Mapping of Floods at The Slovak—Austrian Section of the Morava River — Tool to Improve Decision Support in Crisis Situation

Water management activities in the Slovak part of the Morava River basin have increased significantly in the past 10 years, as a result of large floods occurrence (1997, 2006), as well as common trilateral (Czech, Slovak, Austrian) activities in the field of river restoration. Flood consequences in 1997 were not as catastrophic as in the Czech Republic, however they pointed at the weak points in the system and the need of complex approach application in the flood management. Modern software simulation tools can be efficiently used for the decision support in the flood management. The project “Conservation by restoration: Strategy and management of the lower Morava River system “has been finished at the Water Research Institute in Bratislava in the beginning of 2006. Numerical models have been applied for the evaluation of the current state of flood control in the model area (70 km long Slovak—Austrian river reach), assessment of the alternative flood control measures efficiency and determination of area endangered with possible dyke breaks The catastrophic consequences of real dyke breaks at the Austrian side of the river during the spring 2006 flood emphasized urgent need for the improvement of flood preparedness. Models prepared in the frame of project have been utilized during the flood for operational decision support. The flood maps for the vulnerable areas along the river were produced after the flood, in order to provide basis for effective management of future crisis situations.