International Handbook on Emergency Management for Flood Defences
Flood defences and the protection of the hinterland are often part of the overall flood risk management strategy. The increased frequency and severity of floods and aging defences require the strategy to also include emergency management of flood defences.
Globally there is a wide range of response approaches available, making it necessary to arrive at a sound inventory. Also educating the next generation by transferring best practices from well-trained flood fighters makes it necessary to document knowledge and experience.
This all lead to the initiative to arrive at this International Handbook. The International Handbook on Emergency Management for Flood Defences (IHEMFD) will help identify key principles and brings best practices from all over the world together on the aspects of preparedness and response to manage risks during these extreme events.
Rijkswaterstaat (The Netherlands), USACE (United States), Environment Agency (England) and MLIT (Japan), started the initiative to create the handbook. Our ultimate goal is to contribute to international guidance and collaboration for the practical and sound implementation of emergency measures during flood situations. In total more than 20 organisations and 50 experts from across the world have contributed to this handbook.
How will the handbook help you?
The handbook is intended for flood asset managers and their main partners involved in crises. The aim is to support them in understanding the challenges and to arrive at an effective and efficient response. It outlines key principles, typical issues and methods that are essential for preparedness and response phases.
The chapters address both governance and technical aspects and provide numerous examples to help understand what is necessary. Key topics such as inspections, early warnings, failure mechanisms, response measures as well as logistics and implementation are covered.
Furthermore, the handbook delves into crisis management, knowledge sharing, learning and the needed funding.
Use with care
Use of the handbook should always be taken with care. The reader should always be critical when using the book and should always think how it ties into the situation at hand. No event is entirely the same. The reader is kindly also referred to the disclaimers within the handbook.
Partners IHEMFD
- Rijkswaterstaat
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- UK Environment Agency
- Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
Reach out to our community
The community behind this initiative strongly believes in sharing experiences and best practices. Across the globe we all encounter challenges and we are convinced that we will need each other to learn how to tackle these and to professionalise our ways of working.