Natural hazards: floods

Find out more about research into flooding

1.5 billion people across the world have been affected by floods

Floods have historically accounted for a significant proportion of total global losses arising from natural catastrophes, and the frequency of flood events is increasing.

It has been estimated that more than 1.5 billion people across the world have been affected by floods, with highly developed nations just as much at risk as less well-developed nations.

With such a widespread and indiscriminate legacy, it understandable why many researchers have been engaged to develop a better understanding of the complex science that governs not just how floods are manifest, but also how floods impact the social and environmental systems that they inundate.

Enhancing community resilience

The ��Ƶ's Dr Andrew Fox, Lecturer in Civil Engineering, has been engaged in research that has explored the relationship between institutions involved in flood risk management and communities at risk from flooding.

Much of this research has focused on exploring how institutions and communities can engender and mobilise social capital to enhance community resilience.

Early work built on practical experience gained in the design and development of projects to mitigate the effects of floods in the UK, Seychelles and in Montserrat, but quickly evolved into the academic study of flood disaster mitigation in communities along the River Severn in the UK.