Organized by Young Professionals with the support of Deltares we would like to invite conference attendees to join us for the Young Professionals Dinner to kick off your time in Lyon. We will get started at Brasserie La Patrie with a networking event complete with a classic French aperitif and an innovative Flood Risk game “Hazards & Measures” followed by a buffet style dinner of traditional French food.

If you would like to join us please register by Monday October 10th here: http://floodrisk2016.net/programme/young-professionals-dinner/ 

If you have any questions feel free to contact organizers Sajni Malde (S.Malde@hrwallingford.com) and Heather Murdock (heather.j.murdock@gmail.com)

Flood Emergency Response Community of Users – from theory to practice?

This side event to the FLOODrisk2016 conference aims to identify practical, efficient and intuitive ways to support working practice of the Emergency Response Community of Users – in this instance, in relation to flood risk management and emergency response.

The morning sessions will facilitate group discussion as to how interactions amongst science, policy, industry, practitioners (first responders) and citizens via local actors could be orchestrated at different levels (international/EU, national, regional/local) via networking developed within the EU "Community of Users on Secure, Safe and Resilient Societies" as well as the Disaster Risk Management Knowledge Centre, and with inputs from various H2020 projects, such as the Anywhere project with a focus on floods and flood management .

Discussions will run in two parallel round-tables sessions, enabling participants to attend in both group discussions, dealing namely with:

Round-table 1: Flood Risk Management tools – Opportunities, drawbacks, sharing successes

• Research transfer / uptake
• Link to market dimension

Round-table 2: Institutional FRM aspects – Gaps in knowledge (policy & research)

• Interactions among different actors
• Links from International (Sendai) / EU to regional implementers

This session will also integrate findings from the Special Session on Emergency Response Management held on Thursday 20 October 2016.

To find out more about this side event and to register to attend the side event on Friday 21st October and/or the special session on Thursday 20th October, please go to http://floodrisk2016.net/programme/community-of-users-side-event-on-flood-emergency-response/ 

As a significant research organization focusing on the study and management of water risks for over 30 years, Irstea - National Research Institute of Science and Technology for Environment and Agriculture - works to understand and prevent these phenomena as well as to reduce their impact. The organization supports public authorities and provides a range of knowledge, tools and methods helping to prevent and predict floods, from knowing rainfall levels to managing bodies of water that may threaten people and infrastructure, taking into account structural resistance and the socio-economic impacts of the risks. Irstea’s approach integrates a variety of environments and climate contexts (mountains, prairies, urban, forest, agricultural, etc.) along with different time and space scales, from km2 to river basins and entire regions.

The hydrological and water engineering teams at Lyon, Aix en Provence and Antony specialize in high water and floods and are working on several topics: forecasting, prevention, risk reduction and protection. Economic issues are studied by an Irstea team in Montpellier.

Its work includes the resistance of structures and the socio-economic aspects of risk.

To reduce this risk, the methods and tools used to implement effective prevention and forecasting measures need to be improved. Since 2006, France has a warning system (Vigicrues.gouv.fr) powered by a modeling tool developed by Irstea to forecast high water on rivers equipped with sensors. An Irstea project aiming to forecast flash flooding in non-equipped basins is currently being rolled out in the PACA (Provence-Alps-Côte d'Azur-Corsica) region and will be widely used by National Agencies as a flash flood forecasting tool for the coming months.

To find out more please come and visit the IRSTEA stand in Lyon in October (stand number 16 and 19) or visit www.irstea.fr/en/accueil 

« France’s leading supplier of 100% renewable energy (hydroelectricity, solar and wind energy), CNR has built and now operates the hydroelectricity developments on the Rhône river with three inter-related missions: hydropower generation, navigation, irrigation and agricultural uses.

CNR and the floods of the Rhône:

The design, and also the operation of the developments is based on one essential principle: neutrality with regard to floods.
CNR has thus incorporated the flood factor in the overall design of its 19 dams and hydroelectricity plants (preservation of natural flood plains, maintenance of flood drainage capacities, construction of embankments) and pursues a permanent policy of monitoring and maintenance of its developments in order to guarantee hydraulic safety.

When the river is in flood, it runs its developments in strict compliance with operating instructions approved by the authorities, and works closely with the public flood forecasting system, in particular by providing the State departments with its hydrometric data and by sharing its own expertise in the field of forecasting.”

CNR’s expertise:

CNR's expertise in river engineering and hydropower projects is based on a wide range of competences for the benefit of CNR and its clients in France and abroad:

• Hydropower developments, inland waterways, river restoration, river systems development,
• Flood protection, flood forecasting,
• And assistance to owners:

CNR promotes its unique experience under the label “CNR Engineering”. CNR Engineering profits by the expertise of CNR’s specialists in operation and maintenance (O&M) and in hydrometeorological forecasting via the COCPIT optimisation center. CNR Engineering relies also on an integrated laboratory, the CACOH endowed with rare competences in physical modelling, structure monitoring and metrology (hydrometry, bathymetry, hydrography).”

To find out more please come and visit their stand in Lyon in October (stand number 26 and 27) or visit their website on www.cnr.tm.fr. 

At HDR, we specialize in engineering, architecture, environmental and construction services. While we are most well-known for adding beauty and structure to communities through smart high performance infrastructure, we provide much more than that. For almost 100 years, we have been creating an unshakable foundation for progress because our multidisciplinary teams include scientists, economists, builders, analysts, and artists.

As a global leader in consulting, we have the resources, international reach, depth of experience and know-how to help our clients achieve success. Our professionals work with communities to protect and sustain water resources around the world. We approach flood risk management from an integrated perspective. Using natural and infrastructure components, we create smart solutions to protect our natural and built environments while achieving our client’s environmental, economic and social objectives.

We combine local knowledge and delivery capabilities—understanding local regulations, rules, operating environment and geography—with the resources and reliability of a global firm. We work as a member of your team to address each aspect of project development, design, safety, environmental issues, construction and operations.

Headquartered in the United States, our employees, working in 225 locations around the world, push open the doors to what’s possible each and every day. To learn more about how we are helping our clients create resilient communities, read this issue of HDR-Waterscapes or visit our website at www.hdrinc.com.

The conference is now just one month away, and there are over 400 delegates already registered to attend FLOODrisk2016. The excitement is certainly building up and we are looking forward to a thrilling programme of plenary, parallel, special and poster sessions over 3 full days, preceded by an ice breaker (and the opportunity to taste the beautiful local French wines of the Rhone Valley) and ending with a gala dinner and 2 exciting technical tours.

There is still a chance to book an exhibition stand for the conference if you haven't done so already with just 2 booths left (but the possibility of an additional double booth if interest is high).

If you would like to find out more about our sponsorship and exhibition opportunities, please visit the website on http://floodrisk2016.net/sponsorship--exhibition/ or contact Estelle Morris, by email on: sponsor@floodrisk2016.net. 

SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL EXPERTISE, IN SUPPORT OF THE DEFINITION, IMPLEMENTATION AND EVALUATION OF PUBLIC POLICIES ON BOTH NATIONAL AND LOCAL LEVELS

Cerema is an interdisciplinary scientific and technical resources centre, placed under supervision of the ministries in charge of sustainable development, town planning and transportation.

In addition, representatives of local authorities sit on Cerema’s board of directors. Thanks to its strong regional footing, Cerema is able to connect the needs and policies of central government, government’s decentralised offices, local authorities and of all those who contribute to implementing public policies.

CEREMA works in nine fields of operation:

• planning, development and equality of regions
• towns and urban strategies
• energy transition and climate change
• management of natural resources and the environment
• risk prevention
• well-being and reducing pollutions
• mobility and transportation
• management, optimisation, modernisation and design of infrastructures
• housing and buildings

To find out more please come and visit their stand in Lyon in October (stand number 32 and 33) or visit their website on www.cerema.fr.

Deltares is an independent institute for applied research in the field of water and subsurface. Throughout the world, we work on smart solutions, innovations and applications for people, environment and society. Our main focus is on deltas, coastal regions and river basins. Managing these densely populated and vulnerable areas is complex, which is why we work closely with governments, businesses, other research institutes and universities.

Rising sea-levels, population growth and economic activity are driving an increase in demand for flood risk forecasting and possible protective measures. The research conducted by Deltares improves the precision of our assessments of dike strength, water-level predictions, wave heights and erosion, and allows for better risk appraisal. Our expertise covers the full scope of flood risk management: from risk calculations to practical support for making policy decisions. The result is seen in flood prevention measures that are more effective, more cost-efficient and socially acceptable.

Deltares employs over 800 people and is based in the Netherlands.

To find out more please come and visit the Deltares stand in Lyon in October (stand number 15 and 18) or visit www.deltares.nl