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Hazard Mitigation, Economic Development and Resilience: A Comparative Analysis of Flood Control Policy and Practice in Germany, The Netherlands, and Great Britain

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Disaster and Development

Part of the book series: Environmental Hazards ((ENHA))

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Abstract

Certain parts of Europe have a long history of coastal and riverine flood disasters with major losses of human lives. Structural mitigation practices have reduced direct loss of human life from flood incidents, though not eliminating that particular effect entirely. But over-development in floodplains, population growth patterns in hazard-vulnerable areas and potential consequences of climate change make flood disasters a continued threat. Hazard losses from floods continue to grow and create significant adverse effects on overall economic development. In this chapter we trace developments in flood mitigation (i.e. structural engineering solutions such as barriers and drainage approaches) and flood risk management (i.e. an emphasis on both effective water management practices and sustainable development practices) by considering three European countries with significant coastal and interior vulnerability to the flood hazard: The Netherlands, Great Britain, and Germany. In doing so we consider how flood mitigation and flood risk management is related to hazard loss and economic development. The chapter provides an overview of the degree to which the incentives associated with, and the socio-political effects of economic development imperatives affect hazard mitigation policy choices and their implications for community resilience. Variations in the physical characteristics of the flood hazard across the three countries permit us to consider how underlying management demands posed by the hazard affects policy and practice across individual national settings as well as the European Union in general.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA

    Melanie Gall

  2. School of Public Affairs, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO, USA

    Brian J. Gerber

Authors
  1. Melanie Gall
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Melanie Gall .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Public Administration, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA

    Naim Kapucu

  2. School of Public Administration, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, USA

    Kuotsai Tom Liou

Appendix

Appendix

Significant historic flood events that caused major damage in The Netherlands, Germany, and Great Britain. Events listed in cursive affected all three countries. Note that Germany and Great Britain experience flooding on an annual basis but only major events are included below.

Netherlands

Germany

Great Britain

Year

Type

Fatalities

Year

Type

Fatalities

Year

Type

Fatalities

 

120 BCa

  

Storm surge

    
 

AD 800a

  

Storm surge

    
   

1012b

Riverine

    
   

1051b

Riverine

    
 

1164a

  

Storm surge

 

< 20,000 fatalities

   

1179b

Riverine

    
   

1209b

Riverine

> 1,000

   
 

1219a

  

Storm surge

 

< 36,000 fatalities

   

1235/36b

Riverine

    
 

1287a

  

Storm surge

 

50,000–80,000 fatalities

   

1304

Storm surge

271

   
   

1306b

Riverine

    

1313c

Riverine

       

1315c

Riverine

       
   

1342b

Riverine

< 6,000

   
 

1362a

  

Storm surge

 

11,000–30,000 fatalities

   

1413b

Riverine

    

1421d

Storm surge

< 10,000

      
   

1432b

Riverine

    
   

1436a

Storm surge

> 180

   
   

1451b

Riverine

    
   

1501b

Riverine

    

1509a

   

Storm surge

    

1530a

Storm surge

    

1530a

Storm surge

 
 

1532a

  

Storm surge

    
   

1546b

Riverine

    
   

1551b

Riverine

    
 

1552 or 1553a

  

Storm surge

    
   

1558b

Ice jam

    
   

1561b

Ice jam

    
 

1570a

 

Storm surge (All saints flood)

> 20,000 fatalities

   

1595b

Riverine

    
   

1613*

Riverine

2,261

   

1626c

   

Ice surge

    
   

1633b

Riverine

    
   

1634a

Storm surge

6,000

   
   

1655b

Riverine

    
   

1682b

Ice jam

    
      

1694a

Storm surge (Culbin sands disasters)

 

1703a

  

Storm surge

 

8,000 fatalities

   

1709b

Ice jam

    
 

1717a

  

Storm surge

 

11,000 fatalities

   

1732b

Riverine

    
   

1756a

Storm surge

    
      

1774f

Riverine

 
   

1778b

Riverine

63

   
   

1784b

Riverine

> 1,000

   
 

1792a

  

Storm surge

    

1825a

Storm surge

825

1825a

Storm surge

    
      

1829a

Riverine

 

1855c

Riverine

       

1861c

Riverine

       
      

1864

Dam failure

270

   

1909

Riverine

    
      

1912e

Riverine

 
   

1916a

Storm surge

    

1926c

Riverine

       
   

1927

Riverine

160

   
      

1928a

Riverine

14

   

1938a

Storm surge

    
   

1947f

Riverine

 

1947f

Riverine

 
      

1952e

Riverine

34

1953g

Storm surge

1,800

   

1953g

Storm surge

307

 

1962a

  

Storm surge

 

315 fatalities in Hamburg

 

1976a

 

Storm surge (Capella storm)

52 fatalities

   

1970b

Riverine

    
      

1978a

Storm surge

1

      

1979h

Riverine

 
      

1987h

Riverine

 
      

1990j

Storm surge

 
   

1993i

Riverine

    

1995i

Riverine

       

1998i

Flash flood

 

1998b

Riverine

 

1998h

Riverine

 
   

1999b

Riverine

    
   

2000b

Riverine

 

2000i

Riverine

 
   

2002b

Riverine

21

   
      

2004h

Riverine

 
   

2005b

Riverine

 

2005e

Riverine

 

2007i

  

Storm surge (Cyclone Tilo)

   
      

2007i

Riverine and flash flooding

13

      

2009i

Riverine

1

      

2012i

Riverine and flash flood

10

   

2013b

Riverine

    
  1. a Lamb (1991)
  2. b Hochwassernachrichtendienst Bayern
  3. c Tol and Langen (2000)
  4. d Encyclopaedia Britannica
  5. e Stuart-Menteth (2007)
  6. f RMS (2007)
  7. g RMS (2003a)
  8. h Safetynet Systems, Ltd.
  9. i EM-DAT
  10. j Zong and Tooley (2003)
  11. k Grünewald (Grünewald 2006)

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Gall, M., Gerber, B. (2014). Hazard Mitigation, Economic Development and Resilience: A Comparative Analysis of Flood Control Policy and Practice in Germany, The Netherlands, and Great Britain. In: Kapucu, N., Liou, K. (eds) Disaster and Development. Environmental Hazards. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-04468-2_13

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