Summary and Recommendations

Abstract

Most sections in this book address one specific audience, such as prevention agencies, public health authorities, rescue workers, members of multidisciplinary prehospital emergency teams, hospital clinicians or accident investigators. All these audiences may be confronted with drowning victims as result of water-related disasters, which is the topic of this section. During the preparations for the first World Congress on Drowning in 2002, the interest in and expertise on flooding and other water-related disasters were limited. Since then, several large water-related disasters have occurred and the issue is now on many agendas. Nowadays more and more people live in urbanised flood-prone areas. Many efforts are underway to improve prevention, so the number of citizens, life savers, emergency managers and decision-makers that have to cope with possible flooding and the risk of drowning is increasing.