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Archive07-01-2010NL: A Sandy Motor? This year, the Province of South Holland and the ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management will start execution of a unique pilot project: The Sand Motor. The Sand Motor is a large volume of sand (20 million cubic meters) that will be nourished close to the shore of Delfland. Wind, waves and tidal currents will spread the sand accros the shorelines in a natural way. The Sand Motor will be shaped as a 1.5 kilometer long hook (see artist impression) and will be located just north of Ter Heijde, close to the Solleveld natural area. Main goals for this expensive project are to let the coast grow with sea level rise and to give space for nature and leasure.  For more information visit: http://www.kustvisie.nl/ 20-05-2009 UK/NL: High level meeting Environment Agency with Dutch Ministry On May 26, Rt Hon Lord Smith of Finsbury, Chairman of the British Environment Agency and Chief Executive dr. Paul Leinster will meet Annemieke Nijhof, Director-General of the Policy Departement for the Dutch ministry of Water Management and Bert Keijts, Director-General of Rijkswaterstaat. The meeting will take place in Den Haag and will be followed by a field day on May 27. On this day the Rotterdam Storm Surge Barrier (Maeslant) will be visited followed by a boat trip to the Harbour Extension area of Rotterdam. Aim of the visit is to learn from eachothers ideas and approaches to topics like climate change adaptation and related flood risk and erosion management.  02-04-2008 FINAL CONFERENCE SAFECOAST & CHAIN OF SAFETY The final conference of Safecoast will be on May 20 & 21, in Scheveningen (NL). This event will be thé opportunity to listen and interact with the Safecoast results. This will also be the first time two Interreg projects, Safecoast and Chain of Safety, work together to find their common grounds. You can find the invitation here and you can register via this link. 13-02-2008 EU Project EroGrass launched  A large part of the dikes in the North Sea and Baltic Sea Region are covered with grass that is exposed to hydraulic loading from waves and currents during storm surges. During many former storm surges, these grass cover layers were not damaged and showed large strength. Due to this, grass cover layers have attracted more interest since the mid-eighties as one type of revetment for flood defence structures. In recent years, this grass cover revetment is being considered as a constructional component that has to be designed and managed. In 2008 the EU (FP6, Hydralab III) EroGrass project will deeply study these processes a newly built test dike in the large wave channel in Hannover. The extraction of clay and grass sods of this test dike takes place in the area around the Danish town of Ribe in the south-western part of Jutland and are currently transported in trucks to Germany.  Main project partners are the Danish Coastal Authority (DK), UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education (NL), University of Strathclyde (UK), TU Delft (NL), Deltares (NL), Talinn University (EST), hosted by the coastal research centre (FZK) in Hannover (DE).The primary objective of the EroGRASS project is to perform large scale model tests to investigate in detail the erosion of a grassed clay dike cover due to (i) wave impact, (ii) wave run-up and run-down flow and (iii) wave overtopping. The effects of wave impact as well as wave run-up and run-down flow on the grass cover are investigated on the seaward slope of the dike model. The large wave channel at FZK, Hannover
On the landward slope, grass cover erosion due to wave overtopping is investigated. The dike model that is built in the Large Wave Channel of the Coastal Research Centre in Hannover, Germany, represents a typical sea dike. With the exception of the seaward slope, it is comparable to typical cross sections of sea dikes which have been built in The Netherlands, Germany and Denmark. It is envisaged that the test results will improve the understanding of the erosion of grass cover layers due to wave forces. The clear physical understanding of the resistance of grass cover layers is regarded as indispensable, especially against the background of the enhanced focus on flood protection today and in future, also taking potential consequences of climate change into account. Moreover, the EroGRASS project intends to give good insight into the relation between the grass erosion resistance, the quality of the vegetation and the management of the grass cover. Former investigations and experience have shown that the resistance of grass cover to erosion can be controlled by the grassland management. The grass cover is more resistance to erosion as rooting becomes denser. A good form of management leads to a well-rooted grass cover revetment.  The primary function of the grass cover is to protect the dike body against erosion caused by loading from waves and currents during storm surges. Normally, erosion processes are divided in two parts: (a) the detachment process in which soil particles are detached from the compact soil surface by water forces and (b) the transport process in which the detached soil particles are washed away. The main function of the dike grass cover is to avoid detachment For more information click here 11-02-2008 UK/NL: Government visions on water policy Recently, in England and the Netherlands the respective governments have presented their new strategies for water policy. Both have attention to flood risk and climate change, but there are some differences and shifts in attention. For instance, there is a clear focus in England on increasing the efficiency of the use of water: Hilary Benn MP, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (HM Government / Defra 2008): Because of our need to adapt to climate change and other pressures such as changing land use, we need to find ways of using water much more efficiently and sustainably. Future Water sets out some of the practical steps we will need to take to ensure that good clean water is available for people, businesses and nature. It looks ahead to 2030 and describes the water management we want by then. Because almost everything we do affects water in some way – from what we put down the drain and treat in our sewage works, to how we design our houses or farm the land – it looks at every aspect of water use. On the proposal of Tineke Huizinga, the Deputy Minister for Transport, Public Works and Water Management, the Cabinet has adopted the Water Programme entitled Nederland veroveren op de toekomst (‘Reclaiming the Netherlands from the future’). The Water Programme describes the direction which policy developments should take in the coming years in order to climate-proof the Netherlands in the long term. In the water programme of the Netherlands, new elements concern the economical perspective of water, international co-operation, education and awareness From the website of the Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management: In the Water Programme, the focal points of the water policy is explained within the context of five themes. These are: We will climate-proof the Netherlands together. Collaboration with other government bodies, citizens, companies and social organisations means that greater consideration can be given to water in planning the spatial layout. The Dutch use water to reinforce their economy. The Government wants to utilise economic opportunities by combining different functions in water management. In dealing with the IJsselmeer Dam, for example, investments can also be made in energy generation, transport or housing. The Dutch live sustainably with water. Measures to prevent floods, waterlogging and loss of water quality should be combined with the improvement of the natural environment. In addition, the Government wants to invest further in relationships with other countries with whom the Netherlands shares the management of rivers and seas. The Netherlands uses its knowledge of water to help other countries throughout the world. The Government wants to make a greater contribution to solving problems with regard to water in developing countries. In doing so, the Netherlands may also gain knowledge in other countries that may be useful at home. The Dutch rediscover living with water. The Government wants to involve people more closely in the opportunities presented by climate change and the expected volume of excess water a particular area will have to accommodate. This can be achieved by paying greater attention to water in education. Download the respective documents:  Sources: Defra, VenW 21-01-2008 DK/DE/NL: pulling ropes over the Wadden Sea Since 1978, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands co-ordinate their activities and measures for a comprehensive protection of the Wadden Sea. During the 10th (2005) trilateral conference for the protection of the Wadden Sea with Danish, German and Dutch government officials , Germany and the Netherlands decided to launch the procedure for nominating the existing protected Wadden areas for the status of UNESCO world heritage site. The ambition for this was already known since the Wadden Sea conference in 1991 (Esbjerg) and later underpinned in 1997 (Stade).  The Wadden Sea is one of the world's largest wetland ecosystems and forms the largest unbroken row of mudflats in the world. The sea stretches for nearly 500 km, from the Skallingen peninsula in the north to Den Helder in the south. This is a very dynamic environment where the sea and the wind are continuously building up and breaking down landscape elements: barrier islands (see table below), marshes, tidal flats, sand dunes, sandy beaches and cliffs. Despite having the authority of less than 1% of the Wadden Sea, the federal state of Hamburg has last week opposed the UNESCO world heritage nomination. Hamburg fears negative consequences of the nomination with respect to the planned deepening of the Elbe river, the portal to Hamburg's harbour. The planned deepening of the river is expected to alter current flows in the Wadden sea, which then has to be reported to UNESCO. Despite the opposition from Hamburg, Germany's federal government and neighbouring federal states remain positive that the UNESCO nomination (with a deadline of February 1) will pull though. The Danish position for the nomination may become a hurdle in the process as well, despite the governments decision on January 17 to declare the Danish part of the Wadden Sea a national park. Sources: NRC, Financial Times Germany, Wikipedia, CWSS Zooming in: The Wadden Islands  14-01-2008 UK: Strengthened coastal flood and erosion role for Environment Agency The UK Climate Change and Environment Minister Ian Pearson said that the new role would increase accountability and clarity for the public and help ensure that work is properly prioritised and managed so that record levels of investment are used to best effect. With its new strategic overview role, the Environment Agency will:
The role and membership of Regional Flood Defence Committees will be widened to include coastal erosion, bringing the Environment Agency’s decisions and activity on coastal erosion within the same governance framework that currently applies to flooding. Local authorities’ coastal groups will continue, but become more streamlined and strategic. One of the key aims of the Coastal Strategic Overview is to ensure more robust identification, implementation and long-term management of flood and coastal erosion risk management works. Works should clearly be undertaken only against Government priorities and the new outcome measures. The Environment Agency will take responsibility for much of what is currently Defra’s Coast Protection functions with effect from 1 April 2008 under Ministerial delegation. The Coastal Strategic Overview builds on this and, therefore, the project board aims to have a great deal of this implementation plan in place by 1 April 2008. Clearly there are parts, for example that can be implemented by administrative action or by delegating Defra Ministerial functions to the Agency. However, the necessary legislative changes, which will take longer to progress and will be delivered in due course. Source: DEFRA. Read more here  03-01-2008 NL: Implementing 'Making Space for the River' programme until 2015 The aim of the programme Making Space for the River is therefore twofold: improving flood safety ánd spatial quality. Flood safety Currently, the river Rhine can cope with a maximum discharge of 15,000 kubic meters per second entering the Netherlands near the town of Lobith. For the Meuse river this is 3,650 kubic meters per second. The programme Space for the River aims to increase these normative amounts to 16,000 and 3,800 kubic meters per second, respectively. To realise these aims, the Dutch government targets to give more space to the rivers where possible (new approach) and strengthen the flood defences where needed (traditional approach). Spatial quality Improvements of amenity and spatial quality in the river area consists of: Measures
Lowering of river winter bed
Source: www.ruimtevoorderivier.nl
17-12-2007 OECD: Climate change triples coastal flood risk by 2070 The impact of climate change and urban development could more than triple the number of people around the world exposed to coastal flooding by 2070, according to a new report (December 2007) by the OECD, co-authored by experts from academia and the private sector, The report 'Ranking port cities with high exposure and vulnerability to climate extremes' finds that around 150 million people could be exposed to a 1 in 100 year coastal flood event by 2070, up from 40 million today. The estimated financial impact of such an event would also rise to USD 35 trillion by 2070, up from USD 400 billion today. The study analyses the exposure of people and property and infrastructure to a 1-in-100 year flood event in over 130 key port cities worldwide. A 1-in-100 year flood event is a commonly accepted risk assessment standard. The study aims to help policy makers determine where to focus adaptation strategies to climate extremes and to understand the potential benefits of mitigation policy. It is the first in a series of OECD reports looking at the economic impact of climate change on cities. In its estimate of the impact of climate change, the study assumes mean sea level rise of 0.5 meters by 2070. This estimate includes the contributions from melting ice sheets that have proved important over recent decades and is consistent with a medium to high risk scenario. Mitigation strategies will slow and limit the exacerbating effects of climate change on coastal flood risk, the report notes. Downloads: Press release (2007)  Full report (2007) Source: OECD  02-12-2007 The IPCC 4th Assessment Report On November 17, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has released the synthesis report of the 4th Assessment Report (AR4), making the full report complete. The report AR4 is the follow up of the well-known Third Assessment Report (TAR) that was released in 2001. Earlier this year, sub reports were released from three IPCC working groups dealing with 1) the scientific basis of climate change; 2) impacts, vulnerability and adaptation to climate change; and 3) mitigation of climate change. The synthesis report does not show new research results, but new insights have emerged regarding the combination of results from IPCC's seperate working groups. The attention for climate adaptation seems to have increased in the reports. The full report and other reports from the respective IPCC working groups may be found at the website of IPCC (www.ipcc.ch) Project Safecoast and its affiliated coastal managers from the North Sea countries have a specific interest with respect to climate change and its implications on coastal flood and erosion management. To facilitate this perspective, the relevant chapters of IPCC working groups 1 and 2 may be directly downloaded below. See the first results of project Safecoast associated with climate change scenarios from a coastal management perspective here AR4 Synthesis Report: The synthesis report chapters may be downloaded here AR4 Working Group I Report "The Physical Science Basis": Ch5: Observations: Oceanic Climate Change and Sea Level:  Ch11: Regional Climate Projections: AR4 Working Group II Report "Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability": Ch6: Coastal Systems and Low-Lying Areas: Ch19: Assessing Key Vulnerabilities and the Risk from Climate Change:  Source: www.ipcc.ch 30-11-2007 UN launches climate change website A new United Nations Internet site, "Gateway to the UN System's Work on Climate Change", that highlights the wide-ranging work of the various parts of the United Nations system on climate change was launched today. The new website makes it easier for Internet users to find information on climate change from across the United Nations system. The address of the new website is http://www.un.org/climatechange In addition to bringing Member States together to find common ground for addressing climate change at the international level, the United Nations works to assess the most up-to-date science on climate change, develop projects that assist people at the grass-roots level to adapt to the consequences of climate change and works to develop creative solutions that will reduce the emissions of the gases that cause climate change. The new climate change gateway provides easy access to the reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the latest developments on efforts to reach a new international climate change agreement, news, as well as information on future climate change events, projects in the field and climate change updates for youth. Information on the high-level event that will take place on 24 September can be found at http://www.un.org/climatechange/2007highlevel For more information, contact Dan Shepard, United Nations Department of Public Information, tel: 212 963 9495, email: mediainfo@un.org
15-11-2007 NL: Innovation platform pleads for experimental island in North Sea The Dutch government installed Innovation Platform, consisting of key players in politics, government and private parties, has called for further elaboration of the idea of constructing an offshore island. The Platform wants to exploit the huge attention that was recently given to the idea by Christian-Democrat parliament member Atsma. Under the leadership of Dutch PM Balkenende was decided that such an island would have an experimental character for both technical and procedural reasons. The Platform therefore speaks of an experiment-island and uses the shape of a tulip for reasons of promotion (see image below). A resolution accepted by the Dutch parliament requests the Government to investigate the possibility of a North Sea polder or island, will demand specific attention from the recently founded Deltacommission (named after the famous commission that led to the formation of the deltaplan and deltaworks).  Combined effort water sector and energy sector Within the Innovation Platform, professor Hulscher, water expert at the Twente University, and entrepreneur and former SME president, De Boer, will lead the investigation. According to Hulscher the shape of the process and co-operation play an important role: "The water and energy sectors desperately need space for experimentation. By means of an island or group or islands we will stimulate innovation that will lead to answers to issues like climate change, ecology and economy." Scepticism from water experts Atsma's idea for a polder in the North Sea has been received with a certain scepticism from civil and coastal engineers and professionals. They affirm the notion of 'seaward thinking', but see a polder in the North Sea as impracticable. With respect to the construction costs, water experts have given no opinion so far. During the debate in Parliament, Atsma spoke of a polder in the North Sea of about the size on one-and-a-half times the existing Noordoostpolder, claiming a revenue of property sale of €6 billion. "Revenues, however, depend on the use of the newly created land. A high-quality residential function increases the value, but would rely on costly protection measures", according to Royal Haskoning expert Zijlstra. "A new row of offshore dunes with nature in between that can work with the natural dynamics of the coastal zone, seem to bee much more feasible." "Densely populated deltas should think seaward" The thought of a new row of dunes has also been on the mind of engineer Waterman, who is involved in land reclamation efforts accros the globe. He thinks more in the direction of a series of islands, compared to the Wadden islands. Waterman roughly estimates the total area of the Wadden islands of 70,000 hectares. This already implies 17 billion cubic metres of needed sand. At a price of €3 per cubic metre of sand, a cost of at least €50 billion can be expected for the material only. "Technological this is a possibility", Waterman claims, "The dredging knowledge is available". Waterman is enthusiastic about the sudden interest for seaward land reclamation. "Climate change force densely populated deltas to think also in terms of seaward expansion". Connect island-row with Central Holland Consultant Dircke of Arcadis consultancy compares the idea of an island row with the American city Miami. "There, offshore islands are mutual connected, but are also separately connected with the mainland. This means that the island population can easily go for shopping on the mainland", according to Dircke. Dircke can imagine such a situation also in front of the Central Holland shore, with islands and lagoons in between occupied with villas and harbours, but cannot foresee the effects on the natural coastal morphology. "That remains to be researched", he said. Source: Waterforum 11-11-2007 North Sea countries withstand highest water levels since 1953 The storm surge in combination with high tide of late last thursday led - in some areas - to the highest water levels since 1953. A powerful storm prompted hundreds to evacuate in Britain, but left countries along the North Sea coast largely unscathed. Early Friday, waves up to 6 metres high rolled up against sea defences in Lowestoft, the most easterly point in Norfolk, Britain, about 200km northeast of London on the North Sea coast. But the peak of the predicted surge passed without causing any major damage. Britain closed the Thames River barrier, downstream from London, as a precaution. In France, wind gusts of up to 105 km/h whipped northern towns during overnight storms, blowing off rooftops and uprooting trees, according to regional emergency services. The storm did not hit Germany as hard as expected Thursday night. But the port of Hamburg was closed, and its main fish market and riverfront thoroughfare were under water. Also the island of Helgoland in the German bight of the North Sea was struck by the storm and caused a damage of several million euros. In Denmark, sand bags were used as a precautionary measure on the isle of Fyn. In the Netherlands, along the whole of the coast a dike watch was installed for the first time in 30 years. Rotterdam Port halted all ship traffic until Friday evening. The Eastern-Scheldt barrier was closed and the Maeslant Barrier protecting Europe’s largest port was closed for the first time under storm conditions since its construction in 1997. Parts of harbour areas such as Harlingen (see image below) and on the Dutch Wadden islands were flooded locally. Some dune restoration works are foreseen on the Wadden islands of Vlieland and Ameland Also Flanders some minor damages along its 70km shoreline were reported, and the Antwerp harbour was forced to close a flood defence wall to prevent overflow of sea water.  Waves pounding the sea wall at Walcott, UK, November 9 2007. Photo: John Giles / AP
 Flooded harbour shed in Harlingen, NL, November 9 2007. Photo: WFA
 high water levels in Germany, November 9 2007. Photo: AFP 02-11-2007 NL: "artificial reef lowers coastal storm impact" Rijkswaterstaat and consultant Royal Haskoning have concluded that an artificial reef, one-and-a-half kilometre offshore at Scheveningen will prevent acute coastal erosion by 15-20m during a super storm. The reef is constructed with a sandy core and is covered with concrete blocks. Aim is to prevent especially longer waves to reach the shoreline. Especially these waves with a longer wave period are a specific threat for the coast. These results come from a feasibility study that was done by both Rijkswaterstaat and Royal Haskoning.  The idea was launched 2 years ago. In the study 2 alternatives have been examined more intensively: a long stretched reef parallel to the coast and a reef consisting of three oblique strips parallel to eachother (see image above). Models have suggested that both alternatives will result in a significant reduction of hydraulic load in the surf of a super storm (see image below). The oblique alternative with 3 strips with a 30 degree angle with the shore has been chosen for specific protection from a Northwestern storm, the most threatening storm direction for the Dutch shore. A combination of high tide and a large wave setup is proven to be many times more dangerous than a Southwestern storm. The advantage is that waves may pass during a storm from the Southwest, forming no obstacle for northward longshore sand transport. The feasibility study has been finalised, but will be followed by a societal cost-benefit study of the measures. In 2008 the results are expected. Now that the physical concept has been proven, the reefs have to be compared with alternative measures, such as nourishments that have also been proven a succesful measure and formal policy since 1990. Also the oppertunities for underwater nature, leasure and shipping will be analysed. Sources: Waterforum, Rijkswaterstaat, Royal Haskoning  09-10-2007 UK: increase in flood management spending to 2011 Figures on how flood spending will increase between 2008 and 2011 were announced today by the UK Environment Secretary Hilary Benn. Mr Benn announced in July that spending on flood management would increase from €860 million (£600m) in 2006/7 to €1150 million (£800m) by 2010/11. Today he said annual budgets would rise to a minimum of €930 million (£650m) in 2008/09, and a minimum of €1005 million (£700m) in 2009/10, reaching €1150 million (£800m) by 2010/11. Hilary Benn said: “I made a commitment to Parliament to provide the breakdown of our increased flood budget as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review announcement. “The profile outlined today shows the minimum we will spend in each of the coming years. It is too early to determine whether this will be the final allocation, or whether it will be possible to go beyond these figures, but I won’t rule that out. I’m providing this outline now because it’s important that the different bodies with flood management roles, including insurers, local authorities and the Environment Agency, can start to plan with confidence. “I expect the independent lessons learned inquiry into this summer’s floods, chaired by Sir Michael Pitt, to report at the end of this year. The information that comes out of that review will be taken into account when we determine the final allocation.” Sir John Harman, Chairman of the Environment Agency, said “We welcome the increase in funding for flood risk management, as announced by the Government today in its Comprehensive Spending Review - it is moving in the right direction. “We will never be able to protect everyone against all floods but we can progress now with confidence to deliver more schemes to protect people and property, and plan future schemes over the next three years. “This welcome increase is an important step towards the long-term level of €1000 million (£1bn) annual investment identified by the 'Foresight' study as being needed to stabilise flood risk in a changing climate.” Source: DEFRA (UK)  05-09-2007 NL: strengthening 'weak links' in Dutch coast begins Today, deputy minister Huizinga of the Dutch ministry for transport, public works and water management has given the official starting signal for strengthening the Dutch coast at the town of Noordwijk and Flaauwe Werk (Ouddorp). These coastal defences are the first eight of ten "weak links" (Dutch: Zwakke Schakels") to be strengthened (see map).
Until 2015 the ministry will allocate a total sum of € 742 million to improve the coastal defences for both flood safety and spatial quality. Besides Noordwijk and Ouddorp, dune areas and dikes in North of Holland, near Scheveningen, the Westland, Southwest of Walcheren and the Western part of Zeeuws-Vlaanderen (see map). Despite the succesful yearly nourishment programmes to hold the coastline at the 1990 position, these locations are expected to fail to meet the existing safety standards in 2020. The underlying plan studies for strengthening the coast, initiated by the relevant provinces, have combined coastal safety with other functions in an integrated way. For instance, the renovation of boulevards or new beach access, cycling routes and nature facilities. In the majority of the weak links has been chosen for seaward-directed strengthening solutions, in combination with large scale sand nourishments. The weak links programme is only one of the programmes of the Dutch ministry. Also public works in the Meuse river, the flood defence strengthening programme and the Space for Rivers programme are currently being implemented. In total, about € 5 billion is invested in flood safety in the Netherlands until 2015.  Sources: Delfland waterboard, Waterforum 07-08-2007 Journal of Flood Risk Management With Blackwell Publishing, the Chartered Institution of Water and Environment Management (CIWEM) is launching the ‘Journal of Flood Risk Management.’ This online-only journal will provide an international platform for knowledge sharing and information dissemination across the range of disciplines where flood related research is carried out. The journal will cover a wide range of topics including modelling, infrastructure management, hydrology, flood forecasting, land use management, policy and legislation, as well as uncertainty analysis and risk. The journal is now open for paper submissions. Readers and authors come from a wide background and include hydrologists, meteorologists, geographers, geomorphologists, conservationists, civil engineers, social scientists, policy makers, insurers and practitioners. Source: Blackwell Publishing 03-08-2007 UK slowly recovers from floods, estimate flood damage up to €4.8 billion The wettest May-July period since records began in 1766 brought two rounds of flooding to parts of England, killing at least nine people, damaging houses and destroying crops. Picturesque towns in western England have been transformed into islands, with buildings on higher ground surrounded by dirty, brown water. The floods have already been documented extensively in Wikipedia.  Flood recoveryToday, 140,000 properties served by Severn Trent in and around Cheltenham, Gloucester and Tewkesbury have been reconnected to running mains water after relying on bottled water and emergency water tanks placed on the streets. Although sunshine helped shrink water levels Tuesday, more rain was expected in the next few days. Forecasters, however, said additional flooding wasn’t expected. “Rainfall-wise, the worst is over, certainly for the working week," said John Hammond of Met Office, the UK national weather service. Queen Elizabeth II sent a message of support to flooded areas, saying she was “shocked and deeply concerned” by the damage. She thanked the emergency services, military and volunteers and expressed sympathy “to all the many people whose homes have been damaged, livelihoods threatened, or who have been affected by the water and power shortages. Insurance costs The summer floods could cost insurers between £2.25 billion (€3.34 billion) and £3.25 (€4.8 billion) billion in total, according to latest estimates by leading catastrophe-exposure modelling company Risk Management Solutions (RMS). Insured losses from the July flood are likely to be between £1.0 billion (€1.49 billion) and £1.5 billion (€2.23 billion), with the estimated cost of the 25 June flood ranging from £1.25 billion (€1.86 billion) to £1.75 billion (€2.6 billion). These figures could be higher than many insurers expected, based on their initial estimates of the risk. RMS analysis of the more than 1,000 affected postcodes shows that almost 70% of the areas impacted by the July floods were in areas considered to be off the major river floodplains. “Many insurers assess their flood risk exposure based on maps that only take account of river and coastal flooding,” commented Dr. Claire Souch, senior director of model management at RMS. “The recent events highlight that these incomplete maps only provide part of the picture, and that flooding due to heavy rainfall in areas with inadequate drainage or from minor streams can have dire consequences. Those insurers that have only taken account of their risk exposure from direct river flooding could face an unexpected deluge of claims.” Although the number of residential properties affected by the July floods – currently thought to be up to 15,000 – is much lower than the 27,500 flooded in late June, average claims are expected to be higher, as the affected properties tend to be of higher value and a greater proportion of the damage will be insured. However, the total insured cost for commercial properties in the July floods is likely to be lower than for the June flood, as the businesses impacted were generally smaller. Additionally, the UK Government has set up a scheme in some areas to help small and medium-sized companies develop recovery plans so they can return to business as soon as possible, which should constrain business interruption costs. A big factor pushing up residential and commercial property repair costs will be the inflated prices for goods and services in short supply, known as demand surge. “There is currently a shortage of drying equipment, made worse by the fact that it is still needed in areas affected by the June flood. The recent power cuts also mean that, even when dryers have been available, they have been unusable,” said Dr. Souch. “This results in properties remaining flooded, which increases the damage, and may also force people to find alternative accommodation. All these factors increase the costs for insurers.”  Flooding of the village of Catcliffe, near Sheffield UK. Source: BBC
A further issue is ‘coverage expansion’, whereby insurers may need to pay out more than is covered in the issued policies. For example, after major disasters insurers often end up meeting the total costs of people having to relocate, or paying the full amount to replace contents that may have been undervalued when a policy was taken out. Although it is unusual to have two very intense rainfall flash floods in a short period, it is not abnormal to see flash flooding covering widespread areas with both on and off floodplain losses. European assistance? The UK is to seek assistance from the European Union to help cover the multi-billion euro cost of the country's destructive flooding in June and July, the UK government said on Wednesday. The minister in charge of handling the flood crisis, John Healey, said the UK would apply for assistance from the EU's Solidarity Fund, which was set up in 2002 to help member states deal with the uninsurable costs of natural disasters. Depending on the final cost of the flood damage, the UK said it could expect to get between £62.5 million (€93 million) and £125 million (€185 million) from the Solidarity Fund, if its application was approved. For the application to be successful, the technical criteria set out by the EU state the total amount of damage caused by a natural disaster has to exceed £2.2 billion (€3.3 million). The European Commission do not provide full funding for the cost of the damage. They would only provide a proportion of the costs which they decide - insurers will also have a key role to play as well as central government, local government, industry and other agencies playing their part as well. Sources: RMS press release, BBC, Reuters, MSNBC, Communities and local government 24-07-2007 UK: Severn and Thames rivers threaten to overflow The flooding crisis in central and western England continues with thousands of homes losing water and electricity supplies.
 Severe flood warnings are in place for the Midlands, Oxfordshire and Bedfordshire. At their height, some rivers will be more than 20ft higher than normal. Environment Agency spokesman Anthony Perry said: "We have not seen flooding of this magnitude before. The benchmark was 1947 and this has already exceeded it." In March 1947, millions of pounds of damage was caused in the south of England, the Midlands, East Anglia and North Yorkshire when many rivers burst their banks. Other main developments include:
Source: BBC  17-07-2007 NL: no updated safety standards before end 2008 The Dutch parliament needs to wait until end 2008 for a proposal for new flood safety standards. Several parliamentary parties have been urging for a debate about flood risk and feel that it is not giving enough priority. Deputy Minister Huizinga (Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management) has requested the parliament to wait for the results of several ongoing studies. Standards not adjusted since 1960 The political debate is needed because the safety standards have not been updated since 1960. Since then both the pressure from sea (sea level rise) and from land (socio-economical developments) have increased. The institute for public health and environment has calculated that the value behind the Dutch dikes has increased by a factor of 6 since the sixties. Meanwhile, the first results of project FLORIS (Dutch: VNK) has shown given the insight that there are many more failure mechanisms for dikes, sluices and dunes than can be anticipated in the Dutch flood defence act.  Postponement of further differentiation of standards Further differentiation of flood safety standards is an important part of the policy development. The Netherlands now knows four different safety standards based on statistical chance that water flows over the defence work: 1:10.000 (South and Central Holland), 1:4000 (Zeeland and Wadden coast), 1:2000 (lower river area) and 1:1250 (upper river area). The idea is to further differentiate these standards per dike ring depending on the socio-economical value of/in the protected area. Research about this is ongoing, also in the FLORIS2 project that recently has been launched. New economic developments in low-lying polders The possibility of updated safety standards make it difficult to assess current development projects in low lying areas that are sometimes many metres below sea level. Members of Parliament urged the deputy minister for a plan how to deal with developments in the deep dutch polders. Source: waterforum.net 02-07-2007 Journey of the rubber duckies They were toys destined only to bob up and down in nothing bigger than a child's bath - but so far they have floated halfway around the world. The armada of 29,000 plastic yellow ducks, blue turtles and green frogs broke free from a cargo ship 15 years ago. Since then they have travelled 27,000 km floating over the site where the Titanic sank, landing in Hawaii and even spending years frozen in an Arctic ice pack. And now they are heading straight for Britain. At some point this summer they are expected to be spotted on beaches in South-West England.  While the ducks are undoubtedly a loss to the bath-time fun of thousands of children, their adventures at sea have proved an invaluable aid to science. The toys have helped researchers to chart the great ocean currents because when they are spotted bobbing on the waves they are much more likely to be reported to the authorities than the floats which scientists normally use. And because the toys are made of durable plastic and are sealed watertight, they have been able to survive years adrift at the mercy of the elements. Boxes of the bathtime toys - made in China for the U.S. firm The First Years Inc - were washed overboard in the eastern Pacific Ocean one stormy January night in 1992 and broke open. In the intervening time an oceanographer, Curtis Ebbesmeyer, has devoted his retirement to tracking the little yellow ducks and their friends over 27,000 km, and it is he who has predicted that this summer they will land in the West of England. Mr Ebbesmeyer said: 'We're getting reports of ducks being washed up on America's eastern seaboard. "It is now inevitable that they will get caught up in the Atlantic currents and will turn up on English beaches.  "Cornwall and the South-West will probably get the first wave of them." Mr Ebbesmeyer said the toys will be easy for British beachboardcombers to spot because they have largely faded to white and have the words "The First Years" stamped upon them. George Bush Snr was still US President when the toys from The First Years Inc. were made in China, packed into a container and put on a ship for the US. But after falling overboard, the sea water corroded the card-packaging and the toys floated free. They circled the northern Pacific once before being washed up on the Alaskan shore, then all down the West coast of Canada and the US. Mr Ebbesmeyer saw immediately how valuable the little toys would be to scientific research of the great ocean currents, the engine of the planet's entire climate. He correctly predicted what many thought was impossible - that thousands of them would end up washed into the Arctic ice near Alaska, and then move at a mile a day, frozen in the pack ice, around their very own North-West Passage to the Atlantic. It proved true years later and in 2003, the first "Friendly Floatees" were found, frozen and then thawed out, on the eastern seaboard of the U.S. and Canada. So precious to science are they that the US firm that made them is offering a £50 bounty for finding one. THE JOURNEY SO FAR: January 10, 1992: Somewhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean nearly 29,000 First Years bath toys, including bright yellow rubber ducks, are spilled from a cargo ship in the Pacific Ocean. November 16, 1992: Caught in the Subpolar Gyre (counter-clockwise ocean current in the Bering Sea, between Alaska and Siberia), the ducks take 10 months to begin landing on the shores of Alaska. Early 1995: The ducks take three years to circle around. East from the drop site to Alaska, then west and south to Japan before turning back north and east passing the original drop site and again landing in North America. Some ducks are even found In Hawaii. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) worked out that the ducks travel approximately 50 per pent faster than the water in the current. 1995 - 2000: Some intrepid ducks escape the Subpolar Gyre and head North, through the Bering Straight and into the frozen waters of the Arctic. Frozen into the ice the ducks travel slowly across the pole, moving ever eastward. 2000: Ducks begin reaching the North Atlantic where they begin to thaw and move Southward. Soon ducks are sighted bobbing in the waves from Maine to Massachusetts. 2001: Ducks are tracked in the area where the Titanic sank. Second half of 2003: The First Years company offers a $100 savings bond reward for the recovery of wayward ducks from the 1992 spill. To be valid ducks must be sent to the company and must be found in New England, Canada or Iceland. Britain is told to prepare for an invasion of the wayward ducks as well. 2003: A lawyer called Sonali Naik was on holiday in the Hebrides in north-west Scotland when she found a faded green frog on the beach marked with the magic words 'The First Years'. Unaware of the significance of her find she left it on the beach. It was only when she was chatting to other guests at her hotel that she realised what she had seen. 2007: "It is now inevitable that they will get caught up in the Atlantic currents and will turn up on English beaches" Source: Daily Mail 26-06-2007 UK: British Insurers advice on climate change adaptation The Association of British Insurers (ABI) presented a new publication "Adapting to our Changing Climate: A Manifesto for business, government and the public" with recommendation how the UK can adapt to climate change.
Their main message is:
Insurers will work with the Government, the wider business community and customers to ensure that Britain is prepared for climate change.
Together, by 2011, we should:
25-06-2007 "Worst credible floods" in the North Sea coastal region Within the scope of the Interreg project Chain of Safety, ‘Worst Credible Flood’ scenarios are defined. The scenarios present the threatened areas of a ‘worst credible flood’ in the North Sea Region. A ‘worst credible flood’ is a flood, which occurs during a very extreme, however still possible situation.
Storm surges represent a major natural hazard in the North Sea region, with around 40,000 km² of low-lying land at coastal flood risk in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Denmark and the UK.
If during a major storm the flood defence measures cannot resist the pressure of a large storm, large areas are at risk to flooding.
Since flooding disasters and their effects do not stop at local, regional or even national borders, transnational cooperation in contingency planning is very important.
 I SE England (NE storm)
II SE England, Belgium, SW Holland (N storm)
III W Holland (NW storm)
IV N Holland and NW Germany (N storm)
V NW Germany and SW Denmark (W storm)To make good preparation on flood disasters, it is important to get insight in the potential scale of a coastal flooding. The figure above presents the threatened areas of a ‘worst credible flood’ in the North Sea Region. A ‘worst credible flood’ is a flood, which occurs during a very extreme, however still possible situation.
Contingency planners can base their preparations on the ‘worst credible flood’ scenarios.
In the framework of the Dutch ‘National Strategy for High Water and Storm Surge Crisis’ flood defence experts have developed the ‘worst credible flood’ scenarios and translated them to zones in which different areas maybe flooded simultaneously (figure 2). The scenarios are based on situation that exceed the level of protection.
In this case only area I, II and IV are relevant. These storm surges occur with wind speeds of 12 Bft or more. The duration of storm surges depends on the tide and the duration of the storm. In these scenarios the duration is set on 45 hours. The average prediction time is 15 hours.
 Based on these insights and on historical date of storms occurred in the past, a qualitative extrapolation into the North Sea has been made (figure 3). It has been assumed that the location of simultaneous flooded areas along the North Sea depends on the wind pattern direction of the storm: NW storms threaten the Dutch coast, N storms threaten the German bight and North Holland and when a N storm runs more to the southern part of the North Sea, Southeast England, Belgium, South West Holland are threatened. NE storms threaten the Southeast coast of the United Kingdom and a W storm will threaten the coast of the Germany and Denmark.
 21-06-2007 NL: Climate proofing in government plans The Netherlands need to be made climate-proof and ' water ' need be imbedded better in the spatial planning. This according to ' point 26 ' in the policy programme 2006-2011 that has been presented on the 14th of June by the fourth cabinet Balkenende. First of all research needs to be done which will give a long-term overview of the vulnerability of the Dutch infrastructure. State Secretary of the Ministry of Water, Tineke Huizinga, spent a hundred days visiting several locations to see how water is of vital importance for every day life. Huizinga is expected to launch a water strategy document in September in which these experiences will be incorporated. Important task for water management Export of knowledge Water policy not so popular at the Dutch House of Representatives. The complete text of the three points – 26, 27 and 28 – of the Dutch policy programme 2007-2011 can be found here (in Dutch only).
Source: www.waterforum.net 21-06-2007 UK: Uncertainties future safety Thames Barrier The cost of protecting London and the south-east from flooding will be at least £4bn as sea levels rise and the south-east coast sinks over the next century, a report for the Environment Agency has warned. Experts have recognised that the Thames Barrier should be able to guard against the possibility of a major flood until 2030, but say that billions need to be spent on raising 300km of other defences to protect the capital - and even more than that if the sea level rises still further. At worst, the cost of a major new barrier would be 'in excess of £20bn', says the report by the Thames Estuary 2100 project team. 'The more we curb emissions [blamed for global warming], therefore, the less investment will be required in extreme measures to combat the increasing risk from sea-level rise and climate change,' adds the report. Dave Wardle, the EA's area manager for the Thames region, said the report showed that the Thames Barrier, opened in 1982, had been well designed and maintained, but that the agency would need more money from government in future. The EA is currently budgeting £200m over 12 years on extra defences, and a Government Foresight report in 2004, 'Future Flooding', called for investment in flood defence and coastal erosion to rise by £10m-£30m a year to limit the average annual damage of flooding to £2bn a year by 2080. Damage is currently £1bn a year, said the EA. 'All research shows more investment in flood defences is needed to take into account the increasing vulnerability of communities facing the unavoidable impacts of climate change,' added Wardle. The report also said the Environment Agency's Making Space for Water strategy, which aims to find land which can store floodwater, from parks to car parks, could extend the life of the Thames Barrier by 50 to 80 years beyond 2030. The report's findings are based on the government estimate that the average rise in sea level by 2100 will be 0.94 metres, although it also considered higher estimates of up to 4.2 metres. About 1mm a year of the increase is due to geological changes as southern England subsides; the rest is because global warming is causing ice to melt and seawater to expand, said Professor Jim Hall of Newcastle University, who has advised the EA on flood risk in the region. 'These are pretty conservative scenarios, but London is an important place, so it's important they look at some far-out what-ifs - even if these are not the basis for the design.' More information can be found here.
Source: The Observer 11-06-2007 Safecoast workshop 'Strategic investments in the coastal zone' Within the scope of the project Safecoast Rijkswaterstaat DWW and the Coastal Division and the Flanders Hydraulic Research of the Ministry of the Flemish Community has organised a workshop on strategic investments in coastal flood risk management. During the morning session several speakers gave a nice overview on different possibilities and method, like technical studies, cost-benefit analysis and ICZM, how be more 'future prove' in the coastal zone. The report of the workshop can be downloaded here. One of the main outcomes is that cost-benefit analysis together with technical studies has to be taken in to be part of the process to get a good integrated plan.
08-06-2007 NL: play some educational games If you like to sharpen your knowledge in a non-boring way, project Safecoast has developed some interactive educational games you can play. Four games dealing with flood safety and climate change can be found below. Click on the images below to start playing.     01-06-2007 NL: dissertation on loss of life estimation in flood risk assessments Last week, the dissertation from Bas Jonkman was released as result of his Ph D work at the Delft University of Technology. His thesis is a scientific approach to the estimation of casualties in flood risk assessments. Quantitative risk analysis is generally used to quantify the risks associated with accidents in a technical system. The resulting risk estimates, expressing the combination of probabilities and consequences of a set of possible accidents, provide the input for risk evaluation and decision-making. One of the most important types of consequences of accidents concerns the loss of human life. In general, there is limited insight in the magnitude of loss of life caused by accidents, and no general methodology that can be used to estimate loss of life for different event types is available. In particular in the field of flood risk assessment, limited insight exists in the number of fatalities that can result from the flooding of low-lying areas protected by flood defences. In the first part of this thesis a general approach for loss of life estimation and risk quantification is proposed. The second part focuses on the estimation of loss of life caused by floods. The thesis can be downloaded here (6 mb) or in Safecoast's national files page (click on the Netherlands).  11-05-2007 NL: Institute releases report on flood risk as a spatial planning challenge Last week, the Dutch spatial planning institute (RPB, Ruimtelijk Planbureau) has released a report on flood risk management as a spatial planning challenge. Below the main findings are reproduced such as found on the website of the RPB (www.rpb.nl). The report may be downloaded here. Future investments against floods (water safety) should therefore not only focus on stronger barriers and sea walls but also on a more flexible and robust system of spatial planning. Hence, we propose a water planning strategy. Space should be organized in such a way that flood damage in built-up areas would be minimal. If water were to break through the most prominent dykes (dyke rings), there would be considerable variations in the depth and rate of inundation. The first task in a water planning strategy would therefore be to develop an adequate flood-risk zoning for dyke-enclosed areas. Then, an appropriate mix of spatial and policy measures could be worked out for each zone. The Dutch government and the provincial and municipal authorities need to concentrate much more on the different flood-risk zones when designating development sites and organising building programmes. Areas designated for housing should be in the safest zones. It is better not to build at all in high-risk areas where flooding would be fast and deep or, at any rate, to build only to a limited extent with the necessary modifications. The areas closest to the first line of defence could better be reserved for water retention. It would be relatively safe to develop in risk zones, where flooding would be slower or shallower, provided there is a good evacuation plan and mitigation strategy. Water-based housing (live-aboards) is becoming increasingly popular; however, people also want to feel protected. This tension between safety and liveability provides the agenda for the design. A water strategy aimed at risk mitigation can generate added value for spatial planning. It will take a considerable effort to create a safe living environment based on flood-mitigation in an at-risk area. Policymakers, developers and individuals need to be properly aware of the risks of building and living in such areas" 03-05-2007 EU research project on coastal erosion launches website Recently, the EU Funded research project (FP6) Conscience for sustainable coastal erosion management has launched it's website. The first aim of the project is to define a decision-making framework based on the concepts formulated by the EUROSION project, i.c. coastal resilience, coastal sediment cells (see picture), favourable sediment status and strategic sediment reservoirs. The second aim is to develop these concepts into measurable standards, which can be evaluated in practice for any field situation. The third aim is to link these standards to ongoing European initiatives as GEO/GMES, the European Soil Strategy in preparation, The European Maritime Strategy and the Recommendation on Integrated Coastal Zone Management. The fourth aim is to produce guidelines and tools to enable an effective implementation in European coastal management. The practical applicability and effectiveness of the guidelines and tools will be evaluated in selected test sites. It is envisaged that the combination of the decision-making framework and the provision of guidelines and tools will prove highly valuable to coastal managers when deciding on the most sustainable method of managing erosion at any given location. Therefore the project results will be broadly disseminated to stakeholders at local, regional and European levels.
 12-04-2007 NL: Adaptation programme Space & Climate leads to national strategy Last year, The Netherlands have initiated the National Programme Space and Climate (ARK). With this, 4 ministries have co-operated with the umbrella organisations of the provinces, municipalities and the waterboards. All parties have underlined the urgency that spatial adaptation to the effects of climate change is necessary and has recently led to a national strategy. Goal of this strategy is to make the Netherlands 'climate-proof' for the next hundred years, and to make climate change adaptation 'mainstream' in all policies from 2015. Inter-ministerial and inter-governmental agreements will be underlined in a pending 'national adaptation agenda'. Although in Dutch, download the national strategy here. Find a background document in English, a 'qualitative assessment of climate adaptation options' here Read more here  06-04-2007 IPCC Working Group II releases report The Working Group II "Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability" contribution to the "Climate Change 2007" Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has been presented to the press in Brussels today. Additional press briefings focusing on specific impacts at the regional level will follow in various locations around the world starting from 10 April. The report assesses the latest scientific, environmental and socio-economic literature on "Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability". It provides a comprehensive analysis of how climate change is affecting natural and human systems, what the impacts will be in the future and how far adaptation and mitigation can reduce these impacts. The report also contains chapters on specific systems, sectors and regions. Key findings of the report include: • 75-250 million people across Africa could face water shortages by 2020 • Crop yields increase could increase by 20% in East and Southeast Asia, but decrease by up to 30% in Central and South Asia • Agriculture fed by rainfall could drop by 50% in some African countries by 2020 • 20-30% of all plant and animal species at increased risk of extinction if temperatures rise between 1.5-2.5C • Glaciers and snow cover expected to decline, reducing water availability in countries supplied by melt water  The report states that the observed increase in the global average temperature was "very likely" due to man-made greenhouse gas emissions. The scientific work reviewed by IPCC scientists includes more than 29,000 pieces of data on observed changes in physical and biological aspects of the natural world. Eighty-nine percent of these, it believes, are consistent with a warming world. Read more here. Download the summary for policy makers here. 08-03-2007 EEA reviews the challenges facing Europe to adapt to the impacts of climate Last month, the European Environment Agency (EEA) has publicised a report on climate change adaptation. The report reviews the challenges facing Europe to adapt to the impacts of climate change on water resources. Water is a critical sector for people's lives and the economy. Even if emissions of greenhouse gases were stabilised today, increases in temperature and the associated impacts, including those on water availability and flooding, will continue for many decades to come. Using a policy analysis at European level, and a survey, the report reviews practices in countries and concludes that countries are aware of these impacts and have started to adapt to them but there is still much to do. This material is also presented by country in an annex. The need for research on the vulnerability of society and ecosystems to climate change impacts is felt by many of countries, particularly for the water sector. Better databases on frequency, intensity and effects of extreme events and on national adaptation practises, including responses to these extremes, would facilitate the development of effective adaptation strategies. Download the report here. Source: European Environment Agency  07-03-2007 EU Exchange circle on flood mapping (EXCIMAP) make atlas
The network has been set up for encouraging and facilitating exchanges between European experts in view of developing flood mapping. The main objective of EXCIMAP is to produce a guide presenting the good practices (available in Europe) to mobilize when executing flood mapping. To be consistent with this proposed European Flood Directive, EXCIMAP has decided to focus its work on the minimum requirements of the Directive concerning flood mapping. As part of the work to be done for this guide an inventory was made of examples of maps and mapping programmes in the participating countries. The result of this inventory is this “Atlas of Flood Maps in Europe”. It contains examples from 17 EU countries. In addition examples from Japan and USA are included, as countries with a long history on dealing with natural hazards in general and floods in particular. In the coming months the product will be finalised and will also be available at safecoast.org. Download this short memo for the Dutch progress on flood maps. 05-03-2007 Working together to meet the EU climate target The Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (MNP) and the Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis (CPB) have sketched four alternative scenarios in the climate policy domain.
For the Dutch report (with English summary) click here. Click here for website of The Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency.
26-02-2007 Final Conference of project FRaME The Interreg IIIb project FRaME presented on February 14th in their final conference the outcomes of the project. FRaME stands for 'Flood Risk management in Estuaries: Sustainable New Land Use in Flood Control Areas' and is a transnational project for developing innovative solutions for flood risk management in estuaries. The project combines a range of transnational activities with demonstration sites that are located in the UK, Belgium and the Netherlands.  22-02-2007 UK: Flood insurers concerned about sea level rise The East coast of England is under threat from rising sea levels and greater investment is needed now in our coastal flood defences. These are the conclusions of a report published in November 2006 by the ABI (Association of British Insurers). A 40cm rise in sea levels could happen as soon as 2040. Coastal flood risk – Thinking for tomorrow, acting today assesses the threat from rising sea levels, and examines the impact on the east coast and in particular on Hull, Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft, Southend, East London and Hastings. The Risk Management Solutions (RMS) storm surge model was used to model the current and future impacts of the coastal flooding along the East coast of England. The model has been designed to enable changes in the elevation, fragility characteristics, and breaching behaviour components of individual defences along sections of the coastline. It's different modules are sketched below (click on the image to download the underlying technical document).  The main overall report concludes: • A 40cm rise in sea levels will put an extra 130,000 properties at risk of flooding. In total 400,000 properties will be at risk, up nearly 50% on the current number. In Hull alone 19,000 properties could suffer serious flooding; 24,000 properties in Southend. • Without improvements to existing flood defences, the cost of a major coastal flood could soar by 400% and cost as much as £16 billion. • Essential services and lives will be at risk. 15% of fire and ambulance stations and 12% of hospitals and schools are in flood-risk areas. • The elderly will be particularly affected as the number living on, or moving to, the coast is well above the national average. And recommends: • Investing in improved coastal defences to reduce the number of properties at risk. An extra £8 billion needs to be spent over the next 25-30 years to improve coastal defences along the East Coast. • A long-term flood management strategy, which looks at funding needs 25–30 years ahead, and regional planning taking into account the likely impact of climate change in 50 and 100 years time. Download the report here Click on the image below for more technical background resources on the ABI website. Source: Association of British Insurers (ABI)  16-02-2007 NL: accelerated sea level rise not visible in Rijkswaterstaat measurements The International Climatepanel IPCC of the United Nations has adjusted its scenarios on sea level rise to 19-58 cm per 100 years in the recently published 4th Assessment Report. In the previous report from 2001, IPCC assumed sea level rise to be between 9 to 88 cm per 100 years. This recent narrowing of bandwith can be explained by the increasing knowledge of sea water expansion due to global warming and the output of glacier and polar icesheet meltwater. Remarkable is the observation of IPCC that - globally - sea levels rise in an accelerated way. The last decade the sea level rose about 31 cm per century, whereas the last 40 years sea levels rose with 18 cm per decade. The accelerated sea level rise however does not reflect measurements in the North Sea from the Dutch Rijkswaterstaat. Sea levels in the North Sea have risen about 20cm in last century (see graph below, source: RIKZ).
Tidal gauge measurements (since mid 19th century) versus the increasingly accurate satellite measurements do not yet confirm the acceleration as observed by IPCC. Read more about the IPCC report here.
03-02-2007 January 2007 warmest in Netherlands in 300 years This month has been the warmest January in the Netherlands since temperatures were first measured in 1706, the Dutch meteorological institute KNMI said on Wednesday. The average temperature in January was about 7.1 degrees Celsius, 2.8 degrees more than the usual for the month and significantly exceeding a previous record of 6.2 degrees reached in 1921, 1975 and 1983, KNMI said in a statement.  Last year was the warmest on record in the Netherlands, which the agency had linked to global warming. Dutch temperature records are among the oldest in the world. Methodical thermometer-based records began on a more global basis around 1850. KNMI officials have said that the 10 warmest years in the Netherlands occurred in the past 18 years, which was in line with rising global temperatures and was a sign of a warming planet. The KNMI's climate scenarios envisage more extreme weather such as heatwaves and storms in the Netherlands and northern Europe in the next few decades to 2050. Earlier this month, Europe was hit by a severe storm, the worst in years, with hurricane-force winds that cut a swathe from Britain via the Netherlands to Poland and killed about 60 people. Source: Reuters / Washington Post / KNMI 02-02-2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change presents 4th Assessment Report On Friday Febuary 2nd the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) of the UN presents their new results on climate change. This is the first time that the group asserted with a certainty of more than 90% that carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping greenhouse gases from human activities were the main drivers of global warming since 1950.
"We can be very confident that the net effect of human activity since 1750 has been one of warming," co-lead author Dr Susan Soloman told delegates in Paris.
The panel strongly warns about further acceleration of the global temperature and predicts a temperature rise of 1.8-4C (3.2-7.2F) by the end of the century. It also projected that sea levels were most likely to rise by 28-43cm, and global warming was likely to influence the intensity of tropical storms. If the ice on Greenland and Antarctica melt, it is possible the sea level will rise even more.
The findings are the first of four IPCC reports to be published this year. Click here to download the policy summary. More information can be found here and here.
01-02-2007 USA: Is politics invading climate science? Political interference in science is causing widespread alarm across the United States. This resulted in a hearing on political influence on government climate change scientists. Thousands of scientists are accusing the Bush administration of systematically suppressing, manipulating and distorting their work. Many government scientists have resigned in protest, claiming that industrial and ideological powers are infiltrating their work to an unprecedented level. In The Science Blacklist, BBC Washington correspondent Justin Webb investigates the growing number of US science scandals - from editing climate change research to repressing the sale of contraceptives The U.S. Climate Change Science Program distributed a survey to over 1,600 federal climate scientists, which asked for information about the state of federal climate research. Responses were received from 279 scientists. Results of the survey include: "Forty-six percent of respondents perceived or personally experienced pressure to eliminate the words “climate change,” “global warming,” or other similar terms from a variety of communications. Forty-three percent of respondents reported they had perceived or personally experienced changes or edits during review of their work that changed the meaning of their scientific findings. Forty-six percent of respondents perceived or personally experienced new or unusual administrative requirements that impair climate-related work. Twenty-five percent of respondents perceived or personally experienced situations in which scientists have objected to, resigned from, or removed themselves from a project because of pressure to change scientific findings. Fifty-eight percent stated that they had personally experienced one or more incidents of interference over the past five years. The number of incidents totaled at least 435." The US Oversight Committee held a hearing on January 30 regarding political interference in the work of government climate change scientists. In preparation for the hearing, Chairman Waxman and Ranking Member Davis requested documents from the Council on Environmental Quality related to allegations that officials edited scientific reports and took other actions to minimize the significance of climate change. Read more here, here and here  31-01-2007 Safecoast delivers quick scan climate change adaptation Last week the Safecoast project has finalised a comparative study dealing with climate change adaptation (with a focus on coastal flood safety policies). This study will form a step stone towards discussing a joint vision in the Safecoast partnership on climate adaptation options with respect to coastal flooding. National debates about adaptation to climate change are often linked to the international (EU or global) debates. We can observe that for decades the attention has mainly focused on mitigation of climate change (through reduction of CO2 emissions) and much less focused on adapting to its consequences (climate change adaptation). More and more now it becomes acknowledged that significant changes are unavoidable and that we should adapt to these changes. Furthermore, it has become apparent that the results of the general debates on climate change tend to focus on a series of adaptation measures for the short- and long-term, which in turn are related to climate change scenario’s (sea level rise). Each country has a different combination of adaptation measures and scenario’s depending on the coastline, the national policy and the social/cultural view on coastal flooding. You may download the report here [PDF - 0,9 mb] or in the downloads section of this website.
30-01-2007 UK: Anniversary of 1607 tsunami A suspected tsunami in the Bristol Channel which killed 2,000 people happened 400 years ago today.  Experts believe severe flooding on 30 January 1607 in south west England and south Wales was caused by a tsunami - and not a storm surge or high tides. It is estimated 520 km2 of land were covered by water. Simon Hasslett from Bath Spa University in the UK said the research was important as there was currently no tsunami warning system in place. He said it was important for informing coastal and risk management plans. Download his 2-page story on the Somerset tsunami of 1607 here The flood of 1607 has been described by experts as the worst natural disaster to hit Britain. Eyewitness accounts of the disaster told of "huge and mighty hills of water" advancing at a speed "faster than a greyhound can run". Mr Hasslett carried out extensive research into the cause of the flood alongside Australian geologist and tsunami expert Ted Bryant from the University of Wollongong in 2003. Dr Claire Souch, director of model management at Risk Management Solutions (RMS) and a co-author of the report claims that an "exceptional event" on the scale of the 1607 flood, with a storm surge of nine metres, could overwhelm existing flood defences. More than 80% of the total losses from the same event today would occur in the cities of Bristol, Cardiff and Gloucester, with the remaining losses along the south-western coast of Wales and around Barnstaple in Devon. Dr Souch said: "We've run a variety of simulations of a storm surge coming up the Bristol Channel today and in the worst case scenario the flood heights would be so high, they would over-top existing defences and cause flooding over an extremely large area and a possible damage of more than 13 billion pounds. Read more here, and here Source: BBC A woodcut from a 1607 pamphlet shows the devastation the water caused  29-01-2007 UK newspaper: 4th IPCC report, the vicious cycle The Britsh newspaper The Independer reveals the outcomes of a draft copy of the fourth report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). It says that global temperature rises this century of between 2C and 4.5C are almost inevitable. Ominously, however, it also says that much higher increases of 6C "or more" cannot be ruled out. The final version of the IPCC's latest report is to be published on Friday but a draft copy, seen by The Independent, makes it clear that climate change could be far worse than previously thought because of potentially disastrous "positive" feedbacks which could accelerate rising temperatures. In the previous report of 2001, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said the link was at least 66 percent certain. IPCC experts are meeting in Paris to discuss and approve the draft report. The report is also set to warn that average global temperatures will rise to 2.0 to 4.5 degrees Celsius (3.6 to 8.1 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels by 2100, with a ''best estimate'' of a 3.0 C (5.4 F) rise, scientists say. Another section of the report, due in April, is expected to warn that between 1.1 and 3.2 billion people will face water shortages by the end of the century and hundreds of millions will go hungry, according to Australia's The Age newspaper. Coastal flooding will hit another 7 million homes. Source article: The Independer, UK Sea level rise as shown in the 3rd IPCC report 27-01-2007 Colleagues from the Comcoast project made a short movie Our colleagues from the Comcoast project have made a short film (6 mb) and some clarifying animations about their unique and innovative concept of widening coastal defences in order to better combine coastal functions such as safety, nature and living & working. ComCoast - COMbined functions in COASTal defence zones - is a European project which develops and demonstrates innovative solutions for flood protection in coastal areas. As in project Safecoast, Rijkswaterstaat, part of the Dutch Ministry of Public Works and Water Management, leads the project. Besides the Netherlands, four other North Sea countries are involved (UK, Germany, Belgium and Denmark). In total, ten partners constitute the project consortium. The partners share their knowledge and experience and develop the best possible practices, which will benefit all coastal defences comprising embankments in Europe. The main difference between project Safecoast and Comcoast is in their approach: Safecoast aims to find strategic ways for climate change adaptation, Comcoast underlines this need to show possible innovative solutions for a resilient coast where its different functions can be combined in the best possible way.  25-01-2007 Coastal development in Dubai: palm islands emerge  The Palm islands in Dubai are the three largest artificial islands in the world. They are being constructed by Nakheel Properties, a property developer in the United Arab Emirates. The islands are The Palm Jumeirah, The Palm Jebel Ali and The Palm Deira. The islands were commissioned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in order to increase Dubai's tourism. Each settlement will be in the shape of a palm tree, topped with a crescent, and will have a large number of residential, leisure and entertainment centers. The Palm Islands are located off the coast of The United Arab Emirates in the Persian Gulf and will add 520 km of beaches to the city of Dubai. The first two islands will comprise approximately 100 million cubic meters of rock and sand. Palm Deira will be composed of approximately 1 billion cubic meters of rock and sand. All materials will be quarried in the UAE. Between the three islands there will be over 100 luxury hotels, exclusive residential beachside villas and apartments, marinas, water theme parks, restaurants, shopping malls, sports facilities and health spas. The creation of The Palm Jumeirah began in June 2001. Shortly after, The Palm Jebel Ali was announced and reclamation work began. In 2004, The Palm Deira, which will be larger in size than Paris, was announced. Palm Jumeirah is currently open for development. Construction will be completed over the next 10-15 years. Source: Wikipedia, Landsat 15-01-2007 North Sea Coastal Managers Group consulted for Dutch Coastal Policy Today, on monday January 15th, the North Sea Coastal Managers Group came to The Hague to discuss the Third Coastal Policy Document of the Netherlands and to share coastal management experiences from the neighbouring countries.
The Dutch Third Coastal Policy Document (see the Dutch national files) is being evaluated and the results and the lessons learned will give input to a new coastal policy vision. The results were presented to the NSCMG and the main issues for discussion were ‘How to deal with climate change, PPP (Public Private Partnership) and beach nourishments for tourist purposes’. Signals from the NSCMG were to communicate with the other ministries for a joint ownership of coastal issues to clearly map responsibilities. Even though PPP can be a efficient style of outsourcing (e.g. sand nourishments), the NSCMG gave some clear indications for improvement. The discussion on climate change adaptation showed that it is a problem for each country, and that they all deal with the climate change scenarios differently in their policies. See table below for the different sea level rise scenarios that exist in the North Sea countries.  * Background information Belgium: Linear 5 mm/yr 2005-2055 Mean Sea Level 6 mm/yr 2005-2055 Hight Tide
Source: IMDC (2005) The Netherlands: Semi-linear 2 mm/yr: short term design / nourishments) 6 mm/yr: long term design dikes,barriers 8,5 mm/yr: spatial reservations > 200yrs
Source: 3rd Coastal Policy Document (2002) NB: different (water) policy documents show different scenarios. Germany: Linear 5 mm/yr for Schleswig Holstein based on IPCC (2001) 6 mm/yr for Niedersachsen (land subsidence ~ 0,6 - 1mm/yr)
Sources: Schleswig-Holstein Ministerium für ländliche Räume, Landesplanung, Landwirtschaft und Tourismus (2002) Bezirksregierung Weser-Ems (1997)
Denmark: Pragmatic No formal policy scenario on sea level rise, although a linear rise in water level of about 5 mm/yr was taken into account for the steps leading down to Metro stations during the planning of the new metropolitan district 'Orestad' Source: EEA (2005) United Kingdom: Recently updated figures of 2003 now reflect an exponential and regionalised curve, and replaces the previous linear graph. See the Safecoast headline about this update. Source: DEFRA (2006), download update-report here 09-12-2006 UK gives guidance on adapting flood defence to climate change New flood defences must be fully adaptable to the consequences of climate change and rising sea levels, according to new guidance issued by the UK's Departement for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). The guidance advises those responsible for building flood defences to plan for the long term, by factoring in increasing rates of sea level rise - a result of the climate change already locked in to the global system. Sea level rise is likely to accelerate from the current 2.5mm to 4mm a year to 13mm and 15 mm a year by between 2085 and 2115. Climate Change and Environment Minister Ian Pearson said: “Adapting to the consequences of climate change is already a key consideration in managing the risks of flooding. We know that sea levels are rising, and this will get worse over time. This is why we need to work with natural processes rather than against them and also ensure that those responsible for designing flood defences adapt to the long term impacts of climate change. “The new climate change guidance will help ensure that investment decisions for new coastal defences are sustainable and based on appropriate scientific advice.” The new guidance, in line with previous climate change scenarios issued by DEFRA, will help authorities in the UK to calculate when and how best to build allowances for climate change and sea level rise into their flood defence plans. Read more here. Source: DEFRA, UK  02-12-2006 Flanders launches campaign on Integrated Coastal Zone Management Flemish governmental institutes have formed an alliance to launch the campaign 'De kust kijkt verder' (English: The coast looks ahead). Main reason is that the coastal zone is used for a large variety of functions, such as socio-cultural functions, ecology, economy and safety, that are sometimes not easy to balance with eachother. Therefore the website www.dekustkijktverder.be gives a wide range of examples of succesful cases of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM).  26-11-2006 Al Gore: climate change campaigner Al Gore starred in the documentary film An Inconvenient Truth produced by Paramount Pictures, released on May 24, 2006, and on DVD on 21 November 2006. It concerns global warming, an issue which Gore has followed since the 1970s. It is a warning regarding human contribution to climate change and the effects of not making changes in our behavior now. In the movie Al Gore states this is not a political issue but a moral issue. Before August it surpassed Bowling for Columbine as the third-highest grossing documentary film in U.S. history. Gore has also published a book of the same title which became a bestseller.  23-11-2006 Monsterwave detected near Dutch Wadden island During the North-Western storm of last week, a Dutch measuring bouy near the island of Schiermonnikoog has measured two high monsterwaves of 17m and 19,8m respectively. Never before have waves of these magnitude been measured in this region with a waterdepth of only 23m. If the measurements are correct, experts from the National Institute for Coastal and Marine Management (RIKZ) say that this is without precedent. "Freak waves" with these magnitude are rarely measured in the North Sea, and only in the Northern part where the North Sea is much deeper (50-100m). In the coming weeks the measuring bouy will be analysed in the RIKZ laboratory to test if it may be disfunctional. Also, data will be compared with German measurements in the nearby region. Lately, the Dutch media have given extensive report on the phenomenon. Comparisons between the height of the waves with the height of a building have not been avoided (see picture). Read more here and here.
31-10-2006 UK Report: Global Warming will devastate world economy Unchecked global warming will devastate the world economy on the scale of the world wars and the Great Depression, a major UK report said yesterday. Introducing the report, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said unabated climate change would cost the world between 5 percent and 20 percent of global gross domestic product each year. He called for 'bold and decisive action' to cut carbon emissions and stem the worst of the temperature rise. Report author Sir Nicholas Stern, a senior UK government economist, said that acting now to cut greenhouse gas emissions would cost about 1 percent of global GDP each year. "The evidence shows that ignoring climate change will eventually damage economic growth," said Stern's 700-page report, the first major effort to quantify the economic cost of climate change." "Our actions over the coming decades could create risks of major disruption to economic and social activity, later in this century and in the next, on a scale similar to those associated with the great wars and the economic depression of the first half of the 20th century."  UK Finance minister Gordon Brown will argue at the launch of the report that harnessing the power of markets is the best way to find new methods to curb the output of polluting gases, Treasury officials said. Sharing a platform with Blair and Stern, Brown will propose a new EU-wide target for emissions reductions of 30 percent by 2020 and 60 percent by 2050 and expansion of the carbon trading scheme to cover more than 50 percent of emissions. "Stern's report sees climate change as a global challenge that demands a global solution. The truth is we must tackle climate change internationally or we will not tackle it at all," according to mr. Brown. Read more here. Even though the report (download the executive summary here) focuses mainly on the mitigation of climate change by an increased CO2 emission reduction, also key messages are given regarding climate adaptation, as copied from the report below: Key Messages on climate adaptation
30-10-2006 Flood Risks and Safety in the Netherlands (FLORIS)
The Dutch government considers it important that the public has a better understanding of the probability of their area being hit by a flood. The government also wants to have a clear view of the relatively weaker areas in flood protection. Other experts have, moreover, indicated that the protection against flooding may no longer be properly in proportion to the consequences of flooding. The full report of Flood Risks and Safety in the (Floris) project gives the results of the study into the risk of flooding in 16 dike ring areas in the . This report presents both the method and the results. Download here! The "Flood Risks and Safety in the : Interim Report of the Floris study" has also recently been published. This interim report describes the main findings of the Floris study so far. Download here! 26-10-2006 USA: New York flood risk in 2050 increases due to climate change The prospect of sea level rise is not an issue for the North Sea region alone. To illustrate that the issues related to this are worldwide, this headline takes a short step outside of Europe NASA researchers are investigating the potential impact of climate change on New York City using computer models to simulate future climates and sea level rise. Their studies, to date, forecast a 38 to 48 cm-increase in sea levels by the 2050s that could put the city at higher risk of flooding during storm surges. "With sea level at these higher levels, flooding by major storms would inundate many low-lying neighborhoods and shut down the entire metropolitan transportation system with much greater frequency," said Vivien Gornitz, a climate scientist who is part of a team at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) and Columbia University. Gornitz, along with Cynthia Rosenzweig, another researcher on the team, say that higher sea levels put New York city at greater risk of hurricane storm surge. They estimate that in the case of a 1.5-foot-rise in sea level, "surge for a category 3 hurricane on a worst-case track would cause extensive flooding in many parts of the city. Source: www.mongabay.com Read more here  This image shows the storm surge, in blue, over portions of New York City from a Category 3 hurricane, worst-case scenario, if the storm tracks slightly west of New York, USA 18-10-2006 Dutch Advisory Committee Water advice: update flood safety policy Today, the Dutch Advisory Committee Water, chaired by HRH Prince Willem-Alexander, Prince of the Netherlands, has sent an advisory report to the Minister of Transport, Public works and Water management with respect to safety from flooding. The Committee supports recent developments to update the Dutch flood safety policy and advises to initiate a cohesive anticipating vision on flood safety and to give it more national priority. The financing structure of flood safety measures, the Committee says, needs structural improvement. The next government (elections in November) is adviced to soon make financial reservations to improve the primary flood defences in order to meet the legal safety standards as prescribed in the Flood Defence Act of 1996. Also, the Committee makes the case for a better prepared crisis management organisation, in the case the Dutch flood defences fail. Additionally, spatial planning policy with respect to limiting the potential damage of a flood needs improvement. The aspect of better risk communication is underlined by the Advisory Committee. Download the (Dutch) report of the Advisory Committee Water here.  23-09-2006 UK: Official opening of largest flood storage scheme in Europe The Alkborough Flats Tidal Defence Scheme has been officially opened on Wednesday 20 September 2006 by Ian Pearson, Environment and Climate Change Minister of the UK. This largest flood storage project in Europe will reduce the risk of flooding for 300,000 people and become a haven for wildfowl and wading birds, according to the UK Environment Agency. The scheme, which will involve breaching the existing flood defences, will help lower high tide levels by allowing water from the estuary to run over the Alkborough Flats to create a massive flood storage area. The total cost of the scheme is about € 15 million, with the funding coming from a wide range of sources including DEFRA, Yorkshire Forward (the Regional Development Agency), the European Union (via the Interreg programme: the FrAme project), English Nature and the Heritage Lottery Fund. The managed re-alignment at Alkborough allows flood water from the Humber estuary to spill out of the river during the highest tides to fill the low lying land. The capacity of the site is so great that the Environment Agency is predicting a 150mm reduction in high tide levels over a large part of the upper estuary. The project will also create a huge new inter-tidal habitat, attracting more species of wildfowl and wading birds to the area including shelduck, wigeon, teal, avocet and redshank. The site is being used as a demonstration project to help promote new approaches to the impacts of sea level rise across Europe. The effects of climate change are expected to increase high tide levels in the Humber Estuary, which, if defences were left as they are, would increase the risk of flooding for the 300,000 people who live in the area. Read more here. Sources: Environment Agency, Bymnews.com, Frame-project  19-09-2006 Dutch national budgets for flood defences tighter than expected On the traditional third tuesday of September, also named 'budget day' (or prinsjesdag in Dutch) the Minister of Finance has presented the overall national budgets for 2007. The Ministry of Transport, Public works and Water management has budgeted € 420 million for flood defences in an attempt to meet the legal safety standards in the coming future. The Ministry's 2007 policy agenda may be downloaded here (in dutch), the budgets for flood defences may be found here. In a response letter to the Dutch parliament, the provinces and waterboards have announced that this amount is insufficient. Earlier, the Inter-provincial consultation board (IPO) have estimated the total costs for dike reinforcements 4 times as high at € 1,6 billion The Dutch waterboards are public organisations with their own seperate local tax system. Among other tasks, they are responsible for the maintenance of the flood defences. Dike reinforcements, however, are the financial responsibility of the National government. Waterboards now claim that the National government is not taking their responsibility. From the perspective of the joint national and local responsibility for safe flood defences negotiations may take place for advance financing by the waterboards. Sources: Waterforum.net Ministry of Transport, Public works and Water management Ministry of Finance National budget 2007  15-09-2006 Massive surge in disappearance of Arctic sea ice The melting of the sea ice in the Arctic, the clearest sign so far of global warming, has taken a sudden and enormous leap forward, in one of the most ominous developments yet in the onset of climate change. Two separate studies by NASA, using different satellite monitoring technologies, both show a great surge in the disappearance of Arctic ice cover in the last two years. One, from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, shows that Arctic perennial sea ice, which normally survives the summer melt season and remains year-round, shrank by 14 per cent in just 12 months between 2004 and 2005. The overall decrease in the ice cover was 720,000 km2 - an area almost the size of Turkey, gone in a single year. The other study, from the US Goddard Space Flight Centre in Maryland, shows that the perennial ice melting rate, which has averaged 0.15 percent a year since satellite observations began in 1979, has suddenly accelerated hugely. In the past two winters the rate has increased to six per cent a year - that is, it has got more than 30 times faster. Watch the short video illustrating this. The changes are alarming scientists and environmentalists, because they far exceed the rate at which supercomputer models of climate change predict the Arctic ice will melt under the influence of global warming - which is rapid enough. If climate change is not checked, the Arctic ice will all be gone by 2070, and people will be able to sail to the North Pole. But if these new rates of melting are maintained, the Arctic ice will all be gone decades before that. Read more here and here Source: news.independent.co.uk .jpg) 09-09-2006 BBC News underlines flood threat to the UK Britain's coastline is under growing threat of major flooding with serious consequences, according to environmentalists and other scientists, says BBC news on their website on September 8. After the unusual high tides of last week, the UK Environment Agency had earlier warned of the potential for flooding - but only if there had been bad weather and a storm surge at the same time as the tides. Unusual high spring tides on 9, 10 and 11 September have been accompanied with calm weather. Those expected on 7, 8, 9, and 10 October may still be a potential risk. The astronomical spring tides are calculated to be the highest for the next 20 years in some areas. Illustrative are the number of properties in Weston-super-Mare at risk from coastal flooding has now been estimated at 5,009, not 1,800 as previously thought. Read more here. In an overview map, the BBC news item shows the flood risk areas in England and Wales. Read more here.  20-08-2006 UK flood insurers threaten to withdraw flood cover Britain's biggest insurers are threatening to stop cover to thousands of homes in flood-prone parts of the country unless the Government abandons proposals to cut its spending on flood defences. Recent leaks from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) reveal that, this year, the Government will cut £15m (€ 22m) from its annual spending on flood defences. These cuts - confirmed in a letter to the Association of British Insurers (ABI) - come in spite of warnings that the number of homes estimated to be at risk to flooding has more than doubled in the past four years. Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
17-08-2006 German advisory council: climate change doubles risk for oceans and coasts The Scientific Advisory Council on Global Change of the German Federal Government (WBGU) recently published the document: “The future of the oceans – too warm, too high, too sour” (in German) with some disturbing messages about global sea level rise and (tropical) storminess. New satellite data seems to suggest a stronger rise in sea level as previously anticipated. The document contains a number of recommendations for Governmental response. According to this advisory council, sea-level rise is exposing coastal regions to mounting flood and hurricane risks. To keep the adverse effects on human society and ecosystems within manageable limits, it will be essential to adopt new coastal protection approaches, designate marine protected areas and agree on ways to deal with refugees from endangered coastal areas. The German report may be downloaded here. 14-08-2006 KNMI updates climate change scenarios for the Netherlands This summer, the Royal Dutch Meteorological Institute (KNMI) has presented new regional climate scenarios for the Netherlands (KNMI'06 scenarios). Climate change scenarios for the Netherlands for temperature, precipitation, potential evaporation and wind for 2050, and for sea level rise for 2050 and 2100 have been constructed using a range of data sources and techniques. The scenario variables have been defined after consultation with a number of potential scenario users. More information about these scenarios can be found in the brochure "Climate in the 21st century: four scenarios for the Netherlands" and in the scientific background document "KNMI Climate Scenarios 2006 for the Netherlands".  10-08-2006 Dutch scientific council urges for climate adaptation The Dutch scientific council for government policy (WRR) has presented a report ("Climate Strategy - between Ambition and Reality") to deputy minister of the Department of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment (VROM) on behalf of the Dutch government. In this report the WRR indicates three solution pathways for the climate problem: adaption to climate change, reduction of green house gas emissions and effective global co-ordination. Complicating factors and uncertainties for strategy are exposed and a more effective climate strategy is suggested. This strategy gives indications for the future of Dutch climate policy within the EU and that of the EU in a global context. With respect to climate change the council concludes that safety from flooding could get more priority and stresses the importance for spatial reservations for water related functions. Also the threat of a combined stress due to higher river discharges in combination with high sea levels is noted. Therefore, upstream river measures and a sound coastal defence system should be upheld, improved and monitored. So far the report is only available in Dutch, even though the english summary may be downloaded here Read more about the report and the scientific council for government policy here.  download report [2,6 MB / pdf] Source: www.wrr.nl 08-08-2006 UK Environment Agency to get more coastal protection responsabilities? DEFRA (UK) is leading a cross Government strategy for flood and coastal erosion risk management called Making Space for Water which includes the intention to give the Environment Agency (EA) a new strategic overview role for all flood and coastal erosion risk management in England. While the EA is already the main public body responsible for managing flood risk, with powers to forecast and protect against flooding on the coast and inland, it shares that responsibility with maritime local authorities. The EA would also take the lead in dealing with coastal erosion and encroachment by the sea. The UK's maritime local authorities, of which there are over 90, currently have powers to tackle coastal erosion as well as flooding from the sea. Under the proposed changes local authorities would deliver projects on the ground under the strategic direction of the EA, making a nationwide sustainable strategy easier to implement. The UK Environment minister Ian Pearson said: "Today's consultation sets out a system that is both clearer and more understandable to people, but which also ensures that funding is used to best effect. By giving one body, the Environment Agency, the lead in managing all flood and erosion risk on the coast, we will be in a better position to anticipate, prepare for and minimise the inevitable impacts that climate change will have on our coastline." Currently the process is in a consultation phase which seeks views on Defra’s preferred approach to implementing the Environment Agency’s new strategic overview for all sea flooding and coastal erosion risk management. The consultation ends October 31, 2006. Read more here or here  07-08-2006 Flood alert for the highest tides in 20 years? Thousands of people living in coastal areas are being warned to prepare for mass evacuations next month because of floods. The alignment of the Earth, the Moon and the Sun next Monday and Tuesday means that tides will be between 20 and 30 per cent higher than normal - and more if wind and weather are adverse. Additionally, download an indicative flood plain map of England here. 20-07-2006 Safecoast.org updates links-page extensively In an attempt to provide an almost exhaustive overview of relevant links to various websources Safecoast.org has updated its links-page. Ranging from flooding and climate resources at different administrative levels to an unique overview of other Interreg projects. Click here to visit the links page directy.  15-07-2006 Safecoast.org adds documents to downloads page As the sucessor of the Comrisk project, Safecoast.org has added the Comrisk products to its downloads page. Additionally the national reports of the implementation of the EU ICZM Recommendation have been added here. Clich here to go directly to the downloads page.  27-06-2006 Political agreement on draft EU flood risk directive The European Environment Council reached political agreement on a draft directive on the assessment and management of flood risks. Key documents concerning this agreement may be found here.  24-06-2006 Denmark starts programme to monitor Greenland ice sheet For several years there has been much uncertainty about how fast the inland ice on Greenland is melting. Given the relation of this trend with sea level rise this is particularly relevant for climate adaptation policies and coastal management. On June 23, Denmark announced the initiation of a programme to systematically monitor the melting of the Greenland ice, according to a press release by the Ministry of environment. Read more here or try your best with the Danish pressrelease.  07-06-2006 US Katrina reports online available Quite recent the US American colleagues have published two very interesting reports reflecting the reasons for the New Orleans "Katrin disaster". Find both reports here: http://www.ce.berkeley.edu/~new_orleans/ and https://ipet.wes.army.mil/ In the end, it is concluded that many things went wrong with the New Orleans flood protection system during Hurricane Katrina, and that the resulting catastrophe had it roots in three main causes: (1) a major natural disaster (the Hurricane itself), (2) the poor performance of the flood protection system, due to localized engineering failures, questionable judgments, errors, etc. involved in the detailed design, construction, operation and maintenance of the system, and (3) more global “organizational” and institutional problems associated with the governmental and local organizations responsible for the design, construction, operation, maintenance and funding of the overall flood protection system. 27-04-2006 Results Safecoast workshop on climate change and future developments Within the scope of project Safecoast, Rijkswaterstaat / RIKZ has organised a workshop about coastal flood risks in the North Sea region in relation to climate change and spatial planning.
The workshop was an ideal opportunity for specialist on climate change, spatial development and coastal defence to exchange knowledge on a European scale. After each country presented their coastal risk policies, the main issues on future flood risk management were discussed. The report on the outcomes of this workshop can be downloaded here. One of the things you can find in the report is the literally report of the ‘Group Decision Room’, which include some interesting remark on the statements presentment during this session.
19-04-2006 Erosion sparks resort flood fears Homes in a Suffolk resort could be flooded by the sea if coastal erosion is not halted, say authorities. Read more here Source: BBC 19-04-2006 In pictures: Eastern-Europe floods Thousands of people were evacuated in Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia after melting snow swelled the River Danube to its highest level for more than a century. See the pictures here Source: BBC 19-04-2006 Swollen Danube reaches Ukraine The Danube flood wave has now reached the river's delta in Ukraine after hitting many Balkan communities. Several thousand people have been removed from their homes in Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria after floods caused by melting snow and heavy rain. Serb officials say they think the water level has peaked in Belgrade but many areas may be waterlogged for months. Read more here 11-04-2006 Extreme London flood investigated Scientists have been investigating the effects of a 7m-high wave travelling up the Thames, using computer simulations. The wave was produced by a "virtual storm" as part of a € 9,5 m project at the UK Met Office. Researchers say the work is crucial to our understanding of how storms cause dangerous flooding around the UK and the quest to improve forecasting. Read more here 11-04-2006 Infrastructure foresight needed to face flooding risks of climate change In the context of the United Kingdom Government’s renewed resolve to tackle climate change on home ground and to secure international agreement on action to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, it is instructive to look again at the report produced last year on flood risk in the growth areas of England by the Association of British Insurers. Read more here 10-04-2006 German Towns, Cities Flooded as Elbe Rises to Record Level Hitzacker and other German cities and towns along the river Elbe were flooded this weekend when the water rose to the highest level ever recorded as the riverbed strained to contain melting snow and heavy rain. Water levels of the Elbe in Hitzacker rose to a record level of 7.63 meters, topping levels reached in a 2002 flood that cost insurers such as Allianz AG some 1.7 billion euros ($2.1 billion), said Claudia Scharf, spokeswoman for the city of Hitzacker, in a telephone interview. Some towns along the Elbe don't have dikes to protect them from floods, and German politicians including Environment Minister Siegmar Gabiel are demanding a more coordinated effort by German states as well as European countries to make provisions for floods. Germany's government yesterday said it has set aside 5 million euros of emergency aid for the regions hit hardest by flood damage. Read more here Source: www.bloomberg.com 20-02-2006 Safecoast workshop on climate change: March 27-29, 2006 Within the scope of project Safecoast, Rijkswaterstaat / RIKZ is organising a workshop about coastal flood risks in the North Sea region in relation to climate change and spatial planning Why? Who? How? Specific discussion points:
When? 19-02-2006 Environment Agency tries to halt major developments in flood risk zone Releasing its 2004-05 Development and Flood Risk Report, the United Kingdom’s Environment Agency urges local authorities to heed the Government’s sustainable development policies on flood risk and avoid development that places people and property at risk. This annual monitoring report from the Environment Agency together with the Local Government Association records the performance of all local authorities in England on developments where the agency has provided flood risk advice. “Over five million people and two million homes and businesses are currently at risk from flooding in England and Wales”, said Barbara Young chief executive of the Environment Agency. “Recent storms and drought have shown how vulnerable we are to the weather – illustrated by the floods last summer in Europe and the events in New Orleans.” Source: www.ciob.org.uk Read more here 04-02-2006 UK scientists: Urgent action needed on climate change The risk of climate change may be more serious than previously thought, according to a new report based on a UK Government-sponsored research into global warming. It raises fears that the Antarctic ice sheet is melting, which could lead to sea levels rising by 16ft. The report also warns of large-scale irreversible disruption if temperatures rise above 3C - well within the range of climate change projections for the century. read more here 24-01-2006 World Water Forum 4 & Europe With the purpose of facilitating the organization of the 4th World Water Forum in Mexico, March 16-22, 2006, the world has been divided into five regions, of which Europe is one. The European Regional Committee has decided to focus on five themes for the 4th Forum. The European input (documents, sessions and local actions) for the 4th World Water Forum will all have a spearhead on several themes, among which risk management. Within this theme also project Safecoast is mentioned. Find the draft document and more information on the website of the 4th World Water Forum European Region 19-01-2006 European Commission comes with proposal Flood risk directive
The proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the assessment and management of floods is now online available here. 11-01-2006 US officials learning from Dutch flood defence systems A delegation of fifty Louisiana officials from the national, state and local levels will meet with Dutch officials over the course of three days to discuss and see the Netherlands’ water management and flood control technology. 02-01-2006 Flood risk across Europe subsides People have began returning home as water levels from heavy river flooding in central and eastern Europe, which claimed about 43 lives, begin to drop. In the Swiss capital, Bern, and the nearby Oberland region, more than 1,000 residents were allowed back, although water and electricity were still cut. Vital roads and train routes linking the north of Switzerland to the south were also reopened. Communities across the region face a massive clean-up operation. "The flood risk has receded, but there is an awful lot of clearing up to do," said Bern police spokesman Franz Maerki. Insurers say the economic cost of the flood in Switzerland alone could be 1bn Swiss Francs (640m euros; £440m; $800m). Read more here.
Source: BBC 10-12-2005 Last-minute climate deals reached at Climate Change Conference Ministers at the climate change conference in Montreal, Canada, have made a series of breakthroughs in plans to combat global warming. Source: BBC 10-12-2005 Interreg North Sea Programme newsletter # 10 The latest Interreg North Sea programme newsletter no 10 is now available for download here. This issue contains the latest information about the future North Sea Programme, the Spatial Agenda, the Mid-Term Evaluation, the Annual Conference and much more. It also features an article about one of the projects that are about to close. Source: http://www.interregnorthsea.org 05-12-2005 Safecoast internetsite online! This is the official launch of the SafeCoast internet site.
05-12-2005 Consultation results of an EU Flood Risk Directive The European Commission is currently developing an EU Flood Action Programme (also known as the initiative on flood prevention, protection and mitigation), which is a ‘package’ of three distinct but closely interlinked components:
Results and evaluation of the Internet consultation on a possible EU wide Flood Risk Directive are available on the Internet here.
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