Managing Extreme Events in our Rivers and Coastal Areas
Event Details
In the Netherlands, water managemnet is a daily activity. Without dikes and coastal dunes, close to two-thirds of the country would be under water. Building on centuries of water management, the Netherlands has recently adopted a policy of "Room for the Rivers" as part of a new Delta Programme to improve flood risk management in the face of a changing climate. What have the Dutch learned from their long history in managing water and their new flood policies? Can their experience offer any lessons for the United States?
During this breakfast seminar, the Netherlands' Delta Commissioner offered remarks on what his country has learned about floodplain and flood risk management and discussed new policies his country is adopting. Other panelists provided commentary on the context of the issues in the United States, U.S. experiences with flood risk management, and emerging policy options going forward.
Speaker:
Wim Kuijken, Delta Commissioner of the Netherlands
Panelists:
Sandra Knight, Deputy Federal Insurance Mitigation Administrator, FEMA
Len Shabman, Resident Scholar, Resources for the Future
David Conrad, Representative of the Water Protection Network and Independent Consultant
Moderator:
Carolyn Kousky, Fellow, Resources for the Future
Audio and Video:
Event Audio (mp3) click to stream and right-click to download
