe settlement areas; creation of larger agricultural and settlement area
Land claim
The main objective of land claim is neither erosion nor storm reduction. The aim of ...
The key advantage of land claim is the gain of additional coastal land for uses ...
Floodplain excavation
Floodplain excavation is a measure by which gradual height increase caused by sedimentation on flood ...
The remodelling of the river and floodplains creates opportunities for natural and recreational development. (Climate ...
In some areas a floodplain cannot be increased in size as the river is bordered ...
Filled container
These are cellular barriers filled with aggregates or water to form a barrier against floodwater. ...
As an application/example of temporal flood protection system, they are quickly and easily placed and ...
Swale
A swale is a low tract of land, especially one that is moist or marshy. ...
Vegetation in swales allows for filtering of pollutants, and infiltration of runoff into groundwater. Densely ...
Sandbag wall
A sandbag is a bag or sack made of hessian / burlap, polypropylene or other ...
Using sandbags is an inexpensive measure for flood defence. When empty, the bags are compact ...
Family emergency planning
Disasters and emergencies such as floods can affect people in any part of the world ...
Crisis management and raising of peoples awareness.
Public awareness, information, education and communication
Inform local citizens and visitors about the major hazards through public meetings, flyers, website, training, ...
Benefits of raising peoples awareness are crisis management, preparedness of the population, favor the resilience ...
Vulnerability assessment
Vulnerability assessment is important in to consider in risk management and flood damage assessment. Researches ...
Vulnerability assessment of sea-level rise modelling, for example, may help to identify most critical areas ...
Adjustment of fairway
Adjustment of the fairway contains every constructional measure to a navigable channel, e.g. Broadening of ...
Enhancement and improvement of fairway conditions such as increasing the carrying capacity of natural systems ...
Building without a crawlspace
Crawlspaces vent the underside of a building and thereby prevent the moulding of dry wooden ...
A reduction in subsidence, improved isolation of the building and reduction in humidity are co-benefits ...
Rainwater storage beneath sports fields
One option for creating additional water storage facilities is storing in underground crates. This is ...
Apart from reducing runoff during precipitation and flood events, rainwater storage beneath sports fields enables ...
Sediment replenishment
Sediment replenishment method is one of new measures of sediment management mostly used in river ...
The replenishment processes are efficient to restore the bed load transport and the associated habited ...
Elaboration of municipal archives on major hazards
Through municipal archives, citizens will be able to be kept informed about both the natural ...
Increase of population's awareness and preparedness, enhancement of resilience and vulnerability reduction
Multi-level capacity building
According to the UNDP, in the global context, capacity refers to the ability of individuals ...
Improve stakeholders involvement. Public awareness of their risk and what they can do to prepare ...
Storm surge barrier
Storm surge barriers are hard engineered structures with a primary function of preventing coastal flooding. ...
Storm surge barriers provide a high degree of protection against coastal flooding by preventing storm ...
Emergency operation centre and personnel
An Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) is a central location where response personnel can coordinate and ...
The emergency response centre and its personnel is qualified with plans for managing and operating ...
Polder
A polder is a low-lying tract of land enclosed by embankments (barriers) known as dikes ...
Temporary storage of water and detention.
Flexible water level management
Flexible water level management involves anticipating precipitation that has been forecast. The water level is ...
If a link between meteorological data and water level management is developed and eventually optimised, ...
Bioretention area
A bioretention area is a stormwater treatment system that is a depression integrated into the ...
Bioretention areas can be planned as landscaping features, they are very effective in removing urban ...
Data collection
Data collection is the process of gathering and measuring information on targeted variables in an ...
The collected data will additionally provide information for further post-event analysis in terms of flood ...
Port restructuring
Restructuring of the layout of the port, its equipment and flood protection system.
Optimization of port layout and the flood protection system.
Coastal setback
Coastal setbacks are a prescribed distance to a coastal feature such as the line of ...
Setbacks provide a highly effective method of minimising property damage due to coastal flooding and ...
Amphibious building
Amphibious buildings lie on the ground out of flood periods and are likely to float ...
Amphibious buildings can demonstrate excellent resilience capacity as water does not penetrate the building.
Beach nourishment
Beach nourishment is an adaptation technology primarily used in response to shoreline erosion, although flood ...
If performed well, the benefits of nourishment are many and varied. Most importantly, beach nourishment ...
Beach nourishment requires a suitable source of sediment to be identified in close enough proximity ...
Independent commission for flood and disaster risk reduction
An Independent commission is a politically independent executive arm. It is alone responsible for drawing ...
Cooperation.
Hydraulic filling
Hydraulic Fill is fill in which the materials are deposited by a flowing stream of ...
Land extension (harbour, airport, road, railway)
Weir
A weir is a barrier across a river designed to alter the flow characteristics. In ...
Weirs are commonly used to control the flow rates of rivers during periods of high ...
Budget diversion
Governments of emerging-economy countries raise money for disaster response and rehabilitation by diverting funds from ...
Financial preparedness.
Safety margins in new investment
Uncertainties in climate change make it difficult to predict precisely the required degree of protection. ...
Cheap safety margins can be introduced in many existing adaptation options, to take into account ...
If a value / cost of impact can be asigned to a probability of occurance, ...
Sunken lane
A sunken lane (also hollow way or holloway) is a road or track which is ...
Hollow roads or sunken channels can hold and drain much more water than gutters. Slopes ...
Cascading flood compartment system
The “system of cascading flood compartments” combines area prevention with constructional solutions. The idea is ...
A failure response strategy to contain the flood migration in case of levee overtopping with ...
Emergency supplies and utilities
Emergency supplies and utilities are necessary in case of a flood emergency. It should consist ...
It is useful for all kinds of emergencies. (Climate app, Emergency supplies and utilities, accessed ...
Sluice
A sluice is a gate used to control the rate of flow of water. It ...
By closing the sluice, the spread of the flood in the hinterland is prevented. The ...
Living with water - principles
The pursuit of a safe, healthy and sustainable water management is of national interest in ...
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Wet-floodproofing technology
Wet-floodproofing can be an appropriate approach to improve the flood resilience of new and existing ...
The advantage of wet floodproofing is that it is less costly than other retrofits, no ...
Wet floodproofing may only be an appropriate resilience method for certain buildings and uses. Acceptable ...
Dike
A dike or levee is an elongated artificially constructed embankment, which protects low-lying areas against ...
Dikes can form a lingering feature in the landscape and can be used for both ...
The high space requirement for sea dikes is one barrier to implementation. This factor will ...
Municipal flood control plan
The municipal plan expresses the shared goals, objectives and priorities of a community and allows ...
Municipal plans are of primary importance in crisis management. All people involved in master plans ...
Freestanding barrier
These modular systems are made of impermeable materials and are joined together to form a ...
As an application/example of temporal flood protection system, they are quickly and easily placed and ...
Wharf
Wharf is the oldest term in English referring to port structures. It denotes any structure ...
Ships can dock to load and unload cargo or passengers at the quays and wharves. ...
Multi-functional flood defences
Multifunctional Flood Defences (MFD) is a newly developed concept to optimize allocation of urban space ...
Instead of modifying the surrounding area for a traditional flood defence, the multifunctional flood defences ...
Flood control dam
A flood control dam is a dam built to catch surface runoff and stream water ...
Flood control dams can also assist in replenishing groundwater and trapping sediment. Co-benefits might also ...
Dams and reservoirs can be effectively used to regulate river levels and flooding downstream of ...
Floodwall
A floodwall is a primarily vertical artificial barrier designed to temporarily contain the water of ...
Floodwalls can protect a building and the surrounding areas from inundation without significant changes to ...
Rain garden
A rain garden is a planted depression or a hole that allows rainwater runoff from ...
Another purpose of a rain garden is to improve water quality in nearby bodies of ...
Rain gardens should be designed for specific soils and climates. Native and adapted plants are ...
Stormwater harvesting system
Stormwater harvesting (SWH) consists in collecting, storing and reusing stormwater collected from drains or creeks, ...
As RWH, SWH offers an additional source of water, especially for water-stressed areas. By collecting ...
Wetland and wetland restoration
A wetland (Natural or Constructed/Artificial) is a land area that is saturated with water, either ...
Wetlands play a number of roles in the environment, principally water purification, flood control, and ...
Permeable paving
Permeable paving is a range of sustainable materials and techniques for permeable pavements with a ...
During a heavy rainfall our town's sewer systems can get overwhelmed, while the ground gets ...
Permeable pavement can be used as an alternative to most types of conventional pavement at ...
Sectional barrier
These systems consist of multiple sections made of rigid materials such as steel or fibreglass ...
No installation or reconstruction is required during flood events, in case of automatic operation it ...
Social network mapping
Social network mapping can help stakeholders to locate their place within a wider network, and ...
Increase involvement of stakeholders in disaster planning; Increase the effectiveness of disaster preparedness, response and ...
Gutter
A gutter is a non-permeable open drain to collect transport rainwater. Usually a gutter runs ...
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A slope of at least 1:500 should be designed to ensure water flow (Huizinga R.P., ...
Seepage barrier
Seepage barriers are constructed in order to control and mitigate the subsurface flow, or seepage ...
Seepage barriers enable the subsurface storage of water which can be utilised for irrigation or ...
Reserve funds
Building a catastrophic reserve fund is one of the measures assisting risk management as it ...
Financial preparedness.
Green wall
A green wall is a wall partially or completely covered with vegetation that includes a ...
The stored water can be utilised for plant nourishment. It is also expected to improve ...
River Training
River training refers to the structural measures which are taken to improve a river and ...
Apart form making river navigable for ships, etc., river training measures also reduce sediment transportation ...
There are a number of types of river training structure. The selection and design of ...
Dry-floodproofing technology
Dry floodproofing is a method of flood preparation that involves building designs and material choices ...
The main benefits of dry-floodproofing are to limit water volume indoor and to increase effectiveness ...
Dry-proofing is mainly applicable for slow rising floods and a maximum water height of less ...
Evacuation plan
The purpose of evacuation is to relocate people temporarily from areas at risk of the ...
Having an evacuation plan leads to timely issuance of warning resulted to efficient execution of ...
Deculverting of watercourses
This activity involves techniques to resolve the issues created by culverted watercourses. This is predominantly ...
Re-opening existing culverts can deliver a wide range of direct and indirect benefits, including direct ...
Urban forest and park
An urban forest is a forest or a collection of trees that grow within a ...
Parks can also protect biological diversity and preserve essential ecological functions while serving as a ...
Retention of rainwater in the vicinity of a roundabout
In case of an extreme event the surface runoff is conveyed by the streets to ...
If filters are added, it should be installed to ensure that the pollutants carried by ...
Frame barrier
Frame barriers consist of rigid frames with impermeable membranes or sections spanning between them. They ...
As an application/example of temporal flood protection system, they are quickly and easily placed and ...
Stilt house building
A stilt house is a raised structure that is most commonly built above water, although ...
Primarily regarded for its protection from flooding, there are many additional advantages to the stilt ...
Flood insurance
Flood insurance is an important risk management tool that can be applied at various levels: ...
Insurance can be an important factor in increasing the awareness and reducing the financial risk ...
Land use plan / spatial planning
Spatial planning systems are the methods used by the public sector to influence the distribution ...
Regulation of urbanisation is the primary benefit. But integrated flood management with urban land use ...
Aquifer recharge
Aquifer recharge is achieved by adding surface water in basins, furrows, ditches, wells or other ...
As water percolates down into the aquifer, it is usually purified from biological pollutants. Being ...
Soakaway
Soakaways are square or circular excavations either filled with rubble or lined with brickwork, pre-cast ...
Soakaways provide stormwater attenuation, stormwater treatment and groundwater recharge. They require minimal land take, good ...
Flood detention reservoir
Flood detention reservoir, also known as an attenuation or balancing or flood control reservoir or ...
Apart from the temporary storage of water and detention and decrease of peak flows at ...
Afforestation
Land use conversion is a general term for large scale geographic change. Afforestation is one ...
Main benefits are: slow/store runoff, reduce erosion and/or sediment delivery. (NWRM, Land use conversion, access ...
Seawall
Seawalls are hard engineered structures with a primary function to prevent further erosion of the ...
Seawall provides a high degree of protection against coastal flooding and erosion. A well maintained ...
Green roof
Green roof belongs in the category of SUstainable Drainage Systems (SUDS) and aims at source ...
Additional benefits gained by the use of green roof are the increase of roof lifespan, ...
Rescue plan
The aim of flood rescue operations is to move people from immediate or potential harm ...
Development of rescue plans affords several benefits such as greater clarity and certainty in respect ...
Bypass channel
Bypass channel, also known as a flood-relief channel, is an artificially made waterway constructed in ...
Apart from enhancing the rivers' capacity, many secondary benefits are produced such as increasing groundwater ...
Government debt instrument
A common way for emerging-economy governments to raise funds after a disaster is to borrow ...
Financial preparedness is the major benefit. While the interest on government issued bonds will generally ...
Floating road
Road transport infrastructure and evacuation routes that are prone to flooding need to be flood ...
Elevated roads are effective against storm water runoff because they are normally situated higher than ...
Water square
The water square combines water storage with the improvement of the quality of urban public ...
The watersquare can be understood as a twofold strategy. Apart from storing water, it also ...
Improved construction site preparation
Improved construction site preparation is focused on improving the strength and drainage capabilities of an ...
It will lead to a clear reduction of maintenance costs after the urban area has ...
Floating building
The basic characteristic of floating buildings is that they are not supported by a firm ...
Floating buildings have environmental benefits such as unsusceptibility to changes in sea level, and minimisation ...
Building elevation
Building elevation is a measure mainly suitable for new constructions, but it can also be ...
Elevation to the required flood protection level allows a substantially damaged or improved structure to ...
Multi-layer safety as a central concept for flood protection
The central concept for the revised water safety policy is formed by 'multi-layer safety'. In ...
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Rainwater harvesting system
The term rainwater harvesting refers to reuse of stored water, including water purification, and can ...
The water stored through rainwater harvesting can be used for non-drinking purposes resulting in water ...
Increase of infiltration capacity
Improving the soil infiltration capacity means improving the permeability of the soil. If the infiltration ...
In most areas where water shortages occur, maximizing the infiltration of rainfall into soil is ...
Flood gate
These barriers are made of a single or pair of rigid sections (usually steel or ...
The main advantages of flood gate are that no installation or construction required during event, ...
Building relocation
A building relocation is the process of moving a building from one location to another. ...
Removing a building from a flood-prone location is the most reliable means of preventing future ...
Filter strip
Filter strips are gently sloping, vegetated strips of land that provide opportunities for slow conveyance ...
They treat runoff by vegetative filtering, and promote settlement of particulate pollutants and infiltration. Other ...
Filter strips are not suitable for steep sites or for draining hotspot runoff or for ...
Artificial sand dunes and dune rehabilitation
Naturally occurring sand dunes are wind-formed sand deposits representing a store of sediment in the ...
Artificial dune construction and dune rehabilitation are technologies aimed at reducing both coastal erosion and ...