Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
flood damage mitigation will be in place soon
enough to counter the damage and dislocation
that will result.
political bargaining (Penning-Rowsell et al . 1998)
and sometimes corrupt practices (Penning-
Rowsell 1996).
CONCLUSIONS
GUIDE TO FURTHER READING
Natural hazards are complex interactions of social
and physical forces, and cannot be understood
fully without a multidisciplinary approach. The
broad vision of the geographer can contribute
significantly here, through having an
understanding of physical processes, human
impacts and the potential for sustainable plans and
sensible action.
The human dimension is that floods create
social exclusion by demonstrating the separation
of the 'haves', who receive support and protection,
from the 'have-nots', who do not. On an
international scale, this is shown by the huge
national response to the damaging floods that
occurred in the USA in 1993 compared with the
relative neglect of the millions of people affected
annually by floods in Bangladesh (Alexander
1993). In Poland and Germany, above, the same
was true: the impoverished Poles suffered more
than the affluent Germans.
The physical dimension is that each flood has
a different character and that 'template' solutions
do not always apply. Physical space is limited.
Solutions to many flood hazards are difficult to
apply when people have unwisely occupied
floodplain and coastal areas, because this means
that there is insufficient room for the natural
overflow of rivers on to floodplains without the
damage and dislocation that this causes.
But also, as with many natural hazards, floods
are intensely political phenomena as well as being
complex geophysical events. The political
character of floods derives from the damage and
loss of life that they cause, and governments and
their agencies are called to account for these
effects. Floods also create emergencies and the
associated emotional circumstances when
governments and international organisations
spend money—on relief or alleviation measures.
These resource flows can be the subject of intense
Alexander, D. (1993) Natural disasters. London:
UCL Press. This is a comprehensive text on natural
disasters, both from a human and a physical
perspective, and on an international scale.
Anderson, M.G., Walling, D.E. and Bates, P.D.
(1996) Floodplain Processes. Chichester: JohnWiley
& Sons. An important collection of research
material on the geomorphology of floods and
floodplains.
Beck, V. (1992) Risk Society: Towards a New
Modernity , trans. M.Ritter. London: Sage. The
'cutting edge' of provocative 1990s thinking about
risk and society.
Hewitt, K. (1997) Regions of Risk: A Geographical
Introduction to Disasters. London: Longman. A
challenging account of the changing geographical
conceptualisation of hazards and disasters.
Kanti Paul, B. (1997) Flood research in Bangladesh
in retrospect and prospect: a review. Geoforum
28(2), 121-31. This is an excellent synthesis of
research in what must be the world's most flood-
prone nation.
Penning-Rowsell, E.C. and Fordham, M. (1994)
Floods Across Europe: Hazard Assessment, Modelling
and Management. London: Middlesex University
Press. This volume surveys research at a European
scale into the complex processes of risk assessment
and flood hazard adjustment.
Useful flood hazard-related web sites:
http://www.yahoo.com/Science/Earth_Sciences/
Meteorology/Weather_Phenomena/Floods
Provides up-to-date information and reports on
major events around the globe as well as a selection
of links to other sites dealing with floods.
http://www.fema.gov/fema/flood.html
The US Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) web pages on floods provide basic
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