FLOODPROBE

Technologies for the cost-effective Flood Protection of the Built Environment

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'The principal aim of FloodProBE is to provide cost-effective means for the flood protection and damage mitigation in urban areas. To this end, FloodProBE will develop, test and disseminate technologies, methods, concepts and tools for risk assessment and mitigation, focussing particularly on the adaptation of new and existing buildings (retrofitting) and on infrastructure networks. The three main elements addressed by FloodProBE are (a) the vulnerability of critical infrastructure and high-density value assets, being the main originators of direct and indirect flood damage, (b) the reliability of urban flood defences by improving understanding and assessment of failure processes that have proven to be critical in recent flood events and (c) construction technologies and concepts for flood-proofing buildings and infrastructure networks to increase the flood-resilience of the urban system as well as for retrofit and repair of flood defences in the most economic and cost beneficial manner. The afore-mentioned elements will be integrated into state-of-the-art flood risk management strategies and will be developed, tested and validated via pilot study sites. A wide range of stakeholders will be involved in the project from the outset through an Associate Partner programme and by an external Advisory Board. This involvement will provide guidance on the project programme to directly meet industry needs, whilst also facilitating international dissemination, supporting uptake and implementation of project deliverables. The primary impact of FloodProBE will be a significant increase in the cost-effectiveness (i.e. performance) of investments in newly developed and existing flood protection and flood resilience measures. This will be achieved by focusing the research on “risk hotspots”, i.e. weak links in flood defence system performance and vulnerable assets, that, if damaged, cause very large direct and indirect adverse consequences (e.g. infrastructure networks).'

Introduzione (Teaser)

Floods are a constant threat to urban areas and coastal zones in Europe. An EU initiative developed tools to mitigate the effects of floods in Europe that will help save lives and protect assets across the continent.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Over EUR 40 billion are spent yearly on protecting assets and people from floods, prompting authorities to seek more effective ways to improve flood resilience and mitigation.

The overall aim of the EU-funded project 'Technologies for the cost-effective flood protection of the built environment' (http://www.floodprobe.eu (FLOODPROBE)) was to develop cost-efficient technologies, methods and tools for assessing flood risks, strengthening critical infrastructure and upgrading vulnerable buildings in urban areas.

To achieve its aims, the project team upgraded flood risk maps and used advanced numerical models and a geographic information system-based solution to analyse critical infrastructure networks more comprehensively.

Researchers developed a remote sensing technology that would be useful for assessing the effectiveness of extended periods of flood defence. To tackle flooding, they designed a soil-strengthening technique that reinforces flood defences.

Tools were developed to streamline risk assessment on various infrastructures and to model the interdependency between infrastructure networks after a disaster. A system was created to identify the likelihood of damage to non-residential buildings in flood scenarios. The partners improved on the prediction of costs related to building damage.

In addition to the tools developed, the team studied erosion processes and documented testing facilities in Europe to measure erosion parameters. It then developed a typology for structure transitions covering performance, design and repair solutions. Studies also involved a review of key flood events where defence failure in relation to structure transition occurred, identifying knowledge gaps related to erosion.

FLOODPROBE focused on developing knowledge of urban flood defences and critical infrastructure in order to minimise and deal with the risks that floods pose to human health, the environment, cultural heritage and economic activity. The project envisions turning flood risks into opportunities that could lead to significant societal and economic benefits.