Introduction

FRIAR 2014 is the fourth Conference of this successful series. The conference started at the Institute of Civil Engineers in London 2008 and was reconvened at the Lombardy Region in Milano in 2010 and in Dubrovnik in 2012. Flooding is a global phenomenon that claims numerous lives worldwide each year.

When flooding occurs in populated areas, it can cause substantial damage to property as well as threatening human life. In addition, many more people must endure the homelessness, upset and disruption that are left in the wake of floods. The increased frequency of flooding in the last few years, coupled with climate change predictions and urban development, suggest that these statistics are set to worsen in the future. How we respond and adapt to these challenges is key to developing our long term resilience at the property, community and city scale.

Apart from the physical damage to buildings, contents and loss of life, which are the most obvious impacts of floods upon households, other more indirect losses are often overlooked. These indirect and intangible impacts are generally associated with disruption to normal life as well as longer term health issues including stress related illness. Flooding represents a major barrier to the alleviation of poverty in many parts of the developing world, where vulnerable communities are often exposed to sudden and life threatening events.

The conference provides a forum for researchers, academics and practitioners actively involved in improving our understanding of flood events and our approaches to response, recovery and resilience. The meeting will bring together social scientists, surveyors, engineers, scientists, and other professionals from many countries involved in research and development activities in a wide range of technical and management topics related to flooding and its impacts on communities, property and people.