Announcement

Managing Flood Risk, Reliability and Vulnerability

Floods, including flash and riverine floods, storm surges, snowmelt floods, ice jams, and mud flows, are naturally occurring hazards that provide essential elements to the biodiversity and sustainability of ecosystems and many human activities. Floods are also the most taxing type of waterrelated natural disasters to humans, material assets, as well as to cultural and ecological resources—affecting about 520 million people and their livelihoods and claiming about 25,000 lives annually worldwide. The annual cost to the world economy of floods and other water-related disasters exceeds $60 billion, whilst the cost of damage caused to cultural assets and natural resources is by no means quantifiable by economic scales.

Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction (Canada) and the Institute for Water Resources (USA) are organizing the next International Symposium on Flood Defence (ISFD4) - scheduled to take place May 6-8 in Toronto, Canada. The theme for this important event, which marks the fourth in a series, focuses on the management of flood risk, reliability and vulnerability. As the recent flood disasters, like hurricanes in the United States and tsunami in Asia, made abundantly clear, all nations are susceptible to the damaging effects that major storm and flood events cause. ISFD4 provides a unique opportunity to bring the interdisciplinary group of flood experts together to share critical knowledge from regional and international perspectives. In keeping with the previous ISFD held in Nijmegen, Netherlands the focus of the Toronto meeting will be a new perspective of flood risk management and assessment - one which recognizes flood risk reduction as an integral part of water resource management and which aims to maximize the resultant economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of vital systems. Appropriate flood riskmitigation investment, and the redirection of resources into flood disaster prevention, offers significant economic benefits, as well as reduction in loss of life and property, improvements in welfare and social stability.Managing Flood Risk, Reliability and Vulnerability

Venue

The Westin Harbour Castle, One Harbour Square, Toronto, Ontario — May 6, 7 & 8 (2008) In the heart of Toronto's spectacular waterfront, The Westin Harbour Castle is just 30 minutes from Toronto's International Airport. The location is minutes from Toronto's financial, cultural and shopping districts.

Toronto, situated on the shores of Lake Ontario, offers a wealth of attractions for the visitor. A clean, safe, cosmopolitan city, Toronto boasts a wide range of recreational and cultural facilities and is the business centre of Canada. Toronto offers some of the world's best literary, ethnic and wine festivals as well as museums and the Seventh Wonder of the World: Niagara Falls.

Objectives

• Addressing the various approaches and methods used to manage and assess flood risk (safety), reliability and vulnerability; • Sharing of new, innovative developments in flood risk reduction methodologies; • International activities in sustainable floodplain management; • Bridging the gaps that arise between the flood research and development community and those flood professionals responsible for responding to and mitigating against major flood events; • Exploring means to sustain balance between structural and non-structural approaches to floodplain management; • Flood risk management in large urban areas; and • Exchanging recent experiences gained in the areas of integrated flood policy development, implementation and management.

Symposium Co-chairs: Slobodan P. Simonovic Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction University of Western Ontario London, Ontario, Canada simonovic@uwo.ca

Paul G. Bourget Institute for Water Resources U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Washington, USA paul.g.bourget@usace.army.mil

Symposium Secretary: Ms. Tracy Waddington Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction 20 Richmond Street East, Suite 210 Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5C 2R9 twaddington@iclr.org