Category: Environmental
Industry Affected: All Businesses - Strong
The General Assembly,
Realising that floods are natural phenomena which cannot be entirely prevented,
Noting that floods have the potential to cause fatalities, displacement of people and damage to the environment and economy,
Feeling that flood management plans should focus on prevention, protection and preparedness,
Hereby,
1. Defines "flood" as the temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water.
2. Mandates that, for each river basin or coastal zone with a medium likely hood of flooding, Member States shall undertake a preliminary flood risk assessment, which includes at least:
a. maps of the area,
b. a description of the floods which have occurred in the past,
c. an assessment of the potential adverse consequences of future floods, taking into account the topography, the position of watercourses and their general characteristics, including floodplains as natural retention areas, the effectiveness of existing man-made flood defence infrastructures, the position of settlements and long-term developments on the occurrence of floods.
3. Mandates that Member States shall action upon any feasable potential improvements discovered in the risk assesment.