Floods – are we prepared?

Flooding in the USA and elsewhere, as well as issues related to climate change, have again alerted politicians and scientists to the dangers that floods pose. This article, written by international river experts from several countries, is aimed at giving readers an insight into what engineers are currently doing to understand the underpinning science, to improve hydrodynamic flow models and to develop better flood risk management procedures. It reviews fluvial flooding from a European perspective, describes recent R&D studies in the UK, China & Japan and highlights the need for more international collaboration.