Response

Flood warnings provide local authorities, the emergency services, the public and others with time to take actions to reduce the risk from flooding, and information on the likely extent and locations of flooding. Actions which can be taken before a flood starts include installation of temporary defences, operation of flow control structures, protection of personal property, evacuation of people from areas at risk, and positioning of emergency vehicles and other assets in locations which may become inaccessible due to flood waters. Increasingly, decision support systems are also being developed to assist in responding to flood events, and can provide advice on strategies for evacuating property, casualty management, and emergency repairs to flood defences. This chapter considers these issues, together with the more general topic of dealing with uncertainty in decision making during flood events.