I'd be interested to hear ...

I'd be interested to hear how different countries are tackling floodplain management. In Australia we do have some deficiencies in our funding mechanisms, spending a lot more money on recovery than on prevention, but we have a well developed program for carrying out State and regional flood strategies, local flood mapping and flood risk management plans, land use planning, emergency response, flood warning, etc. These include flood mapping of events ranging from frequent to extremely rare (probable maximum flood).

I read a number of social media reports recently regarding the Houston flooding from official sources such as the National Weather Service, saying this event is beyond anything we have seen in the past and we don't know whats going to happen. This should never be the case in an area that has had a flood risk investigation completed, because events of the magnitude witnessed at Houston should be included, with flood mapping produced, impacts known, emergency response actions planned, and steps taken to raise awareness in the community.

So I'd be interested to hear if this sort of work is being done across other countries, if not, why not, and who is responsible for ensuring that events like Houston don't come as a surprise to the community who live in these flood prone areas. By looking to countries who have a well developed flood risk management framework, we can share knowledge and hopefully make positive changes that will reduce the flood risk in flood prone areas across the globe. I'm keen to hear peoples thoughts.